June 2007 News Archive
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Dr. Mark Capritto to Serve as Santa Barbara High’s New Principal
At last night’s meeting of the Santa Barbara School Districts Board of Education, it was announced that Dr. Mark Capritto will become Santa Barbara High School’s next principal. The board vote was 3-1-1 (Ayes: Kate Parker, Laura Malakoff, Nancy Harter / Noes: Robert Noel / Abstain: Annette Cordero). Dr. Capritto will replace principal Paul Turnbull, who was recently selected to serve as the school district’s assistant superintendent of secondary education.
Dr. Capritto will complete his summer commitment to the Las Virgenes Unified School District and begin his transition to the principal position at Santa Barbara High School in July. He is expected to be on staff at Santa Barbara High School on a fulltime basis after July 26.
“I am excited about the opportunity to come to Santa Barbara High,” stated Dr. Capritto. “There are many strong similarities between my current school, Calabasas, and Santa Barbara High School including areas of high academic achievement, student services, and wonderful community support. I have spent some time reviewing achievement data and I look forward to the challenges ahead. There are areas of great strength and areas of concern, and I look forward to working with staff, parents, and students on achieving the best education for all our students. I want to continue with high academic rigor and work more closely with those students who are not currently achieving at grade level.”
Dr. Capritto is currently serving as an assistant principal at Calabasas High School. His professional experience includes WASC coordinator, Calabasas High School; principal, Ventura County Court and Community Schools; principal, Agoura/Calabasas high schools summer school; assistant principal, Agoura High School; and dean of students, Nordhoff High School.
Dr. Capritto’s experience includes oversight of athletics, discipline, student services, curriculum development and alignment, grant writing, management and implementation of standards-based curriculum and instruction, and assessments.
A graduate of Ventura High School and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Dr. Capritto earned an M.A. in vocational education (Long Beach State University); M.A. in educational psychology, with an emphasis on counseling and guidance (Cal State University, Northridge); and an M.S. in counseling psychology-marriage/family therapy (Cal State University, Northridge). He went on to earn a doctorate in educational leadership and management (University of La Verne).
The salary range for the position is $109,781-$122,182.
Special Board of Education Meeting on June 29 to Approve the Santa Barbara School Districts’ 2007-08 Budget and 2006-07 Estimated Actuals
As outlined in California Education Code, the Santa Barbara School Districts’ Board of Education will hold a public hearing on the budget to be adopted for the coming school year, together with a comparison of revenues and expenditures for the current fiscal year. The meeting is scheduled for Friday, June 29, 2007, beginning at 5:00 p.m. It will take place in the districts’ Board Room, District Administration Center, 720 Santa Barbara Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
Santa Barbara School District’s National Merit Program Finalists and Scholars
High school students enter National Merit Scholarship Program consideration during their junior year, when they take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The test focuses on critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills and is administered to more than 1.4 million students each year. Test results determine entry into the program. In September of their senior year, approximately 50,000 PSAT/NMSQT high scorers are identified as either Commended Student, recognizing outstanding academic promise, or Semifinalist. The Semifinalists, approximately one third of the 50,000 high scorers, must meet additional specified requirements and deadlines to advance to the Finalist level of the program. The names of approximately 15,000 Finalists are announced in February. From March until mid-June, approximately 8,200 Finalists are selected to receive one of three types of National Merit Scholarship Program awards: National Merit $2500 scholarships, corporate-sponsored merit scholarship awards, or college-sponsored merit scholarship awards.
The Santa Barbara High School District’s National Merit Scholarship Program finalists and scholarship recipients for 2007 are noted below.
DOS PUEBLOS HIGH SCHOOL
Charles de la Cruz completed his community service by working at the Lower West Side Center; collecting cans at his school for the Food Bank food drive; and he helped in various capacities at Dos Pueblos High School. He was admitted to the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. His major will be aerospace engineering.
