2022-2023 Freestyle Academy Yearbook

FOREWORD

by Jake Custodio

Creating, collaborating and learning at Freestyle Academy has changed our lives in more ways than we’re probably aware of. The ingenuity of this program has allowed our unique and individual artistic passions to blossom, our creative freedom bolstered by the many mediums we have now mastered. Through working closely with each other, we have formed unshakable bonds of friendship and comradery which have the potential to last our whole lives. Though none of us were the first Freestyle students, and none of us will be the last, our unique passions and aspirations make us stand out. Now it’s up to us to let our artistry guide us to find our places in the world, and leave it in a better state than how we found it.

Wh at b et te r way to k ic k of f th e ye ar t ha n wi th a long -s ta nd in g Fre es ty le t radi ti on f ul l of f r oze n

trea ts t o be at t he e ar ly A ut um n he at ? Th e

ti me -t es te d Ic e Cream

Social i s a grea t way fo r

Junio rs t o ge t to k no w

ea ch o th er, an d fo r

Se nio rs to rec on ne ct

af te r a l on g s u mme r.

A trip to the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco was probably the best way to kick off the year. What better place is there for a group of inspired student artists to start the flow of their creativity than at the Bay Area’s center for contemporary artistic expression? Academia was left at the bus stop for this trip: no assignments or projects, just a day with friends in San Francisco.

Homecoming Homecoming

Glamour, mystique, and... murder! The Freestyle Masquerade Homecoming had all these things. While the dancers enjoyed karaoke sessions, chocolate fountains and a game room, keen-eyed sleuths scanned the dance floor for clues to the killer of Ms. Woolfolk. After all the evidence was gathered, the murderer was revealed as... Mr. Taylor!

Egad! On this favorite holiday of Freestylers past, students and staff alike pull all the stops and go all-out with the most elaborate of costumes. No two Freestylers have quite the same idea, and all of their costumes burst at the seams with creativity and spooky spirit. While not all were scary, leave it to Ms. Parkinson to strike fear into the hearts of all!

Annie Hua Ethan Huang

Lexi Ivy Michael Kurgas

Hana Mijares Jacob Posada

Chance Reynolds Teo Teeter Rangel

Emily Xu

Alexis Cacatian Miya Chetty

Sofia Dominguez Salcedo

Rye Donaldson

Arthur Kim Eli Ladd Star Shen

William Anderson Avani Chhabra

Maya Cook Sheer Hamam

Kate Kansky

Owen Leahy

Angelita Marcelino Jensen McDonell

Tyler Spratt

Sofa Vincent

Felicia Wagner

Maya Yoder

Sabrina Barlow Maya Batra

Aditi Biswas Eva D’Antonio

Lexi Davis Cole Guilhamet Dragos Popescu

Luiza Rufesisen

Beverlyn Bagalso

Sofi Goldwater

Théa Nair

Zoe

Parker

Lemo

Sekiguchi

Ayan Chhatrala

Natalie Emerson

Ethan Fey

Eva Halsey

Matt Juliano

Mia Florendo

Kylie Outten

CJ Hoo

Tegan Parket-Morris

Sierra Prochniak

Lucie Reynaud

Alex Sharp

Quinn Aaronson

Zoey Brake

LIllian Casazza

Thomas Copeland

Harry Kumar

Nicole Leihe

Theresa Mattia Lindsey Park

Nicholas Te

Lucy Wang

Aramis Duenas

Lucy Good Deilani Harris Kyle Jhong

Jessica Lohse

Emma Mell

Jack Orrock

Alice Rennie

Camilla Robinson

Uch Bayarnyam

Attila Cabute

Tyler Crissman

Jack Dees

Taylor Ewan

Xavier Haberlach

Fiona Liu Tai Livnat

Isaac Lui

Nick Murray

Milo Rathbun

Annie Schwartz

Ari Schwartz Eric Schachal

Yhali Sheba

Kosta

Vujic

Tae Yoon

Olivia Bocchieri

Hector Chang Sky Gommeren Aya Iwata

Amanda Jernigan Jean-Marc Langlois

Henry Lowell Izzy Wang

Kayla Bistrain

Cambria Cook Mahaut de Boisset Paige Kasso

Sarah Starkey Justin Sweet

Kyhara Crespin Jake Custodio

Jackie Lara Janine Leong

Lindsay McKinley Kali Micetich

David Palacios

Julie Park

The students of Freestyle Academy have produced many works which have won them distinguished accolades across many artistic disciplines. This page is dedicated to the works who have achieved such honors, and to the artists who crafted them.

