Now entering its 24th year, and first with new director Amy Curti, The Santa Ynez High School Theatre Group is preparing for six weekend performances of a literary classic, “Little Women.”

The production, featuring SYHS students in the cast, is scheduled for three shows on successive weekends starting Friday, Nov. 15, and again on Friday, Nov. 22. Friday and Saturday shows start at 7 p.m., with the Sunday shows beginning at 2 p.m.

The shows will be the first under the direction of Curti, a 1991 graduate of SYHS who has taken over for Jeff McKinnon, the founder of the group who retired earlier this year.

“I was at St. Joseph for the last five years, in Santa Maria, and this is my alma mater, so I’d been kind of patiently waiting for Jeff to retire,” Curti said. “At one point, I knew he was close to retiring, so I contacted him to ask his timeline, and once he did make plans to retire, I applied for the job and got it.

“I did about 11 production during my time at St. Joe’s, all of them musicals. So, I’m kind of easing into this position by just doing a play.”

“Little Women” originated as a classic, coming-of-age novel by Louisa May Alcott, first published in the 19th century. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy — and details their passage from childhood to womanhood. The story is loosely based on Alcott’s life with her three sisters.

“Jeff [McKinnon] had an advanced theater class last year, and he warned them I was coming, and asked to submit a ‘wish list’ of their three top shows,” Curti said. “So I got the list, and ‘Little Women’ was on there, and that was an easy choice for me. I teach American literature and ‘Little Women’ is one of my favorite childhood stories.”

Curti started with SYHS in August, and had auditions for the show at the end of the month.

“Jeff had told me he had some strong female leads in his class that I would get,” she said. “So I started two weeks, teaching my two theater classes, and I saw a few of them in ‘Bye, Bye Birdie’ that the Arts Outreach had put on, so I knew what kind of talent I had.”

One interesting aspect about the play is that the young actors will actually be wearing wireless mics while doing the show.

“This is the first time we’ve had a sound system, and we’ll be putting mics on the students, in addition to the hanging mics [above the stage],” Curti said. “Before that, we’ve just been using natural projection, which I wish the kids could do, but they can’t, so we’ll mic them. Plus, we’ll need to mic them for next semester’s musical.”

Ah, yes, as Curti disclosed, the group will be doing a musical, “School of Rock,” based on the movie starring Jack Black.

“I’ll be collaborating with Rob Cantrell, who’s the music teacher here and also in the [local band] Molly Ringwald Project,” she said. “He’s a guitarist, so we’re playing with the idea of having live music with that show. It’ll definitely be a bigger production.”

Of course, with theater, there is more than just what’s on the stage. Productions depend on people who know how lighting and sound works, and those that can build stage sets. That’s a fact not lost on Curti.

“We have a lot of outside help: For instance, we have a family here, the Kelseys, who are Civil War re-enactors, and they’ve let us borrow some of their costumes because that’s the time period for ‘Little Women,'” she said. “And we have Chris Mullin, one of our teachers, who helps us with the sets.”

“However, I’d say that’s something we need to build here; I’m working right now to really learn all aspects of the theater. And I would say a goal would be that we would build a technical theater program here, for students to learn this.”

But, for the moment, the focus is on “Little Women” and the upcoming premiere on Nov. 15 at the school’s Little Theater.

The shows will run on Nov. 15, 16, and 17, and again on Nov. 22, 23, and 24. Showtimes are 7 p.m. for the Friday and Saturday shows, and 2 p.m. for the Sunday shows. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students, and $50 for VIP and can be purchased at syvuhsd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1086199&type=d&pREC_ID=1468892.

Feature image: Amy Curti, a member of Santa Ynez High’s Class of 1991, is in her first year as the director of the SYHS Theater Group after five years at St. Joseph’s High in Santa Maria. Photo by Mike Chaldu.

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The Santa Ynez High School Pirate football will Go Pink on Friday, Oct. 18, in recognition of Cancer Awareness Month and to help fundraise for a local Pirate family who have been facing one of the biggest fights of their life.

