Jackson Payne took his first college class when he was a freshman in high school. He arrived around 7 a.m. to Orcutt Academy High School. The campus was quiet except for his 29 other classmates in the Early College Cadre program. Soon enough their professor showed up and introduced the group members to their first […]
Allan Hancock College
The Betteravia Art Gallery makes way for another exhibit
A new ongoing exhibit is heading to the Betteravia Art Gallery. The opening reception for Post-Wild: Nature in the 21st Century will be held on May 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. Following an open call for submissions, thereāll be 54 pieces by 34 artists featured in the show ranging from photographs and paintings to […]
Allan Hancock College students display artwork on campus
Local fine arts students proudly present their creativity at the Ann Foxworthy Gallery through May 7. The Allan Hancock College gallery is located on campus in Santa Maria, and the show is free of charge to the public. āThe exhibition brings together work from students across a variety of disciplines and media, highlighting the creativity, […]
The Cloverlane Foundation supplies Hancockās Fire Academy with new equipment
Every morning at 6:30, cadets arrive to start training at the Allan Hancock College Fire Academy. For the next nearly 12 hours, they complete physical fitness training, classroom studies, and in-field exercises. āThese are long, long days,ā the programās coordinator, Leonard Champion, said. āThen when they get home, thereās studying to do. Thereās preparation for […]
Allan Hancock College professors display their work at campus gallery
Faculty at Allan Hancock College will be showcasing their work at the Ann Foxworthy Gallery, located on the schoolās Santa Maria campus from Feb. 9 to March 12. Thereāll be a reception on Feb. 11 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and the gallery invites community members to attend. āThe exhibition features work by Hancockās fine […]
A professional dancer brings his experience to Buellton with a performing arts space
At 17 years old, Jesus Solorio packed up his carāwith his momās permissionāand moved to LA to pursue professional dance. The Paso Robles native remembered settling into an apartment, ready to start a new chapter in his life. After a couple of touring jobs, including one with Disney, Solorio got picked up by Royal Caribbean […]
New childrenās computers with educational games are at the Santa Maria library
Connecting the dots, learning colors, and solving jigsaw puzzles are some of the activities kids now have access to on bilingual learning computers at the Santa Maria Public Library. The computers provide safe, engaging educational content for ages 2 to 12. Set up in the childrenās area on the first level of the library at […]
A Santa Barbara artist displays four mediums of work inspired by his Brazilian culture
In Paulo Limaās mind, a rusty piece of wire in the middle of the street was a great topper for one of his sculptures. Even though he thought the metal had been run over by a car, it didnāt matter. āI picked it up in the middle of the street, like, āOh my God. This […]
Santa Maria hosts DĆa de los Muertos community festival
Celebrate the Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead with cultural activities and crafts at Santa Mariaās 15th annual DĆa de los Muertos Festival. The Fine Arts Complex at Allan Hancock College will be transformed into a vibrant festival for DĆa de los Muertos on Oct. 26. Hosted by the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks […]
A $9.5 million grant aims to boost the Central Coast space industry
The state of California awarded a $9.5 million grant to a group of regional organizations aiming to help the Central Coast become a leader in the space industry. The group plans to use the grant for Space Vandenberg, a program that will fund innovation, education, and infrastructure to improve economic growth. One of the key […]
Write-handed: As colleges kick off their fall terms, local educators and students reflect on the lost art of taking notes by hand
When it comes to taking in a new piece of information, thereās something about putting pen to paper that just hits differently, compared to typing something on a laptop, tablet, or phone. While thereās no shortage of ways to replicate notepad-style note-taking via apps and websites nowadays, the small joys get lost in translation: gliding […]