November 2022

Procreate, Adobe Illustrator, T-shirts

I applied to design the 13th annual Spartans Turkey Trot t-shirt logo. I went through several Turkeys, colors, logos, fonts, and decorations until I finalized the perfect design. I submitted it and won! I then transferred the procreate file to an Adobe Illustrator file, converted the image into minimal colors (so the t-shirt wouldn’t be too expensive), and waited for the printing company to put it on a shirt! I wanted to make the turkey stand out, while still keeping it minimalistic. The font was difficult to do using Procreate, since Procreate is not a vector application, I had some challenges blowing the font up or shrinking it, so I actually ended up hand tracing the font to ensure I could use the font I liked best. The turkey was also challenging because I could only use 3-4 colors due to the limitations of printing on T-Shirts. Overall I am so glad I applied and won!

Turkey Trot 2022

A Look Back

Annie Marcelino

November 2022

Colored pencil

A big part of my life is my culture/ethnicity. My mom is from Korea and my dad is from the Philippines, and my upbringing was a mesh of these two worlds coming together. I also wanted to convey the daunting feeling of growing up, stuck between looking towards the future and reminiscing on the past.

2nd Place, To Be Honest Fall 2022 Art Contest

Turkey Trot Design Logo

Luiza Rufeisen

Transcendence

Lemo Sekiguchi

October 20, 2022

Canon camera, LED lighting, Adobe Premiere Pro

I created this experimental film that illustrates the echo chamber society we live in that constantly brainwashes us to not see certain parts of society. I demonstrated the transition from this system to a 'Transcendence' experience where individuals’ minds begin to open up and gather the information that may not reinforce their own. As we cannot transition to a 'Transcendence' experience easily, we must spread awareness of the dangers of the echo chamber system because it is inescapable.

Best Foot Forward

Julie Park

December 2022

Gouache, colored pencil, beads, gems

The inspiration for this piece comes from the saying that the past is in the past and the future holds new, colorful opportunity. Put your best foot forward and try new, fun things and fill your life with color!

$100,000 merit scholarship, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Self-Portrait

Emily Xu

March 2023

Drawing paper and charcoal

This is my self-portrait. It has a interesting lighting which creates a interesting shadow of my hair on my face.

Silver Key, Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Screened at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth in Seattle, April 27th-30th

After the Sun Julie Park

December 2022

Oil pastel pointillism

This piece is a poignant tribute to the enduring power of beauty, even in the face of hardship. With delicate shading and gothic color themes within the flower, this exudes a nostalgia of persevering through a storm.

$100,000 merit scholarship, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

The Garden of Hera

Miya Chetty

2022

Acrylic and oil pastel on Canvas

Finding yourself in queer spaces. Prompt was “Places where we meet.”

Exhibition spot at New Museum Los Gatos

ArtNow

Overthink

Kyle Jhong

February 2022

Vector Illustration

The morbid imagery in this piece hyperbolizes the frustration I used to feel with overthinking. As a child in Silicon Valley, it was an unspoken rule that my logic should be valued over my feelings, and this fallacy impacted me in many ways. I sought perfection in myself and others, and I often became stuck worrying about future events. The symbol of the bullet through the brain represents the cessation of these thoughts. I made the blood fade into waves, however, because waves crashing on the shores of beaches often pulled me away from worries these worries and allowed me to live in the moment.

Tied for 2nd Place, Los Altos Rotary Club’s Young at Art contest

Grasp

Annie Hua

November 5, 2022

Oil on canvas

In this personal piece, I conveyed the idea of the sexualization of feminine figures. I chose oil paint to experiment with the opacity, blending, and vibrant properties of the medium to bring out contrast and depth. Oil paint allowed me to create a sense of weight with its thick quality and texture, something that I felt was necessary for the concept.

Gold Key, Scholastic Art And Writing Awards

不死鳥

Alice Rennie

March 10, 2022

Adobe Illustrator, acryllic stand

For this project, I decided that I would create an acrylic stand. At first I was torn between making a stand and making stickers, but I can make stickers (or something similar to stickers) at any time at home, and I wanted something new to decorate my shelf with, so I thought that going with an acrylic stand would be a better option.

