To be eligible for the Dean’s List, Muhlenberg College students must earn a GPA of 3.5 or better while taking three or more course units during a semester.

Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is a highly selective, four-year residential, liberal arts college in the city of Allentown, Pennsylvania, with nearly 2,000 bachelor’s and master’s degree-seeking students. The college’s curriculum and experiences are designed to open doors to new ideas, discoveries, friendships, and a lifetime of personal and intellectual growth.

The post Sydney Vogel named to Muhlenberg College Dean’s List appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Academic awards are bestowed each spring at Muhlenberg College’s annual Honors Convocation — a formal academic ceremony designed to honor and celebrate leadership and scholarly excellence in the college community. This year’s convocation was held on Sunday, April 27, in Egner Chapel.

Sydney Vogel of Santa Ynez received the Novartis Endowed Science Scholars Program Award, given to a junior or senior science major who has achieved a 3.5 or higher grade point average in the major field of study and who has clearlyindicated the intention to pursue postbaccalaureate work in the sciences leading to an advanced degree.

A graduate of Dunn School, Vogel is studying biology at Muhlenberg College.

Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is a highly selective, four-year residential, liberal arts college in the city of Allentown, Pennsylvania, with nearly 2,000 Bachelor’s and Master’s degree-seeking students. The college’s curriculum and experiences are designed to open doors to new ideas, discoveries, friendships and a lifetime of personal and intellectual growth.

The post Dunn School graduate recognized for academic excellence at Muhlenberg College appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

On a Saturday last month, Dunn School in Los Olivos hosted a large group of budding entrepreneurs from around the country, who polished their presentation skills pitches for their business and product ideas.

On March 1, for the second straight year, Dunn hosted the regional competition for the Diamond Challenge, a competition billed as “The Ultimate High School Entrepreneur Challenge.”

Dunn Head of School Kalyan Balaven welcomed the competitors and help up the event as an example of what his school and the schools represented are trying to convey.

“This event is the perfect example of how education and innovation intersect,” he said. “The students here are not just dreamers, they are architects of our future.”

Although Dunn did not have any students who competed in the Diamond Challenge, the event matches up well with the efforts of the school to teach the philosophies and practices of business and entrepreneurship.

Dunn teacher Chad Stacy oversees the program as the Director of Entrepreneurship and explained how it works.

“At the heart of program is our student-run store 24/7 convenience store, where students can get food and snacks and other needs and pay electronically,” he said. “It’s our main revenue producer, and it’s where our new students are put to learn the basics. It’s real hands-on.”

Stacy said as the students get older, they can branch off into different areas.

“We can offer additional entrepreneurial courses, where the students can propose and make their own products and sell them in their own store,” he said. “And we have students invest some of the money they make from the store in the stock market and see how that can grow.”

Meanwhile, the competition offered a wide range of business ideas and concepts for the judges to evaluate. Presentations were made in two “pitch rooms” representing two categories: Business Innovation and Social Innovation.

In the Business room, judges heard pitches for many different ideas including those for The Chess Mate, a service to find willing players for chess that includes the ability to organize tournaments and look at tutorials to become a better player. There was also a proposal for a company called (eye)deal, that can detect eye disease remotely with an online camera. And there was Fizzle, proposing a device to installed in stoves to keep them from overheating and causing fires.

“I actually had a neighbor in the San Jose area who had his home damaged because his stove caught fire,” said Ishaan Mandala, who teamed with his Silver Creek High classmates Adarsh Sharma and Tanish Srinivas for the presentation.“So I started thinking about how we could help prevent that, and came up with this.”

Over in the Social Innovation room, threat of fire was also the inspiration for a concept called SkyScouts, which was proposed as a system to predict wildfires, so they can be dealt with before they do too much damage. The judges for that part of the competition also heard pitches for MeloSign (with the slogan “Making Music Tangible”), whose creators envision a way for the hearing-impaired to truly enjoy music, with visual cues on a screen and a wearable device on the wrist with hoptic vibrations to allow the person to feel the beat of the music.

Also in the Social category was Rhythmiq, billed as an all-encompassing online tool for professional, amateur, and aspiring dancers that would be a search engine for affordable training and dance studios, and online help to learn dance steps and create your own routines with the help of AI.

