MICHAEL DESPARS (Artistic Director/Theatre Educator) is the Theatrical Arts Director at Fullerton Union High School and the President of the California Educational Theatre Association. Michael has been teaching theatre for seventeen years after graduating from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Acting and his first Masters Degree in Education from Azusa Pacific University. He completed his second Masters in Theatre at the University of Northern Colorado in 2015. Michael is proud of the theatre program at FUHS and the strong commitment FUHS has made to developing student artists. He believes that FUHS is the starting point for students to continue their education at major colleges and universities in order to become professionals in the arts. This is accomplished through strong participation in main stage opportunities, state, national, and international competitions and through diverse learning opportunities in the classroom. Michael was recently named Fullerton Union High School's "2017 Teacher of the Year," the Fullerton Joint Union High School District "2017 Teacher of the Year" and a semi-finalist for Orange County "2017 Teacher of the Year". He was the recent recipient of the California Educational Theatre Association’s Theatre Leadership Award for his work with on the CETA High School Theatre Festival and for being the director of the Orange County CAPPIES Critics Program. In 2010 he received the New Teacher Award from CETA, an honor awarded to a teacher who has made an impact in Educational Theatre in less than five years of teaching. He served as the Vice President of Public High Schools on the CETA Board and the Director of the Orange County CAPPIES Critics Program. Michael participates in many Educational Theatre Organizations including, The Drama Teachers Association of Southern California (DTASC), the California Educational Theatre Association (CETA), and The Educational Theatre Association (EdTA).