I decided to make the artwork that of a phoenix- in previous projects, I was inspired by kitsune (foxes, essentially, but with cultural ties to Japan), and I thought I wanted to do something similar, with an Eastern mythical creature. Initially, I was torn between a phoenix or a dragon, but I knew I wanted to draw something wings, so ultimately I decided on the phoenix. However, phoenixes are more present in Chinese culture than they are in Japanese culture, so please imagine that this is a Chinese phoenix visiting Japan.

Tied for 2nd Place, Los Altos Rotary Club's Young at Art contest

Onomatopoeia

Julie Park

December 2022

Gouache

This is a painting I made in a way to visualize sound and music. I wanted to be able to make a tangible piece of art that could represent the variety of vivid emotions music would make you feel.

$100,000 merit scholarship, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

As the Program Coordinator of Freestyle and the teacher of Digital Media, there are few people more tech-savvy, fastidious and organized than Leo Florendo. Mr. Flo is as unafraid to put great trust in his students as he is affable and occasionally sardonic, all of which are reflected in his unique teaching style. Mr. Flo goes out of his way to find opportunities for Freestyle students to gain real-world experience through commissions of all different kinds, and nothing makes him happier than seeing his students succeed.

Q: When are you MOST PROUD OF STUDENTS?

“I’m proudest when somebody produces something that’s way beyond their expecations and my expectations, and they didn’t even know they were doing it because they were just having fun. There’s

Known by all as Freestyle’s awkward dad, Jason Greco’s passion for literature and social equity shine through his flannel-clad exterior. Mr. Greco approaches students with endless empathy and warmth, supporting them in just the ways they need while also making sure they succeed in his class. His English curriculum is tailored to be both engaging and have refreshing practical relevance. Eternally positive and always willing to help out his students, Mr. Greco is an anchor of honesty and solace.

Mr Greco’s FAVORITE THEO MOMENT:

“There’s so many to choose from, but I think one of my favorite Theo moments was the moment he was born, because he was born at home in a tub. When my wife raised him to the surface and he started crying, it was probably the most powerful moment of my whole life. That would probably be my number 1 Theo moment; the moment he came into this world.”

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10 of Mr Taylor’s FAVORITE MOVIES

No one, not even his students, has more kiddish fascination and ardor for cinema than Matt Taylor. Perhaps the most dedicated fan of Transformers in the world, Mr. Taylor’s classroom is a temple to the divine art of movie craft, complete with idols and frescoes. Years of experience have turned him into a fountain of storytelling creativity, a gift which he imbues in all his students. Always inspiring his learners to push themselves beyond their personal limits, there’s more to this film teacher than meets the eye.

Rear Window

Transformers: The Movie

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Back to the Future

Ghostbusters

Tremors

The Shawshank Redemption

Robin Hood

It’s a Wonderful Life

Jurassic Park

Tommy Cho is as mysterious, quiet and patient as a ninja, but his compassion and affability make his disposition quite the opposite. Though he is a man of few words, Mr. Cho takes the time to connect with his students on a personal level, caring deeply about them as individuals and making sure they feel at home in his class. Fervid about what he teaches, Mr. Cho will always have a video game or film to recommend for its style and quality of animation, and he makes sure his students’ work reaches that standard.

The Inside Scoop on MR. CHO’S BAND:

“My band is called Escape. It’s a lot of engineer and artists from the Korean community. It’s kind of of like an open band, so the total number of members is around a hundred. We gather in small groups every month and perform rock, metal and K-pop. We jam like twice a week between performances.”

Leslie Parkinson has so much experience and acumen in the field of design that she may as well have invented it. Her zealous devotion to the visual arts is apparent in every aspect of her character, from her clothes to her classroom. Ms. Parkinson never holds back on her students, expecting perfection and providing all the wisdom, encouragement and criticism they need to achieve it. Never one to settle for anything less than her students’ very best work, Ms. Parkinson keeps her class at the top of its game.

Q: What are your favorite crafts to do at home?

“Jewelery of all different kinds, with all kinds of materials, costume-making, diorammas and working with miniatures, papier mâché, ceramics, and interior design. I don’t do a lot of painting or draiwingnot really my thing. I do pretty much everything three-dimensional. I like three-dimensional design.”