Max Sosna-Spear has appeared in numerous Dos Pueblos High School productions and he has been involved in leadership roles for the school’s Theater Association Boosters. He participated in Mock Trial. Max has taken a wide range of Dos Pueblos and Santa Barbara City College courses, including classes in Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, and Latin. His community service included volunteering in children’s theater, a program sponsored by the theater department to introduce elementary school children to the performing arts. Max will attend Stanford and major in comparative literature.
SAN MARCOS HIGH SCHOOL
Michele Trichler was part of the county champion Mock Trial team and a varsity track and cross-country athlete. She participated in the COSMOS summer science program at UCSB. Michele was a key organizer of the Kids Helping Kids Program that raised over $35,000 for the Unity Shoppe this year. She is the recipient of a $2,500 National Merit scholarship award. She will attend Brigham Young University, where a full scholarship awaits her.
Katherine Ransohoff is San Marcos High’s ASB vice president. She has been part of the school leadership and on the tennis team for four years. She has participated in Junior Statesmen of America and has helped tutor other students. Katherine is the recipient of a $1,000 college-sponsored National Merit Award from Bowdoin College in Maine.
Paulina Laub is a musician who plays classical piano and guitar. For the past two years, Paulina has juggled her coursework while holding down a weekend job. Paulina volunteered time as a summer camp counselor and she has tutored at Vieja Valley Elementary School. will attend UCSB’s College of Creative Studies and will major in literature.
Andrea Matthews has been involved with Enchante choral group; Madrigal singers; spring musicals; member of Speak Against Hate Club; and four years of Mock Trial. This year, she was named Junior Miss for the state of California. Andrea will attend Brown University.
Sierra Zuber was a member of the San Marcos Health Club, Earth Club, and Asian Club. She is involved with Santa Barbara Jazz Dance Academy and teaches classes there. She helps out with the Wildlife Care Center and she tutors math. Sierra received a college-sponsored National Merit Award from Oberlin College.
SANTA BARBARA HIGH SCHOOL
Matt Hofer is a California Scholarship Federation Seal Bearer and member of the National Honor Society. Hewill attend University of California-Los Angeles.
Harding Elementary School to Use Fund for Santa Barbara Grant to Support Nutrition Instruction and Curriculum Delivery
Harding Elementary School will receive a one-year $5,900 grant from the Fund for Santa Barbara for health- and nutrition-related instructional materials, training, and the development and delivery of curriculum. Grant funds will support monthly parent education classes and an annual curriculum-based community-building event. The grant is effective August 2007 through June 2008. It will serve Hispanic/Latino and economically-disadvantaged families.
This grant is in line with the recently-developed Harding School Cafeteria Parent Education Program, part of the Harding Cafeteria Project. The program will provide a meaningful and culturally-relevant pathway for low-income Hispanic/Latino parents to participate in the academic program. Specifically, parents will participate in monthly education classes to increase their knowledge and skills related to nutrition and health and apply these skills by developing and facilitating the Nutrition Decathlon, a school-wide nutrition education program for students and families in preschool through sixth grade. Participation in the program is expected to help parents assume leadership roles that directly relate to student learning about health and wellness.
The Harding Cafeteria Project is patterned after the Peabody Charter School cafeteria. According to principal Sally Kingston, “Beginning in August 2007, Harding School will include a site-based kitchen that serves homemade meals on a daily basis, instruction in nutrition and health delivered on a regular basis by classroom and the science and physical education enrichment teachers, and a parent nutrition and health education program.” There are also plans to incorporate a garden into the project. Kingston continued, “The objective of this project is to increase parents’ awareness, knowledge and skills related to health, healthy food choices, and childhood disease prevention; increase parents’ leadership skills; increase parent participation in the academic program; and increase parents’ English language acquisition.”
