The 2025 Slick Rock Student Film Festival – Central California’s largest student film competition – is Friday, May 9 beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Visalia Fox Theatre. This year, the festival received 432 film entries from 47 Central Valley middle schools and high schools.

Two hundred middle and high school films receiving a “Premiere Cut” designation will be screened at the Fox Theatre beginning at 9:00 a.m. Friday, continuing until about 3:00 p.m. A screening schedule is available at tcoe.org/SlickRock or click here.

At 5:00 p.m., students who played a central role in producing any of the Slick Rock films will walk the red carpet into the theater. The awards ceremony will begin at 6:00 p.m. The public is welcome to attend the screenings and the awards ceremony at no cost.

Middle and high school students in the six south Central Valley counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, and Tulare were eligible to compete in the festival. Middle school students (grades 6-8) could enter films in six categories, while high school students (grades 9-12) had a choice of 12 categories. For a list of competition categories, visit tcoe.org/SlickRock/Categories.

Slick Rock is generously supported by the Tulare County Suicide Prevention Task Force, ABC30, EECU, Tulare County HHSA Mental Health – Alcohol & Other Drugs Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services (Operation Prevention – Tulare County Prevention Coalition), TCOE’s Project AWARE, TCOE’s Planetarium and Science Center, TCOE’s Theatre Company, and TCOE’s Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Program.

For more information, visit tcoe.org/SlickRock or contact Kathleen Green-Martins at kgreen@tcoe.org. 

University Preparatory High School (UPHS) will hold its annual Spring Concert at Gateway Church in Visalia on Monday, May 12 beginning at 6:00 p.m. The church is located at 1100 South Sowell Street, near Mt. Whitney High School.

UPHS concert choir, intermediate and advanced handbell ensembles, concert band, and the school’s symphony orchestra will perform.

Symphony orchestra cello section leader, Liam Curtiss, will be soloist during “A Chameleon Concerto” by Richard Meyer. Curtiss is a member of the Tulare/Kings County Honor Ensemble, the California Orchestra Director’s Association Honor Orchestra, and the All-State Orchestra.

Those attending the UPHS Spring Concert are welcome to make donations at the door, which will be used to support UPHS music programs. For more information on attending the Spring Concert, call UPHS at (559) 730-2529.

Circle J-Norris Ranch is seeking applications from high school students and Class of 2025 graduates who want to serve as research technicians in June. Up to 16 students may be selected to help establish research plots for the program’s Long-Term Oak Forest Inventory – an ongoing project that serves both Tulare County students and researchers within the University of California system.

Students will work five hours each day June 2-5 using GPS coordinates to locate, mark, verify, and label study plots on the ranch. The internship pays $250 per student.

High school students and Class of 2025 graduates interested in applying for a research technician internship are encouraged to visit tcoe.org/CircleJ/OakResearchInternship for more information on the internship program. The deadline to apply is May 18.

The Circle J-Norris Ranch is the field study site of the SCICON program and home to the UC Merced/SCICON Field Station.

This past weekend, 70 Tulare County students showcased their exceptional research and performance skills at the National History Day – California competition held at California State University, Sacramento. Competing against more than 1,500 students statewide, many Tulare County students advanced to the final round, demonstrating their dedication and passion for history.

In the elementary division, Isabella Ornelas of Wilson Elementary School in Dinuba earned top honors as the champion in the podcast category, a competition exclusive to California. In the junior division, Kings River Union School students Rebecca Cacace, Evelyn Meza, and Jessica Ochoa, under the guidance of their teacher and NHD-Tulare County alumna Sophia Lawson, claimed the championship title for their group performance, "The Flores Agreement: The Rights and Responsibilities of a Society Concerning Childhood Immigration."

Last Friday, the Visalia Fox Theatre was rocking with the sounds of the annual CHOICES Lip Sync Battle. Fifteen middle school groups performed in both the lip sync or dance categories.

Winning first place in the Lip Sync Category was Monson-Sultana Joint Union School for their performance of the Guns N' Roses classic, "Sweet Child of Mine." The crowd erupted as students Isaac Figueroa, Melani Lopez, Zach Rico, and Riley Smith lip synced to the song, dressed like the famed 80s rockers.

In the Lip Sync Category, second place went to the team from Liberty School in Tulare. Oak Valley Union School in Tulare won third.

In the Dance Category, first place was awarded to Liberty School for their performance of "Poolside." The three talented young dancers in the Liberty troupe were Sadie Allen, McKenzie Moran, and Melina Munoz.

El Monte Middle School in Orosi won second. In third was Oak Valley Union School.

The judges for the event included Tim Hire, Tulare County Superintendent of Schools, Chris Reed, President of the Tulare County Board of Education, Bethany Rader, TCOE Theatre Company director, Aleeyah Morales and Kameron Salazar of Sierra Performing Arts, and Jennah Creason, 2023 CIF Girls State Wrestling Champion. Elliana Hendrickson, Miss Central Valley, sang the national anthem.

Editor: Robert Herman, Communications Director
Contributors: Nayirah Dosu, Jennifer Fisher, Jaime Burnitzki, Kathleen Green-Martins, Jeff Fritz, Amanda Driver, Paula Terrill

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