To send the Freestyle Seniors off in a manner befitting of their effort, passion, talent and tribulation, each one of them has been given their own panel to display their personalities. Explore glimpes into each Senior’s unique traits, individual photographs, superlatives and personal websites.

FAVORITES

Animal: Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Capybara

Dumplings

Walter Da Vinki

Documentary

Voted chillest Freestyler

Quinn

Life is good though. I want you all to see that life is great. Your life is great too. Have a good time man. Have some fun. Having fun is okay. Get some love in your life whether that be another person or just loving yourself man. Love is good. Spread love.

-Mac Miller

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Uch Bayarnyam

Cat Ramen Rizz

Kendrick Lamar Senior Reflections

Voted most likely to become a GOAT

I’m not convinced I know how to read, I’ve just memorized a lot of words.

-Nick Miller

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Kayla Bistrain

Hammerhead shark

Word: Artist: FS project:

Grapefruit Bonkers

Taylor Swift

Movie Poster

Voted nicest Freestyler

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why we call it 'the present.'

-Eleanor Roosevelt

FAVORITES

Animal: Food: Word: Artist: FS project:

Dog Mashed potatoes & corn

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious George Ezra Senior Narrative

Voted most colorful Freestyler

At the end of the day it’s the bob.

FAVORITES

Animal: Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

White tiger Sushi Boof Adele Zenith

Voted Freestyle class

Mahaut de Boisset

Olivia Bocchieri

Zoey Brake

I bought Freestyle an elephant for their animation room.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Ranchu goldfish Ethiopian shiro

Schadenfreude

Wes Anderson

Photoshop Surreal

Voted most likely to pursue the arts

Maybe someone doesn’t like me because I’m too good?

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word:

Artist: FS project:

Tasmanian tiger Gray foods

Göbekli Tepe

Kanye West

Mandala Attila

“CSS OPEN CHAMP”

Voted most likely to play for Real Madrid

FAVORITES

Animal:

Panda Borger Absquatulate Bruno Mars Layered Wood Art

Voted most likely to be on a Reality Show

Hector Chang

Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide.

-Donald Winnicott

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Penguin Chicken G’s Darling The Beatles Zenith

Voted most likely to be a Fashion Model

Cambria Cook

I may not look like it but I'm 6'6"!

Thomas

Copeland

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word:

Artist:

FS project:

Kyhara Crespin

Jellyfish

Burritos

Balanoid

Guido Mauas

Digital Watercolor

Voted best male hair

Do you have food?

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word:

Artist: FS project:

Otter

Lomo Saltado

Shenanigans

Hayao Miyazaki

Mandala

Voted most braidable hair

-Kendrick Lamar

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Tiger Steak

Ka-Chow

Kanye West Senior Narrative Film

Voted most confident

Freestyler

Tyler Crissman

The ultimate gift a person can give themselves is the power to choose. Even if they have nothing else, the choice to keep moving forward is all they will need.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Decorator crab Steak

Sublime

Pink Floyd Zenith

Voted most likely to get visited by 3 ghosts on Christmas Eve

I remember you was conflicted.

An ‘extremely credible source’ has called my office and told me that Barack Obama’s birth certificate is a fraud.

-Donald J Trump

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word:

Artist:

Jack Dees

Alpaca

Roadkill, fried tarantulas, sheep brains

Flabbergast

Jake Paul

Aramis Duenas

FS project:

Photoshop Compositing

Voted most likely to raise a wild animal in his backyard

-The Stanley Parable

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word:

Artist: FS project:

Seal Ice cream

However Jamie Hewlett

Animation First Narrative Film

Voted most likely to transcend reality

If I can make it through this door, I can make it through them all.

Meow meow meow, meow meow meowy meow purrrrr!!

-Her cat, Poppy

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food: Word: Artist: FS project:

Black cat Tomatoes

Yippee! Jillian Tamaki Explorations

Voted most likely to be abducted by aliens

Finally we are done!