The Harding School community has been involved in the school’s cafeteria project by providing ongoing informal and formal input to the principal about the need to provide students with high-quality nutritious meals at school. Parents who participate in the English Learner Advisory Council (ELAC) are the same parents who initiated the voluntary uniform policy and who regularly shared their concerns about the cafeteria food at the ELAC meetings and requested that the principal address it. Parents, teachers, and students on other committees expressed the same concerns and made similar requests. The school community and the local community have been involved in the decision-making about the parent education component of the cafeteria project. Parent leaders and parents who participated in existing parent education classes have requested more parent education classes to provide them with opportunities to learn how to help their children in school and to learn English, which is also an ongoing request of the teachers. Verity Allen, fourth-grade teacher, brought the Nutrition Decathlon to the attention of the principal, and offered to coordinate the event. Carmen Luna, the Harding family advocate who is also a parent at the school, collaborated with the principal and a nutrition education specialist to develop the plan for parent nutrition and health education classes. She will be involved in the delivery of the parent education program in school year 2007-08. Dolores Palmerin, president of the Harding English Learner Advisory Council, also provided input into the program.
Harding Elementary School serves approximately 570 students in preschool through sixth grade who come from diverse backgrounds. Ninety percent of the students are Hispanic/Latino from economically-disadvantaged families (86 percent), and 61 percent of the students are acquiring English as a second language.
Harding Elementary School is located at 1625 Robbins Street, Santa Barbara, CA.
School Board Recognizes Top Senior Community Service Students
Sixty hours of community service, completed over a four-year period, is a graduate requirement in the Santa Barbara High School District. The board of education honored Santa Barbara High School’s top community service students at the June 8, 2007 board and city council meeting. On June 12, the board honored the top two students from Dos Pueblos and San Marcos high schools.
DOS PUEBLOS HIGH SCHOOL
Whitney Drake is the district’s highest scoring community service senior. During the past four years, she
accumulated 3,432.5 service hours! She was a camp counselor for the YMCA; secretary, vice president, and president
of the YMCA’s Santa Barbara Youth in Government program; summer camp counselor for the Community Environmental
Council’s “Water Bugs” program (which taught children about the importance of clean water and watersheds);
counselor for the Westside YMCA summer camp; and helped with a Brownie troop. Whitney will be attending UC Davis, where
she plans to major in political science and communications.
Adele Jennings completed 1,345 community service hours. Much of her service revolved around animals. Addie helped raise Risha, a guide dog for the blind, for Guide Dogs of America. She fostered kittens for the Animal Shelter Assistance Program until they were old enough to be adopted out. She was a zoo camp counselor. Addie also wrote cards to people who were terminally ill. Addie is headed to Cal Poly and plans to major in business.
SAN MARCOS HIGH SCHOOL
Alexis Rister completed 856.5 hours of community service with Heart's Adaptive Riding Program, a horseback
riding program for handicapped students. Alexis will attend Santa Barbara City College.
Danielle Munoz contributed 763 hours of community service to the Page Youth Center, Friday Night Live, girls basketball, and the San Marcos High School Art Show. She will attend Santa Barbara College.
SANTA BARBARA HIGH SCHOOL
Han Duong volunteered 843 hours of service. She ushered at school plays, volunteered at Cottage Hospital’s
infant unit, helped and mentored youth color guard teams and tutored students in French and chemistry. She is a 2007
Distinguished Don and member of the National Honor Society. Han received a University of the Pacific Regents Scholarship
and will attend UOP in the fall.
Deyanira Real completed 773 hours of community service. She has been a youth counselor with Girls Inc.; active with LULAC-related events (such as volunteering with the Red Cross and mentoring at Cesar Chavez School); and helped at the Santa Barbara Neighborhood clinic. Deyanira plans to attend Santa Barbara City Collegein the fall.
Santa Barbara School District’s National Hispanic Scholars for 2007
The College Board established the National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) in 1983 to identify outstanding Hispanic high school seniors. To qualify, students must be at least one-quarter Hispanic and have high critical reading, mathematics, and writing skill scores on the PSAT/NMSQT taken during their junior year. Approximately 3,300 juniors are identified from a pool of about 124,000 students. The benefit of identification as a National Hispanic Scholar is inclusion in an NHRP list provided to subscribing colleges and universities. According to NHRP, “Being listed may give students an opportunity to hear from colleges that are particularly interested in communicating with prospective students of Hispanic heritage.”