David Zheng, Russell Qian, and Suri Li, who all got to know each other through their dance experience were at Dunn to present their idea.

“This presentation and how we did it is kind of recent, but the idea kind of hatched with me about two and a half years ago,” Zheng said. “I was trying to get into auditions for K-pop and while doing that I realized there were so many talented people who just didn’t have a way to get their foot in the door. So I started looking for a way to create something for that, and meeting up with my partners, we tried to find an all-inclusive tool to help dancers and performers.”

After all the pitches were done, the students heard from the event’s keynote speaker Autumn Badelt-Fanning, a Dunn School alumna who created a mobile veterinary business in Paso Robles and now manages a vineyard in that town with her husband. She told the audience about her difficulties getting the mobile veterinary business off the ground before it was successful, and presented it as a lesson to not get discouraged if thing don’t work right away.

At the end, the winners were announced in each category who would advance to the Limitless World Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, on May 1-2.

The winner in the Business Innovation category was Soundwave, the creator of an AI accent moderator for foreign call centers to help they and the customers better understand one another. The winner if the Social Innovation category was GradeWithAI, which use AI technology to modernize methods for grading and “empowering educators to educate.”

The post Dunn School hosts competition for budding entrepreneurs appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

LOS OLIVOS — NBA All-Star and Basketball Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas reflects on his journey from the West Side of Chicago to international stardom in the latest episode of “The Whole Student,” Dunn School’s acclaimed podcast. Hosted by Head of School Kalyan Balaven and innovator Mo Pritzker, the episode dives deep into themes of community, mentorship, and education’s role in shaping lives and fostering belonging.

Thomas shares heartfelt stories of resilience and inspiration, including how his mother, Mary Thomas, instilled the importance of education and integrity during their most challenging times. Now the founder of Mary’s Court Foundation, which supports underprivileged families in Chicago, Thomas continues to champion the values his mother upheld.

“My mom, my biggest inspiration, my biggest motivator, … made it all work,” Thomas said. “We had some very, very difficult times … as I’m older now and I look back on what she really did and how she kept us together as a family … I’m in awe of what she did in the ’50s and ’60s as a woman.”

A unique perspective on belonging and leadership

As a student-athlete, Thomas navigated significant cultural and socioeconomic divides, experiencing firsthand the challenges of belonging in private and public educational spaces. He credits teachers and coaches like Bobby Knight for mentoring him through pivotal moments, helping him grow into both a leader on the court and an advocate for community development.

“Leadership, the way I see it, it’s given, it’s not taken,” Thomas shared. “When I look at those who lead … it comes down to trust. Can you trust this person? Can you trust their word to be accurate and also informative?”

Thomas also discussed the evolving challenges educators face in building trust and community in the classroom:“Without the teachers, without the mentors, without that passing on of knowledge, it’s a scary thought of where we would be,” Thomas said. “If we can get the students and our young folk back to being able to look at each other without suspicion, then you got a chance.”

This episode is part of “The Whole Student” podcast’s third season, which focuses on creating community and belonging in educational settings. The season has featured prominent guests like Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Academy Award-winning actress Glenn Close, and NextDoor founder Prakash Janakiraman. Each guest brings unique perspectives on how educators, parents, and leaders can foster inclusive environments where all individuals feel valued and supported.

A platform for transformative conversations

Since its launch, “The Whole Student” podcast has been a platform for thought-provoking discussions about education and leadership. With episodes exploring the impact of exceptional teachers, women in STEM fields, and the social challenges of modern schools, the podcast has drawn attention from national education publications and local media alike.

“Our mission is to spark meaningful conversations,” said Balaven. “Through stories like Isiah’s, we aim to inspire educators and parents to rethink education’s role in building trust, resilience, and connection.”

The episode featuring Isiah Thomas is available on all major podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Seasons 1 and 2 are also available on YouTube. The episode comes at a critical time when educators and communities are grappling with how to create environments of belonging amid heightened social and technological pressures. Thomas’s reflections on mentorship and community offer timely insights for those seeking to make a positive impact in their schools and neighborhoods.