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Duck Mac n’ Cheese

Dope

Frank Ocean Zenith/Explorations

Voted most likely to be late because she was grabbing coffee

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

SCHUYLER “SKY” GOMMEREN

Monkey Blue crabs

Glizzy Dave Grohl Senior Narrative

Voted most likely to join a cult as a joke

Tell y’what man, you talk’n bout ol’ meaning’ ah life, man, go read tha’ ol’ hitchhikers’ guide, man, y’know talkin’ bout ol, 42, man.

-Jeff Boomhauer

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word:

Artist: FS project:

Pygmy jerboa

Margherita pizza Innit

Junji Ito Junior Narrative Animation

Voted most likely to run into a tiger in the wild and walk away unharmed

Whatever- it’s awesome.

All I have are negative thoughts.

-Joker

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Gloomy tube-nosed bat

Word: Artist: FS project:

Deep fried butter pizza A Robert Rauschenberg Senior Narrative

Voted Freestyle Tough Guy

Xavier Haberlach

Life moves pretty fastif you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

-Ferris Bueller

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Elephant Cashews

Fabulous

Zendaya

Mandala

Voted most fun Freestyler to hang out with

Deilani Harris

Aya Iwata

笑えば幸せ になれる

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Raccoon Pasta Love BTS Senior Narraive Film

Voted most determined and persevering

The wrath came as fast and strong as wind, and left with a fight now as the wind blows on my scars, it stings less and less with diminishing might.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word:

Amanda (Mars) Jernigan

Her cat Street tacos

Chrysanthemum

Artist: FS project:

Declan McKenna

Reflections video essay

Voted best at imitating a deer in headlights

Mother, help me, there's a head attached to my neck and I'm *in* it.

-Disco Elysium

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Magnapinna squid Paper Eureka DOMi & JD BECK

Documentary Animation

Voted most likely to have a building named after him

Kyle Jhong

Be creative in all that you do and you will fill that need in your soul.

-Her mom

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Bunny Spaghetti

Doohickey

Noah Kahan Book

Voted most likely to live in the woods

Paige Kasso

as me.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist:

Cat Pizza Goofy Playboi Carti Pro Tools Song

Voted most likely to become a studio director

Freestyle is pretty cool.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist:

FS project:

Dog Fried rice

Yeeeouch! Lamp Senior Narrative

Voted best Listener

High school was hard, but not as hard

FAVORITES

Animal: Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Dolphin Seafood Control

Selena Quintanilla

Worldbuilding

Voted most likely to make it big

Lara

Oh boy oh boy oh boy!

-Donald Duck

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Duck Korean hotdogs

Gorl

Gracie Abrams

Documentary

Voted most likely to become a Fashion Designer

Nicole Leihe

Jacqueline

I’m strong if you are strong.

Fiona Liu

Rico in a box.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word:

Artist:

FS project:

Dugong Purple Rice

Flamingo

Faye Wong

Parody Song

Voted most likely to learn how to waterbend

Sometimes life.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word:

Artist:

FS project:

Cat Tofu

Flamboyant

Alice Wu

Experimental Film

Voted most opinionated Freestyler

I find beauty in the grotesque and macabre.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food: Word: Artist: FS project:

Werewolf Bones

Leavemealone

Fall Out Boy

Documentary

Voted most likely to present a movie pitch

Tai “Wolf” Livnat

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Cat Nián Gāo Citrus

Tame Impala Lightbox

Voted nicest voice in Freestyle

Giving help that's not asked for is what makes a true hero.

-Izuku Midoriya

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Dolphin Buffalo Wings

Renaissance AJR 3D Narrative Perspective Isaac

Lui Henry Lowell

Word: Artist: FS project:

Voted most likely to bring egg salad on a bus

I'd rather see something you made that is flawed than something that's made by a program.

-Jason Greco

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Jaguar Chocolate chip cookies

Word: Artist: FS project:

Fortune Jack Orrock

Narrative 1

Voted most whimsical Freestyler

Don’t be trapped in someone else’s dream.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food: Word: Artist: FS project:

none Foo-Foo with Okra Soup Hey Kim Taehyung (V) Zenith

Voted most compassionate Freestyler

I had design with Jake for two years and all I got was this yearbook quote.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Cat Milk

Cringe Kali Micetich Movie Poster

Voted most likely to appear on Broadway

Write that down, write that down!

-SpongeBob SquarePants

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word:

Artist:

Emma Mell

Bunny Bagels with cream cheese

FS project:

Special Alice Chen Worldbuilding

Voted best Event

Organizer

Hot cross buns, hot cross buns, one-a-penny, two-a-penny, hot cross buns.

