Wikipedia

Santa Barbara High School

Santa Barbara Senior High School, "Home of the Dons," is situated on a sprawling 40-acre (160,000 m2) campus in Santa Barbara, California in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Among the oldest high schools in California and one of five high schools in the District, Santa Barbara High School was established in 1875 at the corner of Anapamu and De La Vina, but relocated to its present Upper Eastside site in 1924.[4] Today, Santa Barbara High School has a diverse, near 65% minority enrollment of over 2000 pupils, 92 full-time teachers, and small learning academies, including Visual Arts and Design (VADA), Computer Science (CSA), and Multimedia Arts and Design (MAD).[5] The school also features a performing arts department that employs professional designers, choreographers, musical directors and guest artists.[6]

Santa Barbara High School
View of Main Building, a designated landmark
Main Building is a designated landmark[1]
Address
Map
700 East Anapamu Street

Santa Barbara
,
California
93103

United States
Coordinates34°25′46″N 119°41′39″W / 34.42944°N 119.69417°W / 34.42944; -119.69417[2]
Information
TypePublic
Established1875
School districtSanta Barbara Unified School District
Grades9–12
Enrollment2,107 (2022-23)[3]
Color(s)Olive and Gold
Athletics conferenceCIF Southern Section
Channel League
NicknameDons
RivalsDos Pueblos High School, San Marcos High School
Websitesbhs.sbunified.org

Due to a shortfall in state education funding, the school, a California historic landmark,[4] relies on the Foundation for Santa Barbara High School to increase funds for academics, mental health and capital improvements, including renovation of the Peabody Stadium and new fields for track, football, soccer and lacrosse.[7][8]

History

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Santa Barbara High School: The oldest high school in Santa Barbara County.

In 1916, the Santa Barbara Board of Education, along with students and community leaders, launched a bond campaign to build a new expanded Santa Barbara High School, which was then located at the corner of Anapamu and De la Vina near downtown Santa Barbara. After a series of bond elections, construction started in 1922 to enlarge the school and move it to the Upper Eastside of Santa Barbara, where it is now located at 700 East Anapamu Street.

 
Exterior photo of Santa Barbara High School.

The class of 1924 was the first class to graduate from the Anapamu site, despite the fact that the students had not attended class there. On Thanksgiving Day, 1924, Frederick Forrest Peabody donated to the school a new football stadium, which the student body named Peabody Stadium in his honor. In 1925, the first group of seniors to attend classes there received their graduation diplomas.

In November 2005, its 18th-century Spanish influenced design was named an official California and City historic landmark.[9]

Until the establishment of San Marcos High School in 1958 and Dos Pueblos High School in 1966, Santa Barbara High School was the sole public high school to serve the Santa Barbara-Goleta community.[4]

Leadership

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In 2018, Santa Barbara Unified School District tapped Elise Simmons, a former social studies teacher, intervention coach, assistant principal and principal to serve as Principal of Santa Barbara High School. A 19-year veteran of the District, Simmons obtained her bachelor of arts and masters in education from UC Santa Barbara, and a doctorate from Concordia University in Chicago.[10] Upon assuming the role of Principal, Simmons said her priorities would be college and career readiness, athletics, as well as student mental health and wellness.[11] As of 2023, the current principal is Fred Razo.

Demographics

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In 2022, U.S. News & World Report included the following demographic statistics for Santa Barbara High School: 64.7% minority enrollment; 58.9% Hispanic; 35.3% white; 1.7% Asian and 1.1% Black.; 49% economically disadvantaged; 43% free lunch; 6% reduced price lunch.[5]

School academies and special programs

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Academies

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The school has three academies: Visual Arts and Design (VADA), Computer Science (CSA), and Multimedia Arts and Design (MAD).

Visual Arts and Design (VADA)

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VADA, a small learning community established in 1999, offers courses in painting, drawing, digital art and photography.[12][13][14]

In 2021, VADA launched a $6.5 million capital campaign to construct a new modern design lab and art studio for students to use laser cutters and 3-D printers. The new VADA center was funded by bond sales, a state grant and private donations.

