College School District, Los Olivos Elementary, and Santa Ynez High among the Technology in Schools recipients

To assist Santa Barbara County schools that are struggling to meet the classroom technology needs of their students, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated over $79,000 to 10 area schools that applied for grants through its foundation’s Technology in Schools Program for the 2024-25 school year.

The program encourages Santa Barbara County school administrators and faculty to apply for technology grant dollars to fund specific projects. These grants let schools purchase hardware, upgrade infrastructure, add high-tech resources and boost their curriculum.

The deadline to apply for the 2025-26 school year is April 30, 2025, and all applications must be submitted online at chumash.gov/foundation

This year’s recipients are Vista Del Mar Union School District in Gaviota, College School District in Santa Ynez, Los Olivos Elementary School, Santa Barbara Unified School District, La Colina Junior High School in Santa Barbara, Orcutt Academy High School in Santa Maria, Saint Louis de Montfort Catholic School in Santa Maria, San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, Lakeview Junior High School in Santa Maria and Santa Ynez Valley Union High School.

“It’s an honor to help enhance the learning experience of potentially thousands of young, learning minds in Santa Barbara County through our Technology in Schools Program,” said Kenneth Kahn, tribal chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “An innovative education is crucial to student engagement and the success of our future generations, and we’re proud to be able to contribute by helping put the latest technology in local classrooms.”

Vista Del Mar Union School District in Gaviota was awarded $8,255 and will use this funding to upgrade its existing Chromebooks so students can use the latest applications, access the State Testing Portal and replace uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for consistent internet during power outages.

“Vista is incredibly grateful for the support of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians,” said Bree Valla, superintendent/principal for Vista Del Mar Union School District. “Their support will allow us to ensure that Vista students have continued access to quality technology and are prepared for the 21st century. Thank you, Chumash foryour continued support of our community!”

College School District in Santa Ynez was awarded $9,173.96 and will use this funding to upgrade its STEAM Maker’sLab by purchasing a 3D printer and an interactive whiteboard.

“We are so excited to be receiving multiple 3D printers from the Technology in Schools Program,” said Anthony Bruemmer, principal for College School District. “This generosity from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians goes a long way in our schools by giving enrichment opportunities to our students that would otherwise not be available to them. Thank you so much for giving back to the youth in our community here in Santa Ynez.”

Los Olivos Elementary School was awarded $10,136 to purchase seven MacBooks and AppleCare to better supportlearning activities conducted on its Promethean interactive display boards.

Santa Ynez Valley Union High School (SYVHS) was awarded $7,000 to fund new hardware, software, accessories andtravel expenses to support the launch of its new Esports league.

“Our students at SYVHS have wanted to increase our technology presence and establish an eSports league for some time now,” said David Kirkhart, science teacher for Santa Ynez Valley Union High School. “Thanks to the incredible grant made available by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, it will become a reality! The kids are very excited and even with only word of mouth so far, the interest in the [Esports] league continues to grow and grow. We can’t wait to see how far the students will take this and how well they will do. Thank you again for helping make this a reality.”

Others who received donations from the Chumash include:

Santa Barbara Unified School District, awarded $10,000 to purchase three digital projectors for its Visual Arts & Design Academy (VADA).
La Colina Junior High School, awarded $8,500 to purchase and install Promethean interactive display boards for its math classrooms in advance of a new, modern Amplify Desmos Math curriculum to be implemented next year.
Orcutt Academy High School, awarded $3,000 for library equipment, including a Paragon Chargebar Table, adjustable stools and portable charging stations.
Saint Louis de Montfort Catholic School, awarded $9,500 to purchase new laptops and TI-84 graphing calculators.
San Marcos High School, awarded $5,500 to purchase two Cannon EOS R6 digital cameras, 15 SD cards and an iPad Pro.

In 2015, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians donated the proceeds from its annual charity golf tournament to four local schools in the form of technology grants. Inspired by the success of those grants, the tribe’s leadership created the Technology in Schools Program through its foundation to help fulfill the high-tech needs of classrooms in Santa Barbara County. Since its inception, the program has issued more than $550,000 in grants to area schools.

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated more than $30 million to hundreds of groups, organizations andschools in the community and across the nation as part of the tribe’s long-standing tradition of giving.