This year, eight students in the Santa Barbara High School District were identified as National Hispanic Program Scholars. They are all students at Dos Pueblos High School.
Brian Alker was active in the school’s Robotics Program; member of the Economics Challenge team; and member of Future Scientists and Engineers of America. Brian will attend UC Berkeley, where he will major in computer science.
Charles de la Cruz completed his community service by working at the Lower West Side Center; collecting cans at his school for the Food Bank food drive; and he helped in various capacities at Dos Pueblos High School.He will attend UC San Diego, where he was admitted to the Jacobs School of Engineering. He plans to major in aerospace engineering.
Jullianne Diaz was in track and field at Dos Pueblos High School. Her community service hours were largely earned at Safety Town and UCSB’s Koegel Research Center. She will attend UC Davis, where she will major in biology.
Dana Link-Herrera is headed for Africa, where she will spend 2 1/2 weeks volunteering in an AIDS orphanage. In the fall, she will be attending UC San Diego, where she plans to try out for the soccer team.
Information is not available on Claudia Lopez.
Emilio Maglione-Fulco has been on the school’s soccer time for four years. He is in the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy and member of the acclaimed robotics team. Emilio participated in the capital markets competition and was a member of the 2007 Economics Challenge team. Emilio will major in engineering at UCLA. He is a UC Regents Scholar.
Carl McAmis has been active in engineering clubs and activities such as the Robotics Program. He will be attending UC Santa Barbara and has not yet declared a major.
Information is not available on Eleanore Mireles.
Promotions and Graduations in the Santa Barbara High School District
Promotions and graduations are underway this week in the Santa Barbara High School District (see schedule below).
Congratulations to the 1,605 students eligible for high school graduation! Graduations in the district’s four high schools have been climbing steadily since the year 2000, when there were 1,235 graduates.
The Class of 2007 is comprised of:
Dos Pueblos High School = 516 seniors
San Marcos High School = 474 seniors
Santa Barbara High School = 551 seniors
La Cuesta Continuation High School = 64 seniors
Following is the graduation/promotion ceremony schedule for high schools and junior high schools in the Santa Barbara High School District.
Graduation Ceremonies - Wednesday, June 13, 2007
- La Cuesta Continuation High School, 5:15 p.m., Santa Barbara Courthouse Sunken Gardens
Graduation Ceremonies - Thursday, June 14, 2007
- Dos Pueblos High School, 4:00 p.m., O’Leary Stadium at Dos Pueblos High
- San Marcos Graduation, 5:00 p.m., Valley Stadium at San Marcos High
- Santa Barbara High School, 6:00 p.m., Peabody Stadium at Santa Barbara High
Promotion Ceremonies - Friday, June 15, 2007
- Goleta Valley Junior High School, 10:00 a.m., Art Circle at Goleta Valley Junior High
- La Colina Junior High School, 10:15 a.m., Palm Stage at La Colina Junior High
- La Cumbre Junior High School,10:00 a.m. in the front of La Cumbre Junior High
- Santa Barbara Junior High School, 11:00 a.m., Athletic Field at Santa Barbara Junior High
- La Cuesta Community Day School, 5:00 p.m. potluck dinner and ceremony, La Colina campus
Update: Staffing in the Santa Barbara School Districts
At last night’s meeting of the board of education, Superintendent Brian Sarvis updated the board on recent teacher layoffs.
The reduction-in-force process started in March, in accordance with the law. As retirements or relocations are coming in to the Santa Barbara School Districts, the districts have been able to rescind a large number of those original reduction-in-force notices. Right now, the districts are hopeful that the last 11 teachers will have jobs in the fall.
On Monday of this week, a reception was held to recognize 22 retirees. Collectively, this group of retirees contributed 503 years of service to the children in the Santa Barbara School Districts.