Computer Science Academy (CSA)

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The Computer Science curriculum offers computational art, software design, mobile programming, robotics and 3-D printing.[15] In 2019, The National Center for Women in Technology awarded their annual Aspirations in Computing Award to SBHS student Ella Onishuk, co-president of the school's Girls Who Code Club, and an Honorable Mention to SBHS student Joy Patterson, vice-president of the Robotics Club. Patterson worked with a team of students to develop an award-winning app with an interactive map of Santa Barbara to boost local tourism following deadly mudslides in 2018.[16]

Multimedia Arts and Design (MAD)

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The MAD academy offers courses in graphic design, web design, advanced film production and advanced photo journalism.[17][18] The academy also offers an annual service-learning trip to Mexico where students construct homes for families in need of housing.[19]

Performing Arts

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The Santa Barbara High Theater has been in operation continuously for over 100 years. The performing arts department, which partners with the Santa Barbara Theater Foundation, employs professional designers, choreographers, musical directors and guest artists to work with students. Students perform year-round in an 800-seat theater featuring state of the art lighting and sound. Past productions have included The Crucible, Chicago, 'Carrie, and Head Over Heels.[6]

Former student participants in the performing arts program include Dana Costello (Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway), Jessica Adcock Love (Grace on Broadway). SBHS has had two finalists in the Youth Spotlight Awards (Geoffrey Hahn, runner-up, 2012 and Grant Bower, 2014).[20]

Ethnic Studies

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Community activist Fabiola Gonzalez, a 2009 graduate from Santa Barbara High School, founded the multi-generational Santa Barbara Ethnic Studies Now! Coalition in 2015 to urge the Santa Barbara School Board to make ethnic studies a high school graduation requirement.

In 2018, the Santa Barbara School Board, in an effort to close the achievement gap, voted unanimously to require ethnic studies coursework for high school graduation in 2023--a date later extended to 2024.[21] [22]

Mural

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SBHS "La Loteria De Vida" Mural. Photo: June Debs

In collaboration with SBHS alumni, including local artist Manuel Unzueta, more than 20 students at Santa Barbara High School painted a 60-foot ethnic mural outside the campus cafeteria. The six-panel mural, titled ‘La Loteria De Vida" (The Life Lottery) features symbols of Chicano and Chumash culture, while paying tribute to history of Santa Barbara and the high school. Hundreds of people turned out for the mural's official unveiling in 2021.[23]

Academic performance

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In 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked Santa Barbara High School 3,566 out of 17,843 schools in the nation; 528 out of 1,603 public high schools ranked in California. With a graduation rate of 91%, a majority students at Santa Barbara High School took at least one Advanced Placement exam, though the passage rate on the AP exam was only 37%. Proficiency scores based on Smarter Balance tests were as follows: [24]

  • 37% Mathematics Proficiency
  • 62% Reading Proficiency
  • 39% Science Proficiency

In 2010, Newsweek's list of America's Best High Schools included Dos Pueblos, Santa Barbara and San Marcos high schools.[25]

Athletics

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Santa Barbara High School. Peabody Stadium.

SBHS offers baseball, softball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water polo, wrestling, frisbee and surfing. Known for its athletic achievements, the Don went to five California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) finals in 2007-2008 and has won 51 titles. In 2014, the girls' basketball team, then coached by Andrew Butcher, won the CIF 3A Southern Section and was runner up for the state championship.[26] [27][28]

Launched in decades ago, the SBHS Surf Team features a Surf History Hall of Fame that includes board shaper Jon Pyzel and pros Cole Robbins and Tom Curren. SBHS wood shop students are taught computer programming to cut foam for surfboards and refine the boards with hand planes and rulers.[29]

In 2019, Santa Barbara High’s women’s longboard surf team won the championship for the Coastal High Schools Division at the Scholastic Surf Series High School State Championships held in Oceanside.[30] In 2022, the high school surf club won the division in all categories — men’s shortboard/longboard, women’s shortboard/longboard, and bodyboard.[31]

Peabody Stadium renovation

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A $39 million dollar renovation of Peabody Stadium was completed in 2020 with partial funding from the Foundation for Santa Barbara High School.[32] Refurbished Olympic-quality fields adhere to CIF standards, allowing the school to host competitive meets, including track, football, lacrosse and international soccer tournaments with a notably large field.[33] [34]

Student newspaper

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The school's newspaper, The Forge, has been in continuous publication since 1914, making it the second-oldest high school newspaper to publish without interruption in California. Among the 2022 features were articles entitled "The Surreal World of Ukrainians in Santa Barbara" and "Why You Should Donate Your Hair to Wigs for Kids."[35]

