DPHS Foundation Celebrates Opening of Wellness Center with Donors and Public at Open House Event2/13/2025 GOLETA, CA - February 13, 2025 - The Dos Pueblos High School Foundation celebrated the opening of its Wellness Center, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at supporting student mental health and well-being on the Dos Pueblos High School campus. The celebration, marked by an open house event, took place February 11, 2025, and included speeches from DPHS Principal Bill Woodard, DPHS Dean of Student Engagement, Bethany Bodenhamer, DPHS Foundation Board Member, Jennifer Ono, DPHS Student Representatives, Nicole Barger and Pessia Fygenson, with food provided by DPHS Student Culinary Program, a self-care information table, and therapy dogs from Santa Barbara therapy dogs, as well as tours for donors and the public.
The Wellness Center represents a significant step forward in addressing the mental health needs of high school students. It provides a safe, supervised location for students to take physical, mental, or emotional breaks during their school day, centralizing mental health and wellness resources while offering spaces for individual and group counseling. "The DPHS Wellness Center demonstrates the Foundation's commitment to our students' overall well-being," said Angela Montanez, the school’s new full-time Wellness Center Coordinator. "It sends a powerful message that mental health is a priority as important as academic success." Montanez started her position January 27, 2025, a position fully funded by the DPHS Foundation for the next two years. Key features of the Wellness Center include:
Pessia Fygenson, Associated Student Body Representative, shared the student perspective: "As students, we're incredibly grateful for this investment in our mental health. The Wellness Center is a crucial resource for many of us navigating the challenges of high school life." The Wellness Center was made possible through the generous support of community donations, including:
"At Deckers, we believe in the power of young people and their potential to shape the future,” Michelle Apodaca of Deckers Brands stated. “We are committed to supporting the youth of our community, and we recognize the critical role mental and emotional well-being plays in their success. We are proud to partner with the DPHS Foundation on the Wellness Center, which is providing a safe and supportive space for students to thrive." The Dos Pueblos High School Foundation extends its heartfelt gratitude to all donors and community members who have contributed to making the Wellness Center a reality. The focus on student wellness at DPHS aligns with the Santa Barbara Unified School District's prioritization of mental health, forming part of a broader initiative dedicated to supporting the overall health and well-being of our student body. Bodenhamer shared during the ribbon cutting ceremony, “A heartfelt thank you to our Foundation Board Members, Fundraising Chair Jennifer Ono, and our generous community donors for their unwavering support. I am also deeply grateful to Principal Woodard for believing in this vision, and to the Santa Barbara Unified School District for prioritizing student wellness. Most importantly, I want to thank our incredible students—for using their voices to advocate for their needs, for pushing for greater access to mental health support, and for genuinely caring about their peers.” About Dos Pueblos High School Foundation: The Dos Pueblos High School Foundation’s mission is to raise funds and provide strategic support to honor and build upon the school’s tradition of excellence, enhance the school community, inspire school pride, coordinate efforts to support school programs, and promote the academic and personal growth of our students.
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Goleta, CA – March 6, 2024 – The Dos Pueblos High School Foundation (The Foundation) is thrilled to announce its 3rd annual ROUND UP fundraiser, taking place on Saturday, April 27th, 2024, from 5:00 PM onwards at the beautiful Glen Annie Golf Course. This year's theme is “Las Vegas Casino Night”, promising an evening of thrilling entertainment, delicious food, and fundraising for a worthy cause.
Calling all high rollers and supporters! Immerse yourself in the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas right here on the Central Coast. This year’s ROUND UP will feature:
"We are incredibly excited to host another year of the ROUND UP," said Jennifer Ono, President of the DPHS Foundation. "This event is a fantastic opportunity to come together as a community, have some fun, and raise essential funds for our students”. Corporate sponsors for the event currently include: Presenting Platinum Sponsor: Deckers Corporation Silver Sponsors: American Riviera Bank and Taylor Farms Bronze Sponsors: Sashi & