In the backyard of Alta Vista Alternative High School, a garden flourishes with native plants and fruit trees, punctuated by vibrant murals. It serves as a site for students to slow down in a world that otherwise “gratifies urgency,” said teacher Carlos Estrada.
After two portable classrooms were demolished on the “North Campus” of Alta Vista, which is behind La Colina Jr. High School, Estrada had a vision for the newly barren space. He wanted to turn it into a space of “hope and healing” for students of the school’s Quetzal program, which was created for those who have gone through the expulsion process or long-term incarceration.
“Our aim was to create a space for students to tell their stories, humanize others, and learn from the land through exploration, observation, dialogue, action, community, and expression,” Estrada said.
Since planting the garden, it’s grown into a place for students to learn about ancestral food ways, play music, and create art, thanks to funding from the Santa Barbara Education Foundation (SBEF).
“Creating this liberated space was of utmost importance to us, as our students have all too often been negatively impacted by disciplinary decisions and punitive measures,” Estrada said.
Next, Estrada is planning to expand the gardening and music programs in part three of his project, with help from SBEF. This year, the foundation handed out a record-breaking $228,000 in grants to individual teachers like Estrada across the Santa Barbara Unified School District.
Estrada spoke about his school’s garden at last Wednesday’s Teacher Grants ceremony, standing in front of a giant check made out to “Our Amazing Grant Recipients.” A total of 102 teachers received grants this year for a variety of purposes — from instructional materials to music and photography projects to field trips.
Patricia Ruth, a literature teacher at Santa Barbara High School, is using her grant to help cover the costs of her annual field trip to the Ashland Shakespeare Festival. Students load up on a bus and take an overnight trip to Ashland, Oregon, where they spend a couple of days attending plays and other productions to give life to what they read over the semester.
Ruth said that costs — travel, lodging, tickets — have skyrocketed across the board. She’s always given out scholarships “because it shouldn’t just be for rich kids,” she said. Her grant covers the full costs for three students to attend.
County Supervisor Roy Lee praised teachers during the ceremony’s opening remarks, noting his own transforming experience with his former teacher and mentor, John Lenker, at Dos Pueblos High School.
“He’s the one that stood by me, encouraged me, and made me believe that one day I could do more than just be a regular person in life, to do more for our community,” Lee said. “So I just want to say to all the teachers, thank you. What you do matters, and it matters more than you know.”
For students who graduate from Alta Vista, their garden will continue to serve as a “home base” where they can return “if they need stillness, community, or inspiration,” Estrada said.
“The grant we received from the Education Foundation made a vision of connecting our gardens and music and community possible,” he said. “We are truly grateful for that.”
Founded in 1985, the Santa Barbara Education Foundation promotes private support for Santa Barbara’s public education system, serving nearly 12,000 students across 21 schools and supported by donors. For more information, visit santabarbaraeducation.org.
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