Former Forge editor Leon Litwack (class of 1947) is a Pulitzer Prize winner, retired UC Berkeley professor and author of books on slavery.[36] Mary Claudia Nettles Madson, a former 1938 SBHS journalism student on The Forge, was among the first female UPI journalists.[37] Manuel Unzueta (1968), a former cartoonist for The Forge, is a well-known Santa Barbara muralist who has painted murals at Bohnett Park and the Eastside Library.[38]

In 2008, The Forge was the target of a break-in, when thieves stole five computers, a printer, and a camera.[39]

Foundation for Santa Barbara High School

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To address a $3,000 shortfall in state per-pupil funding, the Foundation for Santa Barbara High School, a non-profit 501(c) 3, raises money to support academics, counseling, sports and other programs.[40] During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation paid for outdoor tents and air purifiers for classrooms and the school library, as well as distributed grants to families in need. The Foundation renovated an indoor-outdoor “Solarium” for a teachers' lounge and raised $5 million for the 2,300 seat Peabody Stadium renovation.[41][42][43]

Notable alumni

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Alma mater

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The school's alma mater is "Santa Barbara, Hail to Thee!".[53] It was written by Doris Holt, Class of 1944.

References

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  1. ^ Press Release (8 November 2005) "Santa Barbara High School Granted Landmark Status" Archived 2014-06-06 at the Wayback Machine Santa Barbara Unified School District
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Santa Barbara High School
  3. ^ "Santa Barbara Senior High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "About - Santa Barbara High School". sbhs.sbunified.org. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  5. ^ a b "Santa Barbara Senior High School in Santa Barbara, CA - US News Best High Schools". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 2022-05-23.
  6. ^ a b "About Us". Santa Barbara High School Theatre. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  7. ^ "About Us – Foundation for Santa Barbara High School". Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  8. ^ "Peabody Stadium Renovation – Foundation for Santa Barbara High School". Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  9. ^ "About - Santa Barbara High School". sbhs.sbunified.org. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  10. ^ Noozhawk. "Elise Simmons Named Santa Barbara High Principal as District Announces New Appointments". www.noozhawk.com. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  11. ^ Noozhawk. "Principal Elise Simmons Brings Don Pride in Return to Santa Barbara High School". www.noozhawk.com. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  12. ^ Jun 10, Delaney Smith Thu; 2021 | 2:06pm (2021-06-10). "Santa Barbara High's VADA to Build New Design Lab, Art Studio". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2022-05-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ Nov 28, Delaney Smith Sat; 2020 | 12:28pm (2020-11-28). "Santa Barbara Unified to Break Ground on Two New Projects". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2022-05-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "Santa Barbara High VADA Program Receives $2.2M Grant for New Building". Edhat. 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  15. ^ Noozhawk. "Santa Barbara High School Computer Science Academy Opens SB Maker's Space". www.noozhawk.com. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  16. ^ "SBHS Computer Science Academy Racks Up Awards". Edhat. 2019-05-13. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  17. ^ Noozhawk. "Take 2: MAD Academy Focuses on Increasing Diversity". www.noozhawk.com. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  18. ^ "SBHS Multimedia Arts & Design Academy - Santa Barbara Unified School District". www.sbunified.org. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  19. ^ "Multimedia Arts & Design (MAD) Academy Showcase". Edhat. 2018-05-08. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  20. ^ "Our Press". Santa Barbara High School Theatre. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  21. ^ Nov 29, Erika Carlos Thu; 2018 | 12:00am (2018-11-29). "Ethnic Studies Now to Be Required in Santa Barbara High Schools". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2022-05-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Sheahen, Scott (2022-03-12). "Santa Barbara Unified show off importance of ethnic studies". News Channel 3-12. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  23. ^ Mar 16, Jun Starkey Wed; 2022 | 9:06am (2022-03-16). "Santa Barbara High School Students Create Mural Honoring Shared History". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2022-05-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ "Santa Barbara Senior High School in Santa Barbara, CA - US News Best High Schools". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 2022-05-23.