“Go Pink Night is a very meaningful tradition for our football family as players, coaches, and fans honor all women and men who are fighting cancer, and we re- member those special to us who have fought the battle and have lost,” said head football coach Josh McClurg. “We lost [longtime football program supporter] Carl Rio a few years ago and it has hit us a few times within our own football family. This year, we have a friend, a Pirate parent, Trish Robinson, who is fighting a rare connective tissue disease attacking her lungs called anti synthetase syndrome with overlapping inflammatory myositis. This affects less than 3,500 people in the U.S. with no cure to date. However, with proper care and treatment, it can go into remission. She is currently undergoing treatment, which is going to take time and patience! We want Trish and the Robinson Family to know we stand with them and want to help as best we can.”

Santa Ynez High School Football Boosters will hold a fundraising raffle at the Oct. 18 game that will include a:

• Pirate football helmet signed by all the players
• Custom Pirate cooler
• Gift certificate for a letterman’s jacket from Dellavalle Embroidery

The fundraiser will also include a bake sale. This year, 100 percent of the proceeds from the fundraising effort will go to Trish and the Robinson Family.

If you would like to make a donation, please contact the SYHS Football Boosters at sypiratefootball@gmail.com or visit our website at sypiratefootball.com.

The JV game begins at 4 p.m. and the varsity game kicks off at 7 p.m.

Feature image: Trish Robinson, seen here with her daughter Cassidy, a cheerleader and track athlete at SYHS, is fighting a rare connective tissue disease called anti synthetase syndrome and will be the focus of the Go Pink football fundraising effort on Oct. 18. Photo contributed by SYHS.

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Santa Ynez High School held its Homecoming the weekend of Sept. 13 and crowned Queen Malia Ortiz and King Angel Gonzalez during halftime of that night’s football game between SYHS and Mission Prep High School of San Luis Obispo.

Ortiz and Gonzalez received the honor each among a field of eight candidates. The King and Queen were paired up and driven to the field in a classic car or pickup and each was individually introduced while being escorted by family members before lining up on the sidelines for the big announcements.

Homecoming Princesses were Gigi Demeure, Grace Vazquez, Haylee Fox, Kimberly Medina, Nataly Davalos, Sofia Tinajero, and Sophia Merz. Homecoming Princes were Aaron Figueroa, Dylan Ross, Hayden Blunt, Ilan Torres, Jack Fisher, Kurren Kays, and Luca Clifton.

The Pirates football was defeated by the visiting Royals 30-13 in the Homecoming game.

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The Vikings of Solvang donated four Pumper Cars to support students with special needs in the Lompoc Unified School District. Pumper Cars are innovative mobility devices that promote inclusion and provide children of nearly all abilities with a fun and vigorous way to exercise.

The donation request was made by Clint Ellison, an adapted physical education teacher serving eight elementary schools in the Lompoc Unified School District. Clint delivers tailored physical education programs specifically designed for students with special needs. 

“I am extremely grateful for what the Vikings of Solvang did to help our students,” Ellison said. “The students reallyenjoy using the Pumper Cars. In fact, much of the time it is difficult to get them out of the cars.”

The Pumper Car is a specialized mobility device designed for children, particularly those with therapeutic and health-related needs. Renowned for its effectiveness, the Pumper Car is an excellent solution for children who are unable toexercise in traditional ways. It promotes focused exercise, improves coordination, and strengthens muscles, all while offering a variety of activities that enhance fitness, hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, social skills, and language development.

Ellison continued, “It was great to have several members of the Vikings come out and witness my students using them. Thank you again, Vikings of Solvang.”

The Vikings of Solvang is a social and philanthropic organization committed to advancing the well-being of Santa Barbara County citizens through medical assistance and volunteerism. A donation of $2,106 was made by the Vikings of Solvang to fund four Pumper Cars for students with special needs in the Lompoc Unified School District. By addressing the medical needs of individuals and supporting healthcare organizations, the Vikings strive to uplift the community. Since its founding in 1974, the Vikings of Solvang has provided over $3 million in medical aid. With members covering all operating costs, every dollar donated goes directly to helping those in need.

For more information, to apply for a grant, or to donate to the endowment fund, please visit vikingsofsolvang.org or email info@vikingsofsolvang.org.

Feature Image: Members of the Vikings of Solvang and Lompoc Unified School District teachers and students welcome the donation of four Pumper Cars to the district. Photos Courtesy of the Vikings of Solvang

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By Mike Chaldu

michael@santaynezvalleystar.com

Sitting in her new office as the superintendent/principal for Santa Ynez Union Valley High School, Dr. Kimberly Sheehan recalled the path she took through higher education and how the teachers, counselors, and coaches she had as a high-school student in Covina got her started on that path. 

“I had two amazing parents — my dad worked on the railroad and my mother was a stay-at home mom,” she said.”Since they hadn’t gone to college, they didn’t know how to navigate the educational system; however, they were smart enough to live in areas that had great schools for me.

“During high school, I was a typical student — I played softball, I was a cheerleader, I was really into the social aspect of high school,” Sheehan continued. “I did fine in class, but I never really thought of myself as smart, but there were teachers and others in the school who let me know I was smart, and pointed out my skill sets, and really believed in me and encourage me to set goals.”

And that was what inspired Sheehan to pursue a career in education that has resulted in her latest stop at SYHS. She graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in communications/public relations, earned her teaching credential at Azusa Pacific University, and got a Master’s at USC.

“Having those people [in Covina] believe in me is what really planted the seed,” she said. “It made me want to give back, to help students in the way that I was helped.”

The Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District announced Sheehan’s appointment to the newly created superintendent/principal position on April 16. She had spent the previous three years as director of The Accelerated Schools, a group of charter campus in Los Angeles. Before that she was a leader in public education for over 20 years, with experience in elementary, middle, and high schools. After beginning her career in education as a high school English teacher and counselor in Covina, she went on to work as a principal of an elementary coding and dual language immersion school. 

And before that, her first job out of college was a little different: She worked for the then Anaheim Angels of Major League Baseball.

“Coming out of Cal Poly Pomona, I thought I would be in that PR world, and I really liked sports, so I thought working for a team would be fun,” Sheehan recalled. “I worked in the front office, and enjoyed working with the community organizations and especially the Make-A-Wish Foundation when they would bring kids in, and that stuck with me.

“Seeing that and what they did for the kids made me realize how much I wanted to give back. Plus, I was thinking about starting a family and having kids and I thought ‘what would be the best job to do and still spend time with your kids,’ and education seemed to be a good option.”

Sheehan said she first became aware of the SYHS job in February, as the school board was in the midst of a long search for its combined superintendent/principal position.

“I came upon the job through some workshops with the ASCA (Association of California School Administrators) as an aspiring superintendent,” she said. “They would give me advice on searching jobs, and one was that some people have to draw a barrier around where they live because they need to stay in the general area.”

However, Sheehan had no such barrier.

“My kids are grown and out of the house, so I didn’t have to worry about how it would effect them, so I just figured anywhere in the state was fine with me,” she said. “I found out about this job, came up to Valley for a weekend to check it out, did a little more research, and decided to apply for the job.”

After working in the inner city of LA for the past three years, Sheehan said she welcomes the more rural environment of here new job.

“It’s a very large valley, but it has a very small-town feel, and I like that,” she said. “This is a community that has had a lot of tradition and legacy, and I feel I’m very aligned with that.”

Sheehan started her new job on July 1, and she has been very busy acclimating herself to her new surroundings and getting ready for the school year, which begins on Thursday, Aug. 8.

“The leadership team has been extremely busy,” she said. “I had the luxury of being able to attend three or four board meeting before I started here so that’s been helpful.”

One of the things Sheehan is addressing is the cellphone issue. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently proposed a statewide cellphone ban in schools that would take effect in 2026 if passed, and the LA Unified School District recently instituted a ban during classes.

SYHS, however, will not be going that far.

“The board adopted a new cellphone policy this year that will limit, but not ban, the phones,” Sheehan said. “How do we limit the phones? That’s what we’ve been working on all summer — the communication of that and theaccountability.”

Otherwise, Sheehan has seen the school’s latest AP test results and said SYHS students have scored above average on 11 of the 12 test administered. She’s seen the student production of “Bye, Bye Birdie” and attended the Santa Barbara County Fair in Santa Maria to see some of the SYHS students show their livestock animals.