-Kali Micetich, March 9th, 2023, 2:56pm

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word:

Artist:

Kali Micetich

Giraffe

Smoked ham sandwich

Lindsaybelphegorjeanmckinley

FS project:

Henri Matisse

Logo Design

Voted most easygoing

Freestyler

All or nothing is easy. But learning to do things a little bit, responsibly, that's a discipline. Discipline comes from within.

-Stan Marsh

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Turtle Burritos Treacherous Tyler, the Creator Narrative Film

Voted most likely to start an orchard

I’ve truly become an Ultimate thanks to Freestyle.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Cat Filet Mignon Cow

Rui Komatsuzaki World Building

Voted most likely to reform a villain

Nick Murray

david “pablo” PALACIOS

Julie Park

I should’ve burned this place down when I had the chance.

-Michael Scott

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Alpaca Burritos Free David Choe Movie Poster

Voted most likely to retire at 35

I’m who Ice Spice aspires to be.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist:

FS project:

Elephant shrew

Asada tacos

Indubitably

Kid Cudi

Photoshop Compositing

Voted next Pablo Picasso

To know where you’re going, you must know where you’ve been.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Milo Tacos youknowwhatimsayin

Papi Drake Senior Narrative Film

Voted most likely to become a surfer

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

-Maya Angelous

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Cat Ramen and Okonomiyaki Mendokusai Too many to choose! Narrative Animations

Voted most likely to become a manga artist

Alice Rennie

Milo Rathbun

I don’t mean to interrupt people. I just randomly remember things and get really excited.

-Anonymous

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Dragon Shawarma Snazzy

Devin Elle Kurtz World Building

Voted most likely to solve a murder case

A home without a family is like a bird with no nest.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Hyena Yogurt Pencil

Mark Rothko

Narrative Film

Voted Perfect Peacemaker

Annie Schwartz

Camilla Robinson

If the then is alas, how could thee and last be far til dawn.

FAVORITES

Animal: Food:

Madagascar tomato frog Swordfish steaks

Word: Artist: FS project:

Then Zinedine Zidane

After Effects Creative Titles

Voted most likely to become

I gotta go bananas one time.

-Playboi Carti

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Monkey Steak

Bumblebee

Frank Ocean Mockumentary film

Voted most likely to edit a Hollywood movie

Moving different.

FAVORITES

Animal: Food: Word: Artist: FS project:

Penguin Schnitzel Swag Playboi Carti Documentary Film

Voted most likely to direct a random movie

Yhali Sheba

There was no wind so I rowed.

FAVORITES

Animal: Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Fennec fox Pho

Hireath

Lana Del Ray

Zenith

Voted most likely to shine bright like a diamond (be a star)

Sarah Starkey

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Capybara

Peanutbutter toast

Word: Artist: FS project:

Bumfuzzled

Wallows

Senior Narrative

Voted best at making something simple look amazing

Choose not a life of imitation.

-Red Hot Chili Peppers

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Dog Pho Dawg

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Parody Song

Voted kindest Freestryler

I can confidently say that AM Design students never go hungry.

Kosta Vujic

Plus she stay next to the opps, I had to close the curtains.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word:

Artist: FS project:

Black rain frog Burritos Trust Lil Durk

Worldbuilding Compositing

Voted tallest Freestyler

Izzy Wang

Life doesn’t give you seatbelts!

Let’s go!

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word:

Artist: FS project:

Zebra Popcorn chicken Pretty Edward Hopper Zenith

Voted most smiley

Freestyler

-LEGO Batman

-Lil Durk

Rocks are cool :)

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Dog, cat, dolphin

Pomelo and tomatoes

Word: Artist: FS project:

Trichome Syros

Mandala

Voted Freestyler of the Year

It is what

it is.