About Dunn School: Nestled in the scenic Santa Ynez Valley of California, Dunn School is a boarding and day school for grades 6-12. Since its founding in 1957, Dunn has prioritized Whole Student Education, empowering students to grow academically, emotionally, and morally within a supportive community. The school’s mission extends beyond academics to instill qualities like leadership, responsibility, and compassion in its students.

The post NBA legend Isiah Thomas joins latest episode of Dunn School’s ‘The Whole Student’ podcast  appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

“[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!”

The post ‘Earwigs can fly!’: Dunn School graduates 45 in 2024 Commencement appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

After going up to Los Olivos and defeating Dunn School a month earlier, the Santa Ynez High baseball team played the Earwigs again April 10, and won 12-5 in a non-league game at the Pirates’ diamond.

Santa Ynez posted the victory thanks to two big innings in a game that was a little more competitive than the scored would suggest.

Dunn held a 1-0 into the bottom of the fourth, but Santa Ynez rallied for six runs in that frame. Then after the Earwigs closed to 6-5 going into the bottom of the sixth, the Pirates put up six more runs in that inning to break it open.

For SYHS, Bradley Lood went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI and a stolen base, while Adam Stephens went 3-for-4 with two runs, and Dallas DeForest was 2-for-2 with a run, RBI, and steal.

On the mound, Ryan Henrey went 5.2 innings, allowing three runs and striking out nine for the win.

For the Earwigs, CJ Hollister went 3-for-4 with a run and RBI.

The Pirates raised their overall record to 9-5, pending their April 11 game against Dos Pueblos, another non-league matchup. SYHS will try to improve on its 1-3 Sunset League record with games against Pioneer Valley on Wednesday, April 17 (at home), and Friday, April 19 (away).

The Earwigs, 7-9 and 1-5 in the Tri-Valley League, will return to action with games against St. Bonaventure on Monday, April 22 (at home), and Thursday, April 25 (away). They then will close out the regular season with a doubleheader at home against Legacy Christian Academy on April 27.

Pirates boys golf tops Sunset League foes

The Santa Ynez Pirates played in the third Sunset League tournament of the season on Monday, April 8, at Nipomo’s par-35 Monarch Dunes Golf Course and came out on top in the nine-hole competition with a team score of 197. The Pirates were led by Von Gordon with a 36 and Brayden Mlodzik with a 37. The medalist of the day was Talon Hawk of Morro Bay with an even par 35. Team results: 1. Santa Ynez, 197; 2. Morro Bay, 220; 3. Paso Robles, 221; 4. Cabrillo, 230; 5. Nipomo 248

Santa Ynez scores: Von Gordon, 36; Brayden Mlodzik, 37; Seb Perez, 40; Marcelo Andrade, 41; Cody Armenta, 43; Ernesto Suarez, 46.

Santa Ynez beach volleyball defeats AG 2-1

The Lady Pirates earned their first Mountain League win of the season in a tight one with the Eagles at Sunny Fields Park in Solvang.

“All three of our matches went to three games. Each game was a battle,” said Santa Ynez head coach Melissa Rogers. “AG is well-coached and the adjustments were constant throughout the duel, which made for some well-fought games. All three of our teams were new pairings. The girls had a few rough patches, but did a stellar job of lining out their games and playing some solid volleyball.”

Pirates No. 1 duo Helina Pecile/Natalie Bailey (SY) defeated Riley Glanville/Grace Kennedy (AG) 20-22, 21-19, 15-10. Arroyo Grande’s No. 2 Tana Long/Bella Strickland (AG) defeated Sadie Lishman/Kailyn Snekvik (SY) 21-15, 14-21, 15-10. Santa Ynez’s No. 3 Haley Spry/Ella Miller (SY) defeated Caroline Talley/Bixby Hardy (AG) 21-14, 18-21, 15-8.

The Pirates (7-10, 1-6 in the Mountain League) will finish the regular season with games against Mission Prep (home) on Tuesday, April 16, and Arroyo Grande (away) on Wednesday, April 17.

