Solano Symphony Orchestra Young Artists
Each year, the Solano Symphony Orchestra celebrates exceptional young musicians through its Young Artists Competition, with the generous support of the Margaret Beelard Community Foundation. Winners earn the opportunity to perform with the orchestra under the direction of Maestro Semyon Lohss at our annual Salute to Youth concert in March.
This season’s winners represent extraordinary talent, dedication, and promise — and we’re thrilled to share their achievements with you.
Kerri Moss Elected to Membership into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
Kerri Moss of Fairfield was recently elected to membership into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, at San Jose State University.
Moss is among approximately 20,000 students, faculty, professional staff, and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff, and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.
Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann, who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and its territories. Its mission is to “cultivate a community that celebrates and advances the love of learning.”
Vacaville Museum Community Gallery, Center Stage
The Vacaville Museum is excited to share its newest exhibition space with the public —
The Community Gallery, continuing through March 7.
The Community Gallery serves as a space to highlight local art talents, community projects, and school programs. Designed to be modular and adaptive, the Community Gallery will host diverse projects with quicker run times normally unsupported by our multi-month exhibit timeline. The Community Gallery will also provide space for an easily deployable History of Solano County exhibit that will supplement in-gallery learning for our field trip visits.
Crowned: Ancestral Forms is artist Carla Lawson’s first solo show. It explores the vibrant tapestry that is African and African American culture. Crowned: Ancestral Forms honors February as Black History Month, drawing inspiration from the boundless reservoir of Carla’s heritage.
Meanwhile, the Vacaville Museum’s newest exhibit, Center Stage, celebrates an overlooked cultural landscape (performing arts in Solano County) and art forms that have both highly personal and highly collective meanings to individuals and their communities.
Center Stage, through June 27, demonstrates that performing arts are more than just an art form — they’re tradition, entertainment, mental and community health, cultural and social connection, careers, self-expression, activism, and much more.
Center Stage invites visitors to consider how performing arts are for everyone, no matter how you choose to engage — be it on a professional or career level, as an audience member, as a personal passion, or as a newcomer.
Stand-out pieces from this exhibit include:
- Functioning Victrola from 1913
- 50-foot jointed dragon puppet used in the Chinese Dragon Dance (wǔ lóng)
- Signed guitar by the band Papa Roach
The Vacaville Museum is located at 213 Buck Ave. in Vacaville. It is open to
the public on Thursdays and Fridays from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Admission is always free, and a $5 donation per visitor is recommended.
Solano Students Recognized at Winged Migration STEAM Challenge
The Solano County Office of Education recognized student winners of the 2026 Student STEAM Challenge during the Winged Migration Expo (WME) on Mare Island recently.
The challenge was a partnership between SCOE and WME that invited students across Solano County to explore bird migration connected to Solano County’s unique position along a critical migratory pathway. Habitat conservation, ecosystems, and environmental stewardship were explored through creative, hands-on projects in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.
Projects were displayed throughout the Winged Migration Expo, where families and community members had the opportunity to celebrate student creativity while learning about birds, migration patterns, and conservation efforts.
Students submitted projects in multiple categories, demonstrating innovation, artistic expression, and engineering design.
“The inaugural STEAM Challenge was such a fun showcase of Solano County students’ creativity and ingenuity. It was inspiring to see how they’re using STEAM learning to shine a light on the importance of protecting our migratory species,” remarked SCOE’s program manager for STEAM and Robotics, Steph Morgado.
STEAM CHALLENGE RESULTS:
Best Overall: Conservation Champions
- Grades K–2 (Explorers): Dior Jones, Vallejo City Unified School District
Grades 3–5 (Investigators): James Megary, Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District
Grades 6–8 (Innovators): Aliyah Stevenson, Vallejo City Unified School District
Best Art/Mixed Media
Explorers (Grades K–2)
- 1st: Dior Jones, Vallejo City Unified School District
- 2nd: Malakai Moore, Vallejo City Unified School District
- 3rd: James Morey, Vallejo City Unified School District
Investigators (Grades 3–5)
- 1st: Caydence Domingo, Travis Unified School District
- 2nd: Sage Sumbi, Travis Unified School District
- 3rd: Viviana Walker, Travis Unified School District
Innovators (Grades 6–8)
- 1st: Aliyah Stevenson, Vallejo City Unified School District
- 2nd: Casey De Leon Mills, Vallejo City Unified School District
- 3rd: Yovani Barrera, Vallejo City Unified School District
Best Engineering/Design Project
- 1st: Logan Booth, Travis Unified School District
- 2nd: Angelo Casimo, Travis Unified School District
- 3rd: Kai Pineda, Travis Unified School District
Best Migration Project
- 1st: James Megary, Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District
- 2nd: O’Koyea Dickson, Travis Unified School District
- 3rd: Amber Mejia, Travis Unified School District
“The Winged Migration STEAM Challenge connects learning to the world around us,” said Solano County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Nicola Parr. “When students have opportunities to be creative with a concept they have learned, the learning comes to life.”
Solano County Office of Education extends heartfelt gratitude to the Winged Migration Expo Committee and the following educators:
- LeeAnn Caradine, Center Elementary School, Travis Unified School District
- Lola Sims, Solano Widenmann Leadership Academy, Vallejo City Unified School District
- Katie Cobb-Von Husen, Expanded Learning Programs, Vallejo City Unified School District
- Fary Koh, Brickspace Benicia, in support of VCUSD’s Expanded Learning Programs
For more information about future STEAM opportunities, contact Steph Morgado, Program Manager, STEAM and Robotics, at [email protected].