FAVORITES

Animal:

Food:

Word: Artist: FS project:

Duck Boba milk tea Meow IU Zenith

Voted most innocent

Freestyler

Tae Yoon

1st: Caput Luminum- Lucy Good

For this project, I quickly decided to make a layered wood art piece, since I wanted something that didn't require power or lights (like a lightbox) and wanted to be able to easily hang it up on a wall. I was initially very indecisive - I sketched possible designs and thought about what I wanted it took like for about a week, before settling on the final sketch. In it, I portrayed one of the main characters of my worldbuilding project wearing an animal's head (mostly referenced from a wolf), since the character is a hunter, and the story revolves around her search for a mythical beast. To make the final design which would be printed out, I imported a photo of the sketch into Adobe Illustrator and traced over it - each layer in the Illustrator document would be a separate layer that would be laser cut out of wood, so I had to close all the lines and make sure they were all clear shapes, with the exception of the engraved details. After all the shapes were printed out, I took them home and glued everything together with wood glue.

2nd: Max the Barista- Camilla Robinsion

The character modeling project was probably one of the most difficult things I have done at Freestyle. I drew my concept for my character, Max the Barista, and began to model him. This model took multiple attempts as I figured out how to make my character cleaner and what worked for what. The progression from cube to human was an interesting one and a lot of the steps were “Trust the Process” moments. When I got him into Z-Brush, it was amazing to see how it was actually coming together and how I crafted a literal human. This model was awesome to build, and despite the tweaks I would have made with my later rigging perspective, I am proud of him.

2nd: Max the Barista- Camilla Robinsion

For this project, we were asked to represent our origin story through the traditional Australian Aboriginal style, while following certain requirements like including our spirit animal and star sign. I chose a koala as my spirit animal because I felt like it represented me well, and it also helps that they’re cute. Being born late in March makes me an Aries. This is represented in my piece by the constellation the koala is holding onto, as well as the ram symbol in the bottom left. Aries is a fire symbol, which prompted me to use the corresponding aboriginal symbol as the background. The stars in the top left and bottom right reflect the detail of me being born during the night. In the top right is the symbol for friends. I think that the people that we involve ourselves with serves as a basis of origin for who we become in the future. The progress of this project was pretty slow due to the level of detail required. There’s a massive amount of dots, many of which have one or even two additional layers. It was worth it though, as the effect it gives off is very stunning. At the beginning of the project, I was just planning to leave the background as pitch black. I later decided to switch it to varying types of red, which really complements the green hues featured in the koala. Towards the end, when I had all of my symbols created, I was struggling with composition, but was able to settle on one I was pleased with by getting feedback from my classmates.

The Greenhouse- William Anderson

My short story follows the character Pluveria, a woman who is at a crossroads in her life. Pluveria was once an avid gardener but as stress and age succumbed to her, her passion for what was, dies-along with her greenhouse. While in a loveless marriage to a police officer, she reunited with an old fling at her house. She invites “the man” in and he unexpectedly dies while the two reminisce about the old days. As she finds a way to hide the body (under her greenhouse) and tries to continue her life, she notices a single flower growing over the body in the greenhouse the next day. In an attempt to hide the evidence from her husband, she takes up gardening again and is re-inspired to continue her passion. One day in the future, as her husband confronts her about the greenhouse, an argument ensues and she ends up killing her husband for not providing her with the love she needed. Yet again, a single flower appears in the greenhouse where both her loves rest. To create the visual for this project, I used fellow student Whitney Ross (jr.) as a model that represents the main character-Pluvaria. I dressed the model in age-ambiguous clothes, making them seem middle aged. The inspiration for Pluveria, was an Amy Winehouse, Helena Boham Carter type person and I think we did a good job of recreating this through costume and makeup. The setting of the photo, a backyard, was picked because it puts the model into the story and in the location where the climax of the story happens. I used clam-shell lighting to soften the model’s features and highlight the metal on the shovel. The shovel is telling prop because in the story, it was used as a murder weapon and used to bury both men in the greenhouse. Using Adobe Photoshop, I touched up the photo, added curve layer adjustments to emphasize the subject and added a dark vignette to draw the viewer’s eye inward. In the future, I would try to be more creative with the use of color lighting and possibly cover the models eyebrows to make the image more surreal and play into uncomfort.

Amity- Lindsay McKinley

Making this mandala was definitely a learning curve, but I really value how much it taught me. Initially, I really struggled in making my mandala because I was bothered whenever something did turn out right and wanted it to be perfect on the first try. However, I found that in order to create something I was really proud of, I would have to take my time and go with the flow.

