School Scene Articles

Kelly Maguire was just a few months away from completing Cuesta College’s registered nursing (RN) program when COVID-19 first started making its way around the Central Coast.  As cases trickled into San Luis Obispo County in March, Cuesta closed its campus and canceled in-person classes. In an effort to limit person-to-person contact and reserve personal […]

The week of April 22 to 26 was one of relaxation and fun for many of Santa Maria’s kids, most of whom were on spring break. But for many working parents in the Santa Maria Valley, spring break—and school breaks in general—can bring on different emotions. It’s not always easy to get time off of […]

Santa Maria’s high school district will lose its superintendent at the end of this school year, and another longtime administrator plans to apply for the soon-to-be opened position. After seven years leading the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District and 31 years in education, Superintendent Mark Richardson announced on April 12 that he plans […]

With opposing national and statewide policy changes recently enacted regarding the food served in public school cafeterias and the drinks served with kids’ meals at restaurants, a local program is holding an event to teach students about healthy eating habits. About 40 students from five 4-H Student Nutrition Advisory Council (SNAC) clubs—four from the Santa […]

New and expecting moms constantly hear about the positive nutritional and behavioral effects breastfeeding can have on babies, but no one really talks about how difficult and confusing breastfeeding can actually be. Nursing can be especially challenging for working moms, like Casey Heaney, who can’t stay home with their babies or bring them to work. […]

There wasn’t a big push for high school students to complete applications for federal financial aid when Chad Conrad graduated from Pioneer Valley High School in 2007. He went straight to Allan Hancock College after graduation, then took time off to work and save money. He moved away and tried college a few more times […]

Nearly 229 boys attending Santa Maria’s high schools during the 2016-17 school year signed up for wrestling—a higher turnout than both soccer and basketball, and second only to football. Yet the Santa Maria-Bonita School District doesn’t offer a wrestling program in its elementary or junior high schools. Now, after years of work and planning, Justin […]

A newly signed bill will require all California charter schools to adhere to the same transparency laws that public schools follow, and the soon-to-be state law is expected to impact Santa Barbara County’s charters in varying ways. Senate Bill 126, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on March 5, will take effect on Jan. 1, 2020, […]

Current Allan Hancock College student Kailia Villanueva has big dreams for her future. “I see myself down the line as an entrepreneur, and I want to own a business,” Villanueva said. Going to college was always part of that dream, but it wasn’t until Allan Hancock College established the Hancock Promise in 2017 that Villanueva’s […]

It’s her second year in Santa Maria’s only dual-immersion language program, and second-grader Arianna Rodriguez can already speak, read, and write in Spanish.  Though her dad, Leo Rodriguez, is bilingual in Spanish and English, her mom, Tiffany Rodriguez, speaks only English. Arianna often hears her dad and grandparents communicate in Spanish, but at her house, […]

Payless ShoeSource announced on Feb. 18 that it would be closing all its U.S. stores by the end of May, leaving some local organizations scrambling to use up swaths of pre-purchased and donated Payless gift cards while they still can.  Shoes for Students, a decades-old nonprofit that provides families throughout the Santa Maria Valley with […]

When 17 students and adults were shot and killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, a year ago, students across the nation staged school walkouts to protest gun violence, hosted memorials to commemorate the victims of the shooting, marched for their lives, and fought for further restrictions on firearms.  In Santa Maria, […]