LOCAL SCENE

Los Gatos Student Named Finalist In Global Essay Competition

Los Gatos High School sophomore Leo Dai has been awarded as a finalist in the John Locke Institute Essay Competition, a prestigious essay competition open to students throughout the world. Honorees are invited to attend the award ceremony at Oxford University in England.

Dai’s essay in the Psychology category, “Is there any mental illness that isn’t ultimately physical?” concludes that all mental illnesses likely have some physical component. Through an extensive literature review and analysis, Dai shares that while some minor mental illnesses have little to no physical links, the current trend in research and preexisting knowledge means that links do in fact exist.

Dai said he hopes that his research and essay will prompt a more holistic understanding of mental and physical health, ensuring patients will receive better care as the field of psychology continues to progress.

The John Locke Institute annually holds a global essay competition. All essays are judged by a panel of senior academics drawn from leading universities, including Oxford and Princeton.

Heritage Theatre Presents Voctave

The Heritage Theatre’s 2022-2023 season continues March 24 with 11-member a cappella group Voctave.

Known for its performances of Disney and Broadway hits, Voctave has had more than 150 million social media views of their videos, and their latest album, “The Spirit of the Season, Deluxe Edition,” reached number six on the Billboard charts. Their previous album, “The Corner of Broadway & Main Street Vol. 2,” debuted at number three on the iTunes charts.

Voctave members have roots in musical theater, contemporary Christian music, barbershop, pop and choral music. Formed in 2015 by producer and arranger Jamey Ray, the voices that bring their arrangements to life represent a variety of backgrounds and musical experiences.

Hailing from Central Florida, the members of Voctave have performed across the globe and appear on numerous recordings. The group has performed with Grammy, Dove and American Music Award recipients, including Sandi Patty, Pentatonix's Kirstin Maldonado, Mark Lowry, David Phelps and Jody McBrayer.

Voctave will perform at 8pm at the Heritage Theatre, located at the Campbell Community Center at 1 W. Campbell Ave.

Individual tickets are for $63; student and five-plus group discount tickets are $45. Tickets are available at HeritageTheatre.org, by phone at 408.866.2700, or through the Box Office, open Tuesday-Friday from 10am4pm and Saturday from 10am-2pm.

Local Students Recognized At Tufts University

Tufts University recently announced the dean's list for the Fall 2022 semester.

Los Gatos students earning dean's list honors are:

• Sami Hakkarainen, Class of 2025

• Reya Kumar, Class of 2024

• Anjali Satish, Class of 2025

• Liam Strand, Class of 2024

• Michael Zhou, Class of 2026

Dean's list honors at Tufts University require a semester grade point average of 3.4 or greater.

Tufts University has campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville and Grafton, Mass., and in Talloires, France.

SIZELOVE NAMED TO DEAN'S LIST AT BIOLA UNIVERSITY

Mark Sizelove of Los Gatos was named to Biola University's Dean's List for academic excellence.

Sizelove, a Bible, Theology and Ministry major, was one of 1,700 students who were named to the dean's list in fall 2022. Biola students are placed on the dean's list to honor those with a GPA of 3.6 or higher while enrolled in 12 or more credits and whose cumulative GPA is at least 3.2.

Biola University is a Christian university in Southern California.