  25. ^ Noozhawk. "Dos Pueblos, Santa Barbara and San Marcos Make List of America's Best High Schools". www.noozhawk.com. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  26. ^ "Santa Barbara High School International Student Exchange Program". High School Foreign Exchange Student Programs in Los Angeles. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  27. ^ "High School". Santa Barbara Ultimate. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  28. ^ Apr 22, Mara Pyzel Fri; 2022 | 9:18am (2022-04-22). "Santa Barbara High Surf Team's Rippin' Season". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2022-05-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ Apr 22, Mara Pyzel Fri; 2022 | 9:18am (2022-04-22). "Santa Barbara High Surf Team's Rippin' Season". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2022-05-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ Noozhawk. "Santa Barbara High Girls Win State Surfing Title in Longboard". www.noozhawk.com. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  31. ^ Apr 22, Mara Pyzel Fri; 2022 | 9:18am (2022-04-22). "Santa Barbara High Surf Team's Rippin' Season". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2022-05-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ DeVine, Blake (2021-07-04). "Santa Barbara High celebrates completion of renovated Peabody Stadium". News Channel 3-12. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  33. ^ Noozhawk. "Santa Barbara High School to Dedicate Renovated Peabody Stadium". www.noozhawk.com. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  34. ^ "Peabody Stadium Renovation – Foundation for Santa Barbara High School".
  35. ^ "Features – The Forge". Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  36. ^ Oct 15, Barney Brantingham Wed; 2014 | 9:00am (2014-10-15). "S.B. High's Student Newspaper Celebrates 100 Years". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2022-05-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  37. ^ "Wall of Fame Bios". SANTA BARBARA HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  38. ^ "Wall of Fame Bios". SANTA BARBARA HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  39. ^ "The Forge Is Cracked". The Santa Barbara Independent. 2008-02-02. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  40. ^ "FAQs – Foundation for Santa Barbara High School". Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  41. ^ "Peabody Stadium Renovation – Foundation for Santa Barbara High School". Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  42. ^ "Santa Barbara High Receives $5 Million Donation for New Stadium". Edhat. 2018-02-14. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  43. ^ "Eligibility Criteria & FAQs". Santa Barbara Foundation. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  44. ^ "Wall of Fame Bios". SANTA BARBARA HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  45. ^ "The Mother of Plate Tectonics". The UCSB Current. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  46. ^ "Dylan Axelrod Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  47. ^ DeSantis, Marko (2022-03-27). "Santa Barbara Native Yeti Beats Receives Multiple Grammy Nominations with Protégé Doja Cat". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  48. ^ Mar 10, Santa Barbara High School Mon; 2014 | 6:51pm (2014-03-11). "Santa Barbara High School 13th Annnual [sic] Wall of Fame awards". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2022-05-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  49. ^ "Wall of Fame Bios". SANTA BARBARA HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  50. ^ "Wall of Fame Bios". SANTA BARBARA HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  51. ^ Noozhawk. "SBCC Starts Athletics Hall of Fame With Seven Inductees". www.noozhawk.com. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  52. ^ pwsadmin (2019-11-21). "Julius Maddox's World Record Bench Press". JoshStrength. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  53. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Santa Barbara High School Wall of Fame". Archived from the original on 2011-02-10. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
  54. ^ "Sports-Reference.com". Archived from the original on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  55. ^ e-yearbook.com (tm). "Santa Barbara Junior High School - Condor Yearbook (Santa Barbara, CA), Class of 1959, Page 12 of 60 | E-Yearbook.com has the largest online yearbook collection of college, university, high school, middle school, junior high school, military, naval cruise books and yearbooks. Search and browse yearbooks online!". e-yearbook.com. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
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  57. ^ "Artist Collection". ArtsWA. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  58. ^ "Kevin Gowdy Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News". MiLB.com.
  59. ^ Warshaw, Matt. "Greenough, George". eos.surf. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  60. ^ Punzal, Barry (16 December 2020). "Santa Barbara High Star Quarterback Deacon Hill Makes It Official in Signing with Wisconsin | Sports". Noozhawk.
  61. ^ Deters, Barbara (April 6, 1985). "High School Students Get Taste of the Soldier's Life". Salinas Californian. Salinas, CA. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  62. ^ "Serving In Uniform: Diana M. Leach". Paradise Post. Paradise, CA. April 14, 1987. p. B-2 – via Newspapers.com.
  63. ^ Noozhawk. "Santa Barbara High Welcomes Five Newest Members of 'Always a Don' Wall of Fame". www.noozhawk.com. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  64. ^ Loveton, Dave (2019-03-04). "Santa Barbara High's Mason Lender is Scholar-Athlete of the Year". Noozhawk. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  65. ^ "CaptainSparklez - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  66. ^ "Sports-Reference.com". Archived from the original on 2010-02-03. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  67. ^ "Sports-Reference.com". Archived from the original on 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
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