“Also, I met with the ASB students and they had a really big ask: The seniors wanted their own reserved parking spaces on campus,” Sheehan said. “They also wanted to be able to decorate their spots, so we’ve OK’d that and set aside Aug. 10 as the day they can do that and we’ve gotten local merchants to supply paint and materials for that.”

As she embarks on her first year, Sheehan is just looking to maintain the operation and legacy of what she already considered an excellent school.

In fact, in looking at the school, she thinks of SYHS in the terms of her three adult kids and three grandkids.

“I feel like I picked Santa Ynez as much as Santa Ynez picked me,” she said. “And I think in terms of whether I would be proud to have my kids, or my grandkids, coming here. And this school, I would be very confident if they came to school.

“That’s one of the measures where you can tell that a school is doing it right.”

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“[I was told once] that evidence is sometimes right before your eyes — you just have to look at it the right way,” said Dunn School Head of School Kalyan Balaven in his opening address at the Los Olivos school’s Commencement on Saturday, June 1. After a pause, he asked, “Is there a right way to look at an earwig?”

And Balaven used his reference to the school’s rather unusual mascot to give his 45 graduating students one last lesson.

To begin his address — which each year is an enjoyable poetry reading with verses reflecting events that happened overthe past school year — the administrator expounded on Dunn’s favorite insect.

Balaven went on to say that he’s gotten dozens of letters asking the school to change the mascot, has seen the earwig mentioned in the LA Times or ESPN’s lists of “horribly funny nicknames,” and the “apocryphal” story about how the name was hatched from a classroom joke. 

“That’s one way to look at an earwig,” Balaven said. But then he pointed if you delve deeper into its biology, the insect molts five times, and on the fifth actually does develop wings. “When they choose to, earwigs can fly.”

And in using that as a metaphor for the students who are getting ready to “fly away” to other destinations, the head of school launched into his verse reminded the students of what they experienced this year.

Compared to other high schools in the area, Dunn is considered a different animal — or insect if you will — and it was the student speakers who reminded the audience what made the school, and the people in it, so special.

Student Body President Alexander Grenier was the first speaker to stand at the podium, and he admitted it took him some time to acclimate to Dunn.

“I struggled to find my place at Dunn,” he said. “Many saw me as a troublemaker, and I seemed to look at any situation as an invitation to be a provocateur.”

However, Grenier said, the teachers at the school seemed to take a different tack with him.

“At any other school, they would tried to put me in a box and force me to conform,” he said. “At Dunn, they understood that I caused problems out of a need for attention, not malevolence. They believed in me and encouraged to find ways to contribute to the school.”

Grenier said after that he developed a passion for contributing to his community, which increased his sense of belonging. He advised his classmates to take advantage of chances to contribute to your community.

“The more you give, the more people respond,” he told his fellow graduates. “And don’t forget to recognize cries for attention and reach out.”

Keynote speaker Matthew Musson, who gave his speech immediately after contributing to a musical performance with classmates Ben Dellis and Daphne Urquidez, told a story similar to Grenier’s

“I was quite the handful as a kid,” Musson said. “As a kid I was kicked out my first day of kindergarten. I always bristled at authority.”

Eventually, he figured out “independence comes at the expense of connection. I couldn’t see the importance of being part of a community, until I came here.”

Musson came to Dunn after his parents made an impromptu trip to an open house and suggested he go there.

“Dunn wasn’t even part of the plan,” he said. “But when I got here, the people here recognized my drive, saw qualities I didn’t see in myself.”

To conclude, Musson advised his classmates to “go forward. See the value in people who make up your life, and the value of people you don’t yet know well.”

After the speakers, it was time to hand out the diplomas. In the continuation of an idea hatched last year, each graduate was able to choose a faculty to say a few words about them after they received their diplomas.

Like last year, it was an excellent to to convey to the audience the connection and rapport built up between the students and the teacher.

And this year, one graduating student went one better. Near the end of the process, Oliver Vachon approached the stage and got to hear some emotional words from Gene Vachon, Dunn School associated head of school and the commencement emcee — and Oliver’s father.

