School Scene Articles

Santa Maria resident Jessica Wasylychyn has temporarily cared for more than 35 children since she became a foster parent four years ago, and even in that short time, Wasylychyn said she’s learned to count her blessings. “It’s so mind-blowing what these kids have not experienced that we take for granted,” Wasylychyn told the Sun. “Like […]

Service and patient care workers at University of California campuses across the state participated in a three-day strike from May 7 to 9, protesting what workers call “widespread” employment inequalities in the university system. The strike, which hit campuses including UC Santa Barbara, was a direct response to a years-long, failed bargaining effort between the […]

In a survey of 609 students conducted by Allan Hancock College’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness in 2017, 65 percent of students said they had dropped a class due to the price of a required textbook. Sixty-one percent of students surveyed said they spend at least $200 on textbooks each semester, and 45 percent said they […]

When St. Joseph High School student “M.” has a question about developing a healthy, same-sex relationship or about having safe sex, he Googles it. He hasn’t learned about LGBTQ+ specific issues at his school and he would never risk asking. “I’d rather just not get that attention,” M. said with a nervous laugh. “I know […]

The group was small, but their voices were loud. Although only about 20 Santa Maria Valley high school students gathered at the intersection of Clark Avenue and Bradley Road in Orcutt on April 20, the intimate local adaptation of another national gun violence protest made a striking impact. As thousands of students at schools across […]

More than 30 youth sports leagues in Santa Maria Valley provide kids with ample athletic opportunities, but rundown fields, overpopulated facilities, and a general lack of communication have become major issues for local coaches. “I think probably it’s the No. 1 thing I hear from the people I represent, is the need for access to […]

It was still spring break for local high school students on the morning of April 5, and while many kids were probably sleeping through one of their last days off, six students were up and at ’em by 9 a.m., busy organizing another march against gun violence. “This time I think we should really stress […]

Lucila Hernandez was pregnant when a crop duster sprayed her and more than 30 other farmworkers with pesticides in the ’90s. Her son, she said, was born ill. “We spent a long time in the hospital, he and I, recovering,” Hernandez, a former Guadalupe farmworker, said through tears at a pesticide reform press conference in […]

Community members watched as Christine Ready, an agricultural science teacher at Nipomo High School, poured acetic acid into a glass flask containing sodium bicarbonate. The ingredients—more commonly referred to as vinegar and baking soda—combined to create carbon dioxide, a gas that Ready said can smother flames. “It’s actually the same principle used in fire extinguishers,” […]

Tears welled up in Gretchen Harrelson’s eyes as she watched 16-year-old Jenna Santana belt out an emotional rendition of “Rise Up” by Andra Day. A technology issue had caused Santana’s accompanying music to unexpectedly stop, but she continued on—singing acapella—despite the glaring musical halt. The audience, mostly made up of Santana’s classmates and teachers, gave […]

Before Jim Dixon passed away from esophageal cancer early last year, he asked his wife, Shelly, to do one thing for him. “He made me promise I would continue to support the Lompoc YMCA,” Shelly told the Sun. In March, Shelly and Jim were honored as the local YMCA’s honorary chairs, which represents the “essence […]