​August 19, 2021, Goleta, California - As Santa Barbara and Goleta students returned to school this week, the Dos Pueblos High School Foundation launched its first ever annual campaign, the “Charger Champions Circle.”
 
Funds raised by the “Charger Champions Circle'' campaign will serve the gap between the amount the State of California and the Santa Barbara Unified School District allocate to Dos Pueblos High School, and the actual yearly operating income needed to sustain the school’s academic success and facilities operations, as well as provide opportunities for program and facilities improvement projects through DPHS Foundation grants. The initial goal for the campaign is $50,000 by Thanksgiving.
 
Foundation President, Rechelle Ringer stated, “As a relatively new organization, the work of the Foundation to date has been focused on smaller, short-term projects, but we have spent the past year reevaluating our priorities and establishing a plan for sustainable fundraising. Significant work has gone into getting us to this moment, so we are excited to launch the Charger Champion Circle campaign and are looking forward to seeing our community’s response.”
 
Dos Pueblos High School is highly regarded for its academic programs, which include Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Dual Enrollment (in partnership with Santa Barbara City College), English Learner, Career Technical Education (including its internationally recognized Engineering Academy), Honors, and Special Education courses. DPHS serves a diverse population of approximately 2,000 students in ninth through twelfth grades, consisting of 46% Hispanic, 41% White, 7% Asian, 2% African American, and 4% other races. In 2021, approximately 38% of DPHS students have been identified as socioeconomically disadvantaged.
 
The cost of living in Goleta/Santa Barbara is 98% higher than the national average, and 41% higher than the State of California average, so support from families, alumni, and the community is critical to ensuring students, teachers, and staff have the tools they need for success inside and outside the classroom, and that students continue to experience the nationally recognized academic excellence provided at Dos Pueblos High School.
 
Nancy Naretto, Vice President of Fundraising added, “The Foundation completed impressive projects over the past two years, despite the pandemic, thanks to the generosity of our community. From providing pandemic financial assistance to families in need to creating outdoor space with the new Charger Patio to the mosaic tribute walls for the graduating classes of 2020 and 2021, the community has been incredibly supportive despite very difficult times. As we move into a new model and envision larger initiatives, we have no doubt our community will show up again.”

​March 19, 2021 Goleta, California – As many seniors set foot on campus for the first time this week, the Dos Pueblos Foundation kicks off an effort to raise funds for a tribute project to honor what has been, for many, the most challenging school year they have ever faced.
“These students have had so many challenges this year,” stated Rechelle Ringer, President of the DPHS Foundation,  “It’s more than missing out on sports and dances and college tours (though those things alone can be devastating to a teen) - they have been separated from their peers and teachers in a year that is crucial in preparing them for what comes next. It is heartbreaking.”

Much like the Class of 2020 Resiliency Wall, completed by the Foundation last August, the new tribute project will be a tile mural located on the outside of the gymnasium. It will be located around the corner from the 2020 mural and each senior will be given a 6”x6” tile to design. Those tiles will be used to spell out a popular school slogan, “We Are DP.”
Senior students were polled earlier this year to determine what type of project they would like to see and the results were overwhelmingly in favor of another tile mural. This year’s focus, however, is different:

“The vision of the wall from the Senior Class of 2021 is to allow the seniors who spent most, if not all, of their senior year off campus a place to leave their mark and their message to future Chargers. The “WE ARE DP” is intended to remind everyone that DP is an inclusive community full of opportunities no matter the distance between us”, said Kelly Choi, teacher and parent of a senior at Dos Pueblos High School.

The group hopes to raise the funds needed for the project by the end of March so that students can begin designing their tiles after Spring Break, with an ultimate goal of finishing the project before graduation in June.

Principal Bill Woodard stated, “I am so grateful to the Dos Pueblos Foundation for supporting this effort to honor and recognize the Class of 2021 whose junior and senior year experience was significantly curtailed by the pandemic, and who missed out on so much of the magic of this school. This lasting tribute, in the spirit of the Foundation's wonderful tribute to last year's graduates, will be a beautiful, inclusive, and collective reminder of the school’s 'We Are DP' spirit.”
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The DPHS Foundation has created a fundraising page at dphsfoundation.org where they hope to raise $10,000 to cover the material costs as well as installation. The DPHS Foundation is a 501(c)3 and all donations are tax deductible.

January 5, 2021 Goleta, California - The new Charger Patio has been completed and is ready to welcome students back on campus as soon as it is safe to do so! A huge thank you to everyone who donated to make this project possible. Thank you to Carrie Hawn and Mark McClenathen for their vision and leadership.

October 22, 2020, Goleta, California -  The DPHS Foundation is excited to announce that it broke ground on the Patio Project this week! The project will include 1,872 square feet of additional hardscaping in the area above the Greek Theatre where we will install as many as 13 picnic tables, 12 benches and 5 new trash cans so students can eat lunch or do school work outside when they return to campus in January.

The hardscaping should be completed by November 6, at which point they will order the benches, picnic tables and trash cans so they can be installed before students return to campus.

If your family (or a group of families) is interested in donating a picnic table, visit www.dphsfoundation.org! Dedication plaques will be provided by the Foundation.
Since yesterday, all benches have already been spoken for!

THANK YOU to everyone who donated to this project! The Foundation is celebrating its 5 year anniversary this month and we can't think of a better way to celebrate than seeing this project come to fruition. Go Chargers!

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August 11, 2020 Goleta, California – The Dos Pueblos High School Foundation announced the completion of the Class of 2020 Resiliency Wall today. The 264 square foot mural incorporates 466 student tiles, as well as the school crest, the year, and “We are Resilient” (an homage to the “We are DP” school slogan). The plaque next to the mural reads: “Dedicated to the Class of 2020 who showed their resiliency and strength during the COVID-19 Pandemic. We are DP!”

Over Memorial weekend, graduating seniors were each given a 6”x6” tile to design like a flying graduation cap (the mural captures the mortarboard toss, a graduation tradition the Class of 2020 missed out on). Volunteers painted caps with names on them for those who couldn’t participate so all graduated would be represented.

Principal Bill Woodard stated, “Seeing the beautiful mural come to fruition was a wonderfully emotional moment - symbolizing our school coming together to overcome the challenges of last spring to celebrate the class of 2020. I want to thank the DPHS Foundation for spearheading the efforts which will be a lasting legacy to the class of 2020!”

“The Dos Pueblos community really stepped up to make this project a reality. We raised over $10,000 in less than two weeks. In addition, Tileco donated over 1,000 tiles, local artist Scott Boger painted the crest and lettering, Eliesa Bollinger, our high school ceramics teacher, spent the summer firing tiles, and local craftsmen and alumni, Clayte Robinson and Jorge Lorca, did the installation” stated Rechelle Ringer, DPHS Foundation board member and parent of a 2020 graduate, “We had staff, parents, students and community members all working on different aspects and the end result is a lasting tribute to the class, the school and the community. We couldn’t be more pleased with the results.”
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The Foundation still plans to do a ribbon-cutting celebration with the graduating class when it is safe to do so. In the meantime, the mural may be viewed on the south wall of the high school gymnasium.