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LOMPOC, CA – Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD), in collaboration with the United Boys and Girls Club (UBGC) of Santa Barbara County – Lompoc Unit, is excited to announce the unveiling of a series of community murals created by local student artists. The unveiling will take place on April 12, 2025, at 12:30 PM at the UBGC gymnasium, located at 1025 West Ocean Avenue, Lompoc, CA.
This creative project began in spring 2024 as part of a shared vision between UBGC and LUSD to celebrate student artists and inspire the community through visual art. UBGC sought to create an inspiring environment that showcases student talent while aligning with the core themes of community building and artistic expression. Together, the two organizations launched a design challenge open to all secondary students in LUSD, asking them to create murals reflecting UBGC Themes: Community, Arts, Careers, Leadership, Education, and Sports and Recreation.
After a thoughtful selection process, a panel of UBGC staff members chose two finalists to bring the murals to life: Monique DeLeon, senior at Cabrillo High School, and Alin Ramirez Aldaz, a former Lompoc High School student currently studying at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Alin Ramirez Aldaz, who co-created the Community Mural along with a team of student artists from Lompoc High School, reflects on the significance of this project, “My goal for this mural design is to communicate the importance of unity and respect in a community made up of people of different backgrounds, beliefs, appearances, and more standing together in peace and love. I believe this is a beautiful concept because everyone deserves to be welcomed and treated with kindness, these characteristics are what build strong communities. The mural process was also a wonderful experience because many art students worked together to paint it; our lovely art teacher Mrs. Alvarez also helped us throughout the process, and I would like to thank everyone who helped make this project and ceremony possible. I’ve learned that projects like these turn out amazing when we work together by all sharing our gifts and talents for good.”
Monique DeLeon,creator of the Arts, Careers, Leadership, Education, and Sports and Recreation Murals, shares her personal journey with this project, “I learned a lot from this project. Mural work was new for me, so I learned how to use new materials. It was a time consuming project, so I also learned that I shouldn’t take all of the responsibility, I should create a team to share the responsibility. I hope that this project creates a memory for future students. I want them to know that their artwork can be put up in public and inspire them to create art that can become a part of their community.”
This mural project is a part of a larger Visual and Performing Arts (V APA) program offered by Lompoc Unified School District thanks to the commitment of the District and State, including recent Proposition 28 state funding dedicated for V APA. LUSD offers a comprehensive TK-12 V APA program that includes classroom instruction in drama, music, dance, media arts, and visual arts; after-school classes, clubs, community events, and much more.
LUSD’s VAPA Specialist Jackalynn Snow comments, “This project has allowed our student artists to share not only their talents, but also their perspectives and ideas, with our local community, promoting the artistic tradition of mural making in the city of Lompoc. Art is visual communication, and these murals beautifully represent the themes and values that inspired them. Creating these murals required an immense amount of time and skill, and we are so proud of these young artists who have painted professional-level works on a large scale for this project.”
UBGC of Santa Barbara County CEO Michael Baker remarks, “In the City of Arts and Flowers, it makes perfect sense that the United Boys & Girls Clubs would partner with the Lompoc Unified School District to have students design our brand-new murals for our gymnasium.”
The public is invited to stop by and view the murals at the United Boys and Girls Club, located at 1025 Ocean Avenue, Lompoc, between 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM daily.
Lompoc Unified School District offers an outstanding educational experience for its nearly 9,000 students. Its award-winning schools and programs, strong leaders, teachers, and staff serve pre-kindergarten through high school students living in the City of Lompoc, Vandenberg Village, Mesa Oaks, Mission Hills, Vandenberg Space Force Base, and rural areas adjacent to these. The District offers a wide range of programs, including Career Technical Education, Advanced Placement, Dual Language Immersion, and support for multilingual students and students with special needs, as well as exceptional extracurricular opportunities, such as athletics and clubs.