Pirates boys tennis suffers narrow loss on Senior Day

The Santa Ynez High tennis team lost 5-4 to Arroyo Grande on April 11 after celebrating the final match of the Pirates’ six seniors: Dominic Day, Lucas Doman, Jonathan Hansen, Clayton Madill, Elias Thomas, and Matthew Wolfe. Freshman McCall Halme had a great win in the No. 5 singles line, defeating his opponent 6-4, 6-4. Day also won at line 6 in singles with a 6-0, 6-0 victory. The doubles team of Wolfe and junior Adam Angel won easily, 8-1, while junior Bryce Wilczak played a tough match at the No. 1 singles line against the Eagles’ Lance Willkomm, taking the win 7-5, 7-5. 

Singles 3-3

1.Bryce Wilczak won 7-5, 7-5; 2. Lucas Doman lost 5-7, 2-6; 3. Cooper Haws lost 1-6, 2-6; 4. Elias Thomas lost 4-6, 5-7; 5. Mac Halme won 6-4, 6-4; 6. Dominic Day won 6-0, 6-0

Doubles 1-2

1. Wilczak and Haws lost 7-9; 2. Doman and Thomas lost 2-8; 3. Wolfe and Angel won 8-1

SYD Sliding home.JPG

Santa Ynez High’s Elias Palmer slides into home during the Pirates’ six-run fourth inning against Dunn on April 10. Santa Ynez won the game 12-5. Photo by Mike Chaldu

SYD Hollister.JPG

Dunn’s CJ Hollister gets ready to swing during the Earwigs games against Santa Ynez on April 10. The Earwigs lost to the Pirates 12-5 in the non-league game. Photo by Mike Chaldu

The post Santa Ynez beats Dunn again in cross-Valley rematch appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

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.”

The post Faculty sings praises to 41 Dunn School graduates appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Staff Report

The Fourth Annual NatureTrack Film Festival will have a dozen wonderful premieres to see at the in person live pop-up on Saturday, Oct. 16 and in the virtual program that runs for two weeks Oct 17 – 31. 

The USA premieres include “Island of the Hippos,” “OPI,” “Seaturtle Watcher,” “Ingenuos,” “The Ants,” “The Accessible Outdoors,” and “Jurria – The Guardians of the Poles.”  NTFF has “Korovadu,” “Sebastian and Max’s Grand Canyon Adventure,” “ A Flyfishing Refugee,” “An Alaskan Fight,” (the previous two by the same filmmaker Brian Kelley who is based in Portland), and “Images of Guanwu” rounding out the California premieres.  All these films will be screened in Stacy Hall, at St. Mark’s in the Valley, 2901 Nojoqui Avenue in Los Olivos from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.  Film Guide Here

Get your tickets now for the in-person festival because, of special note, the newly added venue the Cindy Bronfman Leadership Center on the campus at Dunn School, is where NTFF has set an additional screening of the BBC’s fantastic “Antarctica.” from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16.

They cannot show it virtually and wanted to give everyone a chance to see this important film about the Antarctic, only discovered 200 years ago. Find out why saving the coldest, darkest place on earth is really important for our planet’s future. The food chain is in full view here, from plankton to whales. A total WOW of a film with those incredible up-close and personal shots of wildlife the BBC filmmakers are always able to capture.

Stick around for the credits, you’ll witness some filmmakers in the tight spots.  This screening will be shown with “Korovadu,” filmmakers take you to Patagonia’s unpredictable terrain and explores our fragile relationship with nature.  “Light of the Night,” from Slovakia, is about the importance of dark skies.

Director Matej Pok in his director’s statement expounded on how the light at night negatively affects the lives of plants and animals and astronomers but also each of us, although we are not yet aware of it. NTFF invited members of  WeWatch to this screening. After the film, they’ll discuss how they’ve made a difference for the exquisite dark skies, here in SYV.  Free parking on Dunn campus, adjacent to the student center. Signs will lead you to the building from Hwy 154.  

Tickets are on sale NOW HERE. If you can’t make the in-person screenings, they’ve got you covered.  Enjoy ALL of the films virtually in the convenience of your own home from Sunday, Oct. 17 to 31 go to https://NatureTrackFilmFestival.org    

Live & Online $100; Online Pass only $75.   