California High School Exit Exam and the Class of 2007
To date, 76 seniors in the Santa Barbara High School District have not passed the California High School Exit Exam. This is about the same number as last year. Approximately half of them are special education students.
Summer School 2007 in the Santa Barbara School Districts
Summer school in the Santa Barbara High School District will begin at most campuses on June 20, 2007. The two exceptions to the June 20 start date are Community Day School, which begins on June 26, and an August 6 second summer school session at Santa Barbara Junior High School for incoming seventh-grade students that want to take the required health course. The summer school sites will be: Goleta Valley, La Colina, Santa Barbara, and La Cumbre junior high schools; Community Day School; Santa Barbara High School. Both Dos Pueblos and San Marcos summer school will be held at Dos Pueblos High School.
Santa Barbara Junior High or Goleta Valley Junior High will offer leadership academies for incoming seventh-grade students. The leadership academies will assist students in making the transition to junior high school. Goleta Junior High School’s Leadership Academy will be held from 20-July 26, 2007. Santa Barbara Junior High School’s Leadership Academy will be held June 25-July 27, 2007.
Santa Barbara High School will hold a summer orientation for incoming ninth-grade students. “Becoming a Don: A Summer Orientation” will begin on June 18 and run through June 29, 2007.
The course descriptions for grades 7-12 are posted on the districts’ web site.
In the elementary district, the following summer programs will be available:
| Adams Elementary | Summer School: July 23 – August 10, 8:00 a.m.– 12:20 p.m. Child Development Program June 22 – August 24, 7:30 a.m.– 6:00 p.m. |
| Cesar Chavez Charter | Summer School: June 25 – July 6, 8:00 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. |
| Franklin Elementary | Fun In The Sun: June 25 – August 10, 8:00 a.m.– 5:00 p.m. (Grades
1 – 6) Safety Town: June 25 – 29, 8:30 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation: 12:00– 4:00 p.m. Child Development Program June 22 – August 24, 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. |
| Harding Elementary | Grade 1: July 9 – August 10, 8:30 a.m.– 2:00 p.m. Fun In The Sun: June 25 – August 10, 8:00-5:00 (Grades 2 – 6) DHOH: June 25 – July 24, 8:00 a.m.– 12:00 Performing and Visual Arts Camp: July 9 – August 3, 8:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m. City of SB Recreation Program: June 25 – August 17, 7:30 a.m.– 5:00 p.m. Child Development Program June 22 – August 24, 7:30 a.m.– 6:00 p.m. |
| McKinley Elementary | Summer School: July 30 – August 17, 8:00 a.m.– 12:00 City of Santa Barbara Parks & Recreation: 12:00– 5:00 p.m. Child Development Program June 22 – August 24, 7:30 a.m.– 6:00 p.m. |
| Monroe Elementary | Summer School: July 23 – August 10, 8:00 a.m.– 12:20 p.m. |
| Open Alternative | Summer School: July 23 – August 10, 8:30 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. |
| Peabody Charter | No summer school this year. Child Development Program June 22 – August 24, 7:30 a.m.– 6:00 p.m. |
| Roosevelt Elementary | Summer School: July 30 – August 17 (M-TH), 8:00 a.m.– 11:30 a.m. |
| Washington Elementary | Summer School (located at Monroe): July 23 – August 10, 8:00 a.m.– 12:20 p.m. |
Carpinteria-based QAD’s $30,000 Grant Enables Harding Elementary to Move Forward with Project Upgrade Computer Media Carts
Last year, QAD funded Project Upgrade at Harding Elementary School by providing a $30,000 grant to purchase computer media carts for grades 4 - 6. The media carts are now up and running and being used in the classroom so principal Sally Kingston has invited QAD Executive Vice President Murray Ray and the QAD Community Involvement Committee to view the computers in action at Harding on Tuesday, June 12, 2007, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
During the visit, Vice President Murray Ray and the committee present a Project Upgrade certificate to the school.