“When I found out you chose me to stand up for you at graduation, I wondered how I would possibly go through today without crying,” Gene Vachon said as his wife and Oliver’s mother Vicki stood by them. “I decided there was no way this day would happen without tears.”

Vachon went through a number of reasons he would be crying for and was proud of his son, culminating in “we are so proud that you are ready for the next chapter and the ones after that. We are proud that you are ready to let go, but that you’re willing to hold on just enough. I love you with all that I have.”

Soon after, all the diplomas were given out, and Balaven went up to the podium one last time to remind his new graduates “if you didn’t believe it before, you’ll believe it now — Earwigs can fly!”

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In front of a full grandstand of adoring family and friends at Rio Memorial Field, senior students at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School said goodbye to their high school years and took the first big step to their respective futures.

And they didn’t waste any time doing it.

One hundred and ninety-nine Class of 2024 graduates received their diplomas May 31 in a brisk, efficiently run hour-long ceremony on a sunny Friday afternoon.

The commencement ceremony began as the graduating seniors emerged from the school gym and walked along the stadium track on their way to the seat on the field. Of course, their was no shortage of what one might call “flair”: Fancy scarves, colorful leis, mortarboards decorated with the logo of one’s future college or a meaningful or humorous saying of some sort.

Once the students were huddled in the seats, Senior Class President Ricardo Carmona led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance, which was followed by Athena Kett singing the national anthem.

ASB President Ava Ladinig, and Senior Class Vice President Samara Perez were introduced to welcome the audience to the graduation ceremony. 

“We would like to say thank you to our parents, teachers, counselors, administrators and classmates who have helped us reach this milestone in our lives,” Ladinig said, followed by Perez expressing the same sentiment for the Spanish speakers present.

SYHS Interim Principal Andrew Alvidrez, the second to serve in the position during the academic year, introduced the SVYUHS District Board of Trustees Chris Johnson (president), Sherri Noble, Kathy Grace-Velazquez, and Susan Shehab, as well as Interim District Superintendent Elysia Lewis.

Alvidrez then addressed the parents of the graduates.

“We want to thank you for letting us be a part of these seniors’ lives,” the principal said. “We are very proud of them and we can’t wait to hear of many of their successes.”

Alvidrez then addressed the soon-to-be graduates, using the words of a famous author.

“T.S. Eliot once wrote, ‘Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go,'” he said. “The best advice I can give you is to go far. Don’t stop. Blaze your own trail. Hold your head up high, and never, ever, ever quit.”

With that, Alvidrez introduced the first of two student speakers, Shannon Morehouse.

Morehouse began by describing the circumstances the Class of 2024 were dealt with when they first entered high school during the COVID pandemic.

“We had our eighth-grade school year cut short, had drive-thru graduations in 2020, and spent a lot of time in our first year on Zoom,” she said. “We never thought that was what high school would be like, but we made do with the circumstances we were given. We prevailed, and we have officially taken the first step on our way to adulthood.

“So, welcome to an in-person graduation ceremony. We deserve it.”

Morehouse went on to cite many of the small milestones on her class’ way to this in-person graduation, among them:Slowly returning to a normal classroom environment and getting to “put faces to the names,” their first Homecoming, with an out-of-this-world theme offering “dancing aliens on a screen behind the DJ,” and “accidentally” building a bridge in science class that couldn’t be crushed by a 16-pound frozen turkey.

Morehouse ended her speech by telling how her uncle asked her what were the best lessons she learned in high school, and she mentioned two. The first was realizing that Shay’s Rebellion was “not about the British, it’s about the farmers.”

For the second, she went by the advice offered by the late, great singer Kenny Rogers.

“Know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away, and know when to run,” Morehouse said. “My fellow classmates, we now get to run.”

Introduced next was the next student speaker, Lizbeth Ortega Aguilera.

Ortega, while reveling in the fact that “we made it,” also reminded her classmates to appreciate the memories they made in their previous four years.