At NatureTrack our mission is to inspire students to embrace our natural world with respect and wonder, encouraging them to be stewards of our natural resources; and to prepare school-aged students with the attitudes, leadership skills and habits for lifelong learning. The NatureTrack Film Festival expands upon our core mission by “igniting passion for nature through film.” NatureTrack invites filmmakers from around the world to share their adventures, stories, and documentaries with enthusiastic audiences. Located in Los Olivos, in the heart of Santa Barbara County we invite you to discover a film festival supporting the next generation of environmental stewards.

NatureTrack is a 501(c)3 non-profit that provides cost-free outdoor field trips for Santa Barbara County school-aged children, utilizing local trails and beaches throughout the county. Funds raised in the film festival support the year-round expenses for NatureTrack. 

The post Fourth Annual NatureTrack Film Festival Touts a dozen premieres and new venue appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

A psychotic break from his talented, driven and successful newlywed wife, Giulia, came completely unexpectedly for Mark Lukach. 

The trials that ensued as the whole family navigated her psychiatric treatment were easily the most traumatic experiences of their lives, and they taught Lukach valuable lessons about love, support, crisis and self-care.

They’re lessons that Lukach is bringing to Dunn School in Los Olivos to share with the Central Coast Community at his free talk at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 30.

The Dunn Association, an organization comprised of parent volunteers of the boarding and day school, are bringing Lukach, the International Bestselling author and educator, to Dunn’s Cindy Bronfman Leadership Center to help put the COVID-19 pandemic into perspective through his unique lens. 

“When my wife was first hospitalized,” Lukach said, “I had to learn through trial and error how to take care of myself, so I could take care of my partner. Now, in 2021, we experience a global trauma in COVID, and I want to share that what I learned about being a caregiver was the exact skillset I needed to tap into as I confronted COVID.

“This won’t be the only trauma of our lives. The best thing to do is be prepared and learn how to take care of ourselves.”

Said Dunn Head of School Kalyan Balaven: “It’s a special opportunity for the Central Coast to have an author and person of Mark’s caliber and talent here to share his experiences and relate to our own. His compassion, honesty, and coping tools are exactly what we need right now.” 

Lukach’s work has been published in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Pacific Standard, Wired and other publications. He has also shared his story at The Moth Main Stage and at TEDx. He is currently the Ninth Grade Dean at The Athenian School, where he also teaches history. He lives with his wife Giulia, and their two children in the San Francisco Bay Area.  

My Lovely Wife In The Psych Ward is the product of 5 years of Lukach writing the story of how mental illness redefined his young marriage to Giulia and ultimately affirmed the power of love. Copies of the book will be available for purchase, and the talk will include a question-and-answer period as well as a meet and greet with the author. 

————

About Dunn School: Dunn is a boarding and day school (grades 6-12) nestled in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, Calif. Founded in 1957 from its campus in Los Olivos, Dunn has remained true to its mission of providing whole student education for more than 60 years through its unwavering set of core values: Emotional Wellness, Physical Readiness, Intellectual Growth, Social Responsibility and Moral Courage.

The post Bestselling Author Coming For Free Event At Dunn School appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Chad Stacy, CFO of Dunn School, has been awarded the 2020 Will Hancock Unsung Hero Award from the National Business Officers Association (NBOA). 

Stacy was one of 10 business officers nationwide to receive the award. He was nominated for the award by several members of the Dunn School administration to recognize his efforts in helping the 64-year-old private independent school navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic with success.

The NBOA gives the Unsung Hero Award to independent school business officers who have made extraordinary contributions to their schools. The prize is named after Will J. Hancock, a school administrator who always went above and beyond the call of duty during his 35 years at Hawaii Preparatory Academy. Hancock influenced and inspired countless school business officers throughout his long career.

Head of Dunn School Mike Beck explained his motivation for nominating Stacy for the award.

“Chad is most deserving of this recognition,” Beck said. “He has been an outstanding financial advisor to the Dunn School Board of Trustees and a critical contributor to the Senior Leadership Team (SAT). From creating a financial heat map to managing the school’s budget, Chad has helped Dunn establish a sustainable financial model.”

For more information about the NBOA Unsung Hero award, visit https://www.nboa.org/about-nboa/awards/unsung-hero-award. 

For more information about Dunn School visit www.dunnschool.org.

The post Dunn School CFO receives Unsung Hero Award appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.