I chose to use koi fish in the center of my mandala because they reminded me of experiences spent with my family. Growing up, we would travel to Maui every other year, and stay at the same hotel that had a koi pond. As a child, I was fascinated by the fish and associated them with the fun on those trip. I felt that using them as a central symbol would be fitting for the message I wanted this project to convey. Ultimately, I'm really happy with how my project turned out. However, if I were to do it again, I would focus more on incorporating a common theme throughout the mandala rather than just having a central image and other patterns that had little to do with it. I also wish that I had given myself more time for this project. Nearing the deadline, I found myself rushing, so some parts of the mandala are less polished than I would have liked, but overall, I'm really proud of the work I did and had a lot of fun doing it.

Spirit Astray- Lucy Wang

Maya Segall-Martinez is actually the name of my baby cousin. I originally set out to model my character to imagine what my cousin might look like growing up. Funnily enough, my character looks more like me with the bouncy black ponytails.

In sophomore year, I studied ornithology through Science Olympiad, and it came back to my mind as I wrote this story for Maya’s bio. Reading back on it, it also reminds me of Monument Valley’s Princess Ida—an old spirit trapped in a little girl’s form, with some overarching larger purpose and needing redemption to go back to it.

As the up-and-comers of Freestyle, the voices of the Juniors are spoken with equal parts enthusiastic anticipation and determined grit. Here, those voices are given a home on the page, so their unique perspectives can be reflected on.

What were your first impressions of Freestyle? -Tyler

My first impressions were a little bit rough. I had a few missing assignments from digital media because the instructions were so long, and I messed up on the photo blogs. But, throughought the year, things have become smoother for me.

What is the coolest thing youve learned this year?

Probably learning how to use After Effects and Photoshop. I love that I can animate effectively in Photoshop and composite it all together in After Effects, because I had no clue how to do that before. It’s really taught me the value of animation.

-Chance Reynolds

Has Freestyle given you a better idea of what you want to do?

I always knew that I wanted to go into Filmmaking, but doing Freestyle has given me a clearer idea on what kind of stories I want to tell. It has also allowed me to try new things and think about what kinds of positions in Film I may want to pursue.

How do you feel about moving into the new campus?

I’m excited! This is the only campus I’ve ever known, and sometimes I have to squeeze past people, and there’s not a lot of space to see. I’ll be happy to meet more Freestyle students, because the new campus will bring us all together.

-Felicia Wagner

What would you say if you had to pitch Freestyle to a skeptic?

Id say there is literally no other school like this in the world, that combines two different schools with art-based education, and that has the community that we have here- when I go to Mountain View it feels so structured, and it’s not intimate. But when I go to Freestyle, it’s like family, and the best way to learn is with your family.

-Lemo Sekiguchi

Not only departing from Freestyle, but from high school outright, there isn’t much that the Seniors haven’t experienced. Through that experience comes wisdom, which has been recorded here before they set out into the world.

If you were in a different elective, which one would it be?

I would choose Design, because I want to practice more drawing-based stuff. It’s not one of my best skills and I think it would be cool to improve on that.

Whats your favorite Freestyle memory?

My best Freestyle memory was completing my documentary animation and showing it in front of everyone, because I worked really hard on it, and I was very proud of the animation and the message that I showed, and everyone was very supportive of me.

-Kyle Jhong

-Taylor Ewan

Whats the best thing about being a Freestyler?

The freedom you have during projects. Like for Senior narrative, I wanted to do a horror thriller, and there were no boundaries as to what I could and couldn’t do. You get a lot of freedom, and you’re-encouraged to make what you want to make.

What advice do you have for incoming Juniors?

Just have fun with your classes. Freestyle gives you the opportunity to explore yourself and your creative abilities, so just have fun with it, it’s not that serious. And for digital media, stay on top of things!

What are your thoughts on graduation?

It’s something I’ve been waiting for for a long time. It’s the end of one journey and the start of another. I believe that when graduation happens, we’ll be able to make our own decisions and truly become the people we want to become.

Whats the biggest lesson you learned this year?

Experiment a lot before making something you want to present to everyone, because you’re always going to need a lot of revisions- no matter how good you are. You can always talk to other people and they can help make your idea better. You’ll have to rely on others, and that’s okay.

-Tyler Crissman

-Sarah Starkey

-Jack Orrock

-Henry Lowell

If there is no wind, row.