“We were always so caught up on wanting to grow up, we did not notice that we were making memories that will last us a lifetime,” she said. “Our senior year was not just our last year of high school, but our last football game … last prom … last time going to El Rancho Marketplace for lunch … last time staying up all night to study for an AP exam.

“However, though graduation is bittersweet, we must close this chapter of our lives and start writing the next.”

Ortega also spoke about her pride being a first-generation, Mexican American high school graduate, and how much that moment means to her. On that note, she recited the middle part of her speech in Spanish “as a tribute to all the Hispanic students and families present with us here today.”

In going back to English, Ortega told her classmates to embrace the future, no matter how uncertain it may be.

“I’m nervous, and a little scared for what life has waiting for me,” she said. “But the future isn’t something we enter, thefuture is something that we create. I see a bright future full of hope and change, and I hope you all take a sense of pride, purpose, and a sense of responsibility with you.”

After the commencement addresses, SYHS Assistant Principal Jasmine Day introduced the 36 Class of 2024 students who achieved a grade-point average of 4.0 or above, and were identified by the gold stolls they wore with their robes.

Before receiving their diplomas, the students were addressed by Assistant Superintendent Lewis who encouraged the class about to take the next big step.

“May you continue to pursue your passions, chase your dreams, and then leave an indelible mark on the world,” Lewis said. “Congratulations graduates. Your journey has just begun.”

Congratulations, and best of luck to SYHS’s Class of 2024.

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SANTA BARBARA COUNTY — And that’s a wrap! Elementary and junior high students throughout Santa Barbara County competed in a battle of literary wit at the Santa Barbara County Education Office’s 23rd annual Battle of the Books series. Students across the county prepare year-round for the event by reading, and often re-reading, books from a designated list before tackling friendly “battles” against other teams to test their knowledge through trivia questions on plot, characters, and theme.

This year, more than 250 fourth- to eighth-grade students participated in the three unique events, which included two elementary in-person Battles and a junior high school individual virtual Battle. By popular demand, SBCEO also hosted a Battle in Santa Maria for the first time this year, bringing this beloved event to even more students in northern Santa Barbara County.

At the elementary level, students are placed on teams with their peers from various schools across the county. Each team comes up with their own name, which they proudly display on their literary “shield” throughout the event. This year, teams were quizzed on 28 different titles during three nail-biting rounds, ending with the final “Battle Royale” showcasing the two top teams.

The winners of the Santa Maria-based elementary Battle hosted on April 16 are:

• 1st place: “Book Badges” with students representing:
  • Ballard (Ballard School District)
  • Fairlawn (Santa Maria-Bonita School District)
  • Miller (Santa Maria-Bonita School District)
  • Solvang (Solvang School District)
  • Tunnell (Santa Maria-Bonita School District)
• 2nd place: “MasterMinds Chicken” with students representing:
  • Buena Vista (Lompoc Unified School District)
  • Fairlawn (Santa Maria-Bonita School District)
  • Jiménez (Santa Maria-Bonita School District)
  • Solvang (Solvang School District)
  • Tunnell (Santa Maria-Bonita School District)

The winners of the Santa Barbara-based elementary Battle, hosted on April 25 are:

• 1st place: “The One and Only Team 22” representing:
  • Monte Vista (Hope School District)
  • La Patera (Goleta Union School District)
  • Peabody Charter (Santa Barbara Unified School District)
  • Foothill (Goleta Union School District)
  • Adams (Santa Barbara Unified School District)
  • Santa Ynez Valley Charter (College Elementary School District)

• 2nd place: “Significant Events in the Life of Team 10”
  • La Patera (Goleta Union School District)
  • Foothill (Goleta Union School District)
  • Adams (Santa Barbara Unified School District)
  • Ellwood (Goleta Union School District)
  • El Camino (Goleta Union School District)

At the junior high level, congratulations to Vandenberg Middle School (Lompoc Unified School District), which had the top 11 scorers at the junior high Battle hosted online on April 10.

At the elementary Battle in Santa Barbara on Thursday, April 25, students were discussing how excited they are for next year’s Battle. 

“This was so fun, and even if you didn’t win, you get to be on a team with other people who love books. I’m definitely doing this again next year,” said Isla Vista Elementary School Megan Molina, a fourth-grader at Isla Vista Elementary School who competed for the first time this year. Her team was “A Significant Event in the Life of Team 11.” 

Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido shared her heartfelt congratulations with the winning teams and all participants

“It’s incredible to see the enthusiasm and commitment to reading demonstrated by all the students at this year’s Battle of the Books,” she said. “The level of preparation, dedication, and teamwork at each event is impressive and inspiring. As educators, we know that great readers become lifelong learners, so it’s wonderful to see our students achieve and excel through experiences like this one.”

The Santa Barbara County Education Office will also host a Spanish-language version of the Battle of the Books, Batalla de los Libros. The event invites Dual Language Immersion students from across Santa Barbara County to gather virtually on Tuesday, May 21, and compete in Spanish on a list of Spanish-language books they read throughout the year.

The reading lists for next year’s elementary and junior high Battles are scheduled to be released on May 24 at:sbceo.org/battle.

Feature Image:  Pictured are elementary grade students from team “The One and Only Team 22,” winners of the Santa Barbara-based Battle of the Books held on April 25. The team included students Lily M. of Monte Vista; Margot B. of La Patera; Nico P. of Peabody; Keira D. of Foothill; Carlo V. of Adams; and Atalie M. of Santa Ynez Charter. Photo Courtesy of the SB County Office of Education

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By Mike Chaldu

michael@santaynezvalleystar

After a long search, Santa Ynez Valley Union High School has found its new leader. Dr. Kimberly Sheehan will take over as superintendent/principal (now a combined position) starting with the 2024-25 school year.

The Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District Board announced at its Tuesday, April 16, meeting that Sheehan had agreed to a three-year contract to be the superintendent/principal. The board approved the contract by a 5-0 vote.

Before the vote, members of the board had praise for the incoming principal.

“I’m excited about this,” said Board President Chris Johnson. “I think the administration will move forward very well with Dr. Sheehan.”

“We had some amazing candidates and Kimberly knocked it out of the park,” said Board Member Sherri Noble. “She shows a wealth of experience and knowledge. I’m excited for this.”

After the vote, Sheehan came up to the podium and expressed her gratitude and eagerness to get started.

“I’m thrilled to be here; thanks to the school board,” she said. “Honored to work with already amazing established leadership team, and excited to work with the classified certificated staff, the parents, the community, and most importantly, the students. To ensure Santa Ynez and Refugio high schools can see the purpose, passion, and potential of each student.”

Johnson stated at the meeting that Sheehan has a three-year contract to run from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2027, at a base salary of $220,000 annually.

Sheehan will be coming to SYHS from The Accelerated Schools, a group of charter campus in Los Angeles. Before that she was a leader in public education for over 20 years, with experience in elementary, middle, and high schools. After beginning her career in education as a high school English teacher and counselor, she went on to work as a principal of an elementary coding and dual language immersion school. 

Sheehan’s bio on the TAS website (accelerated.org) states, “She is passionate about educational access and is dedicated to implementing operations support to ensure all students reach their fullest academic and socioeconomic potential.”

Sheehan graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a bachelor’s degree in communications and public relations. She also obtained her Master’s degree in pupil personnel and administrative leadership from Azusa Pacific University and was awarded her doctorate from USC Rossier and her dissertation study focused on equitable hiring practices.

Sheehan, a former softball player, is a proud mother of three, and enjoys rowing for exercise.

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By Mike Chaldu

michael@santaynezvalleystar.com

The Dunn School, the private boarding school located in Los Olivos, is one whose administration has never been afraid to think outside the box.

And that philosophy carried over into the school’s Commencement ceremony on June 3: During the awarding of the diplomas, instead of having the student just walk across the stage and sit back down, each of the 41 graduates of the Class of 2023 had a faculty member of their choosing introduce them and say a few words about the graduate, or as much as they could in the 45-second time limit.

That resulted in many fond memories — some humorous, some inspirational, some poignant, and some emotional.

For instance, Hannah Bishop got hear her personality be compared to a “jingle,” and got to hear an exercept read from a class-assigned letter from the point of view of herself as a 77-year-old, which included a characteristic “anyhoo” mixed in with the essay.