Harding Elementary School serves 511 students and is located at 1625 Robbins Street in Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara High School Library Open House on Wednesday
The renovation is largely complete and an open house on Wednesday will signal the official opening of Santa Barbara High School’s newly remodeled library. At 10:30 a.m. on June 6, 2007, librarian Marsha Barr and library technician Val Carmel will welcome school district personnel, Mayor Marty Blum, city council members, PTA president, and other guests to the modernized facility.
For the past school year, Measure V bond dollars have been used to completely renovate the library, including improved storage capabilities, computer accessibility, and security system; provide accessible shelving and circulation desk, replace flooring; extend the work room and install new cabinets; and remodel the fiction room. The entire library has been repainted. Short of delivery of a display cabinet for the entry and an additional book drop box, the renovation is complete. The only remnants of the previous space are the study tables and chairs.
A jewel in the library is evident upon entry: Barnaby Conrad’s mural of distinguished writers throughout the ages is a prized centerpiece. The mural was previously displayed in the Earthling Bookstore until about a decade ago, when the store closed. Not long after, a new home was found in the school’s library and Mr. Conrad assisted with the mural’s installation. The mural was carefully protected throughout the renovation. Mr. Conrad is expected to attend the open house on June 6.
Part of the renovation included installation of a 13"-wide by 18"-high tile honoring Chilean poet and educator Gabriela Mistral. The tile, which displays Mistral’s poem “I Am Not Alone,” was unveiled in April 2005 at a memorial ceremony in Alameda Park, in the presence of the Chilean ambassador to the United States. The late Gabriela Mistral was the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in literature (1945). In the 1940s, Mistral once lived at 729 Anapamu Street, across the street from Santa Barbara High School. The tile, designed in Santa Barbara, was a gift from the Chilean government. It can be seen on the districts’ web site: http://www.sbsdk12.org/news/archive/2005/4.shtml
Soon to be added, according to Ms. Barr, is a collection of masks from many different countries.
Santa Barbara High School is located at 700 East Anapamu, Santa Barbara. The school serves approximately 2,300 students
Twenty Longtime District Employees to Receive Service Pins at June 12 Board Meeting
Certificated and classified employees of the Santa Barbara School Districts who have been on the job since 1967, 1972, or 1977 will be honored at the June 12, 2007, meeting of the board of education. The following staff members will be recognized for their many years of service to the children of this community.
30 YEARS
- Sela Viscarra, Adams Elementary
- Jennie Martinez, Child Development
- Leticia Simentales, Franklin Elementary
- Deborah Aceves, Roosevelt Elementary
- Linelle Glass, Santa Barbara Junior High School
- Donna Berns-Gouleta, Special Education/Speech Therapist
35 YEARS
- Michael Dunn, Dos Pueblos High School
- Joseph Nunez, Dos Pueblos High School
- Pam Vander Heide, Dos Pueblos High School
- Doris Gutierrez, Facilities
- Susan Kircos, Harding Elementary
- Pamela Holst, Monroe Elementary
- Judith Shough, Roosevelt Elementary
- Wayne Cole, Santa Barbara High School
- Michele Humbolt, Santa Barbara High School
- Michael Irwin, San Marcos High School
- Gretchen Folks, Special Education/Visually Impaired Teacher
40 YEARS
- Michael Hart, Dos Pueblos High School
- Douglas Mitchell, Dos Pueblos High School
- Linda Mier, Dos Pueblos High School
La Cuesta Continuation High School Honors Outstanding Seniors
La Cuesta Continuation High School honored its outstanding seniors, scholarship award winners and leadership students at the second annual Leadership and Senior Awards Ceremony on May 30, 2007, in the Santa Barbara School Districts’ Board Room, 720 Santa Barbara Street.
