Some born-and-bred Santa Barbarians went to San Marcos High School. Others went to Dos Pueblos. But Santa Barbara High alumni went to “the high school,” as Dons themselves say.
Founded in 1875, and now in its 150th year, Santa Barbara High is the 6th oldest high school in California. On Tuesday, the school — and its alumni association, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year — was recognized by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors as a historic institution that continues to “shape the spirit, pride, and future of Santa Barbara.” Attendees dressed in green and gold — the school’s colors — for the special honor.
The board’s honorary resolution for the school was printed with a brand new certificate design by artist Aiden Khuiphum created to celebrate the County’s own 175th birthday. The resolution ends on the school’s motto: “Once a Don, always a Don.” With such an active alumni association, those words really ring true.
Santa Barbara High School (SBHS) started humbly in a small building with a small class on the corner of Anacapa and Cota. But with Santa Barbara’s booming population, it quickly outgrew its old digs and eventually moved into its current Spanish-style, 40-acre campus on Anapamu Street in 1924.
The school now boasts multiple academies supporting the arts and computer science, as well as robust career pathways and supports. An impressive 94 percent of students go on to pursue higher education, including many people now considered trailblazers, such as famous investor Charles Schwab and State Senator Monique Limón. The alumni association provides scholarships of up to $3,000 to students every year to support such pursuits.
Tuesday’s resolution was a joint resolution from First District Supervisor Roy Lee, who is the district supervisor for SBHS, and Second District Supervisor Laura Capps, an alumna of SBHS. Capps’s mother, Lois Capps, also worked at the school for more than a decade helping teen parents, she noted.
“The legacy goes on and the history goes on,” Capps said. “I am so proud to be a Don.”
Principal Edward Gomez and SBHS Alumni Association President Talli Richards-Versola accepted the Resolution with large smiles against a backdrop of cheering green and gold alumni in the crowd. Richards-Versola’s father, JR Richards, was the SBHS Principal from 1995-2003, and was the first and only SBHS graduate to serve as principal of SBHS (the campus gymnasium is named after him).
“Many of us have been with the association for many, many years and are part of big families that have gone to Santa Barbara High School,” Richards-Versola said. She mentioned the All Dons Reunion, a free community event on October 11th to celebrate the school’s 150th anniversary. “Whether you’re a Don or Don-adjacent, everyone’s welcome.”
The All Dons Reunion will be held on Saturday, October 11, with a parade at 10 a.m. and activities going from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Santa Barbara High School.
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