Bernard Grunzweig got to hear one last time from College Counselor Terri Devine a mantra she said she uttered everyday — “Thank goodness for Bernie” — as she recounted all the help her student had done and the great attitude he displayed in and out of the classroom.

Johnathan Johnson got to hear his former assistant baseball coach and advisor gush about “The Rhino,” Johnson’s alter ego known as “the most intense pitcher I’ve ever seen take the mound.”

And in maybe the most amusing introduction, David Mason introduced Ukrainian student Lev Prosvietin by speaking his language — literally. Although he never spoke Ukrainian before, Mason delivered his words in that language (to Prosvietin’s bemusement), while fellow faculty member Toby Castle held cue cards with the English translation for the benefit of the audience.

“I did it as a surprise,” Mason said after the ceremony. “I got together with someone who knew Ukrainian to writer it and work on the pronunciation. It was so hard, obviously.”

It was those moments that wrapped up a festive ceremony full of cheers and tears, and some entertainment.

A five-piece band performed a couple of songs, one of which had Aidan O’Neill and Willa Levy teaming up for a rousing version of the 1976 Elton John/Kiki Dee hit “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”

Dunn Head of School Kalyan Balaven began the Commencement with an original poem called “Ripples,” which was chock full of references of the people, places, and moments from the past year at Dunn.

“I read it last year, but each year I change it up a little bit to reflect what happened during each school year here,” Balaven said after the ceremony.

Eventually, Dunn’s three student speakers were able to take the podium.

First up was Joshua Marin, who spoke of his journey since arriving at Dunn as a sixth-grader, and issues he eventually had while there.

“In my freshman year, I felt like I’d been dropped into a maze, but what made it more difficult was it was pitch black,” he said. “I felt like I had to get through by feeling the walls and making random turns.”

However, Marin said, a classmate persuaded him to talk to a now-former faculty member to get the help he needed. He said the the closeness of the Dunn community is what helped him get through his “mental maze.”

“Dunn showed me that the beauty in life isn’t in the scenery or the money, though both are gorgeous,” Marin added. “But rather the bonds we create on our paths to success. This place will remain sacred not just because I grew up here, but because I met some pretty amazing people on the way.”

The next speaker, Quinby James, began her speech by introducing them to a girl who was a shy homebody who didn’t do much more than school, dance, and hanging with her mom.

“She came to this school seven years ago, but she’s no longer here,” James said. “She’s grown into the person standing before you today. She’s me.”

Thus began her story of how her experience at Dunn School has made her a “confident, outgoing, dynamic being that embraces all things new.”

It was her time at Dunn, James said, that taught her not to be afraid of failure (examples of which she told of while at Dunn), but to learn from them. She then told of when she decided to transfer to Santa Ynez High School, but came back to Dunn because SYHS was “too comfortable.”

In summary, she said to her fellow graduates, “I ask you to embrace the discomfort. I ask you to learn. I ask you to fail.”

The final speaker was Helen Pruitt-Kennett, winner of the Trophy of Excellence, Dunn School’s highest honor, for 2023.

Pruitt-Kennett began her speech by recounting how when she entered high-school age, she wanted to just “soar through” high school and instead go right to the “end” and enter college.

She then dabbled in extracurricular pursuits like racing motorcycles and, later, going on her first solo flight, which involved a flyover above the Dunn campus. 

“I was reluctant to get into the plane; some part of me feared I’d forget how to land,” Pruitt-Kennett said. “Then as soon as the wheels were off the ground and I was flying, and by some small miracle, I decided to come back.

However, there was a somber note to her achievement.

“What many didn’t realize was that the previous week, I had lost my mother,” Pruitt-Kennett said. “Flying was what I loved, but it was all I had.”

In all of that, though, Pruitt-Kennett realized something about her earlier wish to just soar through high school — that the “middle” wasn’t the waste of time she thought. With that she left a final message to her classmates.

“I stand here looking at the horizon of everything I want to be. Though I cannot see the setting sun past tomorrow, even if I take a step into the dark today, I will find my way down the path,” she said. “I don’t see an end — I just see the rest of my journey.”

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