Three Sunny Hills Conservatory of the Fine Arts [COFA] teachers were among the 23 recipients of the Orange County Music and Arts Administrators [OCMAA] Award, which recognizes excellence in teaching art subjects such as dance, choir and theater at both primary and secondary levels.

Choir teacher Aaron Duncan-Schwartz, theater teacher Christian Penuelas and dance teacher Leiana Volen received an email from the district in December notifying them that they are recipients of the award, with the actual ceremony on Wednesday, March 4.

Volen said she was shocked and excited upon receiving the email because it was a rare opportunity to receive recognition in the arts.

“In athletics, you get trophies, and you go to championships, but there’s really not that kind of stuff in art,” Volen said. “So it’s a really big deal for our school to be recognized and a huge deal for our COFA program, especially with the fact that of all the arts teachers in the county, three from our school received it.”

Duncan-Schwartz said the process of receiving this recognition included Principal Craig Weinreich nominating all the COFA teachers for the award, and then the teachers submitting a questionnaire describing the work they do for students at Sunny Hills. 

After reviewing the questionnaires, the OCMAA committee, which has presented the recognition for over 30 years, selected a limited number of recipients from the 96 nominees.  

Gallery • 3 Photos

Image used with permission from Leiana Volen

Dance Production seniors perform during halftime in an Oct. 13, 2025, football game against La Habra High School.

Duncan-Schwartz said the time and effort he spent rehabilitating the choir program since he began working at the school four years ago likely led to the recognition. 

“When I first got here, the previous director had left after one semester, leaving the class with a long-term substitute,” Duncan-Schwartz said. “It was a mess; most of our stuff was broken, with our choir dresses and suits on the floor covered in a pile of mouse droppings.”

Since then, Duncan-Schwartz said the program had branched out significantly, with the class performing all over Orange County, going to Disneyland and putting on a collaborative performance with dance.

“I’ve been trying to build this program as a place where students can learn and be challenged and be proud of what they do,” he said. 

One of the program’s current projects is the “Matilda” musical. Senior Abigail Veyna, who takes both Duncan-Schwartz’s vocal ensemble class and Penuelas’ theater class, said the two teachers told students about the recognition at the musical’s rehearsal in December.

“They said that the dress rehearsal for that night was canceled, and we had to ask why, and then Mr. P and Mr. D.S. explained that it was because they had been notified of receiving an award,” Veyna said. “I think it’s very cool that they’re humble about it, because they didn’t even tell us until we asked.”

She said she felt proud that three of the awards went to SH teachers. 

“I think that the COFA program at our school is very strong, but sometimes underappreciated,” she said. “So I feel happy that the teachers who built up the program got the recognition that they deserve.”

Volen, similarly to Duncan-Schwartz, said her dedication to teaching dance might have led to the recognition. 

“I would love to know what set me apart from other teachers to the panel, but all I know is that I’m a very passionate educator,” she said. “I hold myself to really high standards and I want to be the best teacher I can, the best mentor, the best advocate and the best leader.”

The dance teacher said she hopes her work will help students discover their passion and bring excitement into their lives.

“I hope that they always find a way to dance in their lives and bring that same passion that they bring into my classroom into everything else they do,” Volen said. 

Junior Leni Nam, who is in Dance Production, said a special characteristic about Volen is her readiness to help out in any situation.

“She’s very responsible and a good leader,” Nam said. “She’s always on top of things and wants to help us.”

For Penuelas, he said that the improvement and innovation of the theater department might have set him apart from other teachers in Orange County.

“Over the past five years, since I was hired, I’ve helped take this program from one period a day and not a lot of student engagement into a growing program that involves hundreds of kids throughout the year,” Penuelas said. 

One way the theater program showed its growth was the implementation of students’ original works in the district theater festival, Penuelas said.

“We started setting this trend of having students write their own works, which I felt kind of opened the door a little for other schools to do the same,” he said. “That might have been something that was innovative and something that encouraged student voices to be heard more.”

Senior Aimee Rivera, who is in Penuelas’ theater 3 class, said he deserves the recognition because of his compassion towards his students. 

“He’s one of the only teachers who I feel like will care about anything, even if it’s dumb,” Rivera said. “He loves his students majorly; he doesn’t say so, but I know so.”

Rivera said she feels grateful for his support, recalling a moment before her first show in her freshman year, when she became so scared of performing that she cried, until Penuelas sat down next to her and encouraged her.

“He said, ‘Aimee, I know you’re scared; everyone gets scared. Most people don’t do theater because they’re scared, and you’re so brave and awesome to be able to get out there and perform,’” she said. “He said, ‘You’re amazing, Aimee, go show everyone how great of an actor you are,’ and that made me feel great and helped me perform normally.”

Penuelas said he gives thanks to all the administrators who supported him along the way in receiving the award. 

“I work directly with Mr. Duncan-Schwartz and Mrs. Volen for the musical each year, so the three of us together really help support each other,” he said. “But the program also has immense support from everyone else in the COFA program, including Preetha Mathen, our co-chair, and all the arts teachers here.”

Penuelas said he aims to inspire students through his work moving forward.

“It feels validating to know that I’m doing good work that’s recognized,” he said. “But the goal remains the same: prepare students for a life outside of high school, whether that’s in the arts, in theater or in other pursuits, and help them gain confidence and creative skills and collaboration skills.”