SENIOR RECOGNITIONS
Outstanding seniors from four La Cuesta sites:
- Mallory Silva, La Cuesta Dos Pueblos
- Maribel Trujillo, La Cuesta Las Alturas
- Brian Kelly, La Cuesta Independent Study
- Rachel Gann, La Cuesta Middle College
Scholarship Award winners:
- Sam Moore, $500 scholarship from Southern California Gas Company
- Crystal Taylor, $500 scholarship from Southern California Gas Company
- Amanda Romero, Cameron Boyce Memorial Scholarship support for two years of study at Santa Barbara City College
- Jessica Carmona, Cameron Boyce Memorial Scholarship support for two years of study at Santa Barbara City College
- Mallory Silva, $300 scholarship from California Continuation Education Association
- Ryan McShane, Challenge Scholarship sponsored by the teachers and staff at La Cuesta, $250
- Jordan Soto, “Dodie” Lovett Memorial Scholarship, $250
Senior Spirit Award winners, as recognized by the Santa Barbara County Office of Education:
- Kelly McCarty, La Cuesta Middle College
- Mallory Silva, La Cuesta Dos Pueblos
- Maribel Trujillo, La Cuesta Las Alturas
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce honorees:
- Jesse Santillan, La Cuesta Santa Barbara
JUNIORS AND SENIORS
La Cuesta recognized the following junior and senior students for their role in campus leadership:
- China Arce, La Cuesta San Marcos
- Jessica Lim, La Cuesta San Marcos
- Gerardo Valadez, La Cuesta San Marcos
- Itzel Rosales, La Cuesta Las Alturas
- Sandra Ruiz, La Cuesta Las Alturas
- Rocio Soriano, La Cuesta Las Alturas
- Will Pritchett, La Cuesta Santa Barbara
- Mallory Silva, La Cuesta Dos Pueblos
Santa Barbara High’s Annual Spring Concert Begins June 1
The award-winning Santa Barbara High School A Cappella Choir, Madrigal Singers, Men's and Women's Ensembles, under the direction of Phillip McLendon, will present their annual spring concert on June 1, 2, and 3 at St. Anthony’s Chapel 2300 Garden Street (behind the Old Mission). All performances will take place at 7:00 p.m. Tickets, $10 each, are available at Chaucer's Books, from choir members, and at the door.
According to McLendon, “The A Cappella Choir of Santa Barbara High School is the oldest high school choir in California and the oldest performing arts group in Santa Barbara and in the Santa Barbara School District.” The A Cappella Choir and the Madrigal Singers have been honored many times in their history by The American Choral Director's Association and the Music Educator's National Conference.
This summer the Madrigals will perform on a concert tour of France, accepting several long standing invitations to perform in historical venues such as Notre Dame and La Madeleine in Paris, Chartres Cathedral, Orleans Cathedral, and Mont St. Michel.
San Marcos High School to Dedicate Organic Garden on Saturday
San Marcos High School will dedicate a start up organic garden at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 2, 2007. According to Jessica St. John, Project LEAN health coordinator with the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, there will be a Chumash Indian ceremonial blessing of the site and students will initiate the project by planting decorative flowers, herbs, and native plant mounds at the front edge border of the site. The garden is located near the San Marcos High’s tennis courts, across from the school’s Wellness Resource Center.
About 30 students have been involved in the development of this project through the school’s Earth Club and Health Club.
The King’s Page Takes First Place in Newspaper Competition
The American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA), based in College Point, NY, conducts a national annual competition for school yearbooks, magazines, and newspapers. Based on a point system used to assess the calibre of the entries, San Marcos High School’s student newspaper, The King’s Page, was among ASPA’s list of California schools that received a first place award in the 2006-07 Scholastic Newspaper Award for excellence in student journalism.
In additional to the acknowledgement in a national venue, the students received advice on page design, story layout, graphics, headlining, cover design, advertising placement, photography, and other helpful feedback. Schools that were recognized received a certificate and a listing in ASPA’s annual awards booklet.
Adviser Sadie Hall credits the award to “an outstanding student editorial staff under the leadership of Co-Editors-in-Chief Katelyn Sullivan and Alisa McCall”
Established in 1958, next year The King’s Page will celebrate 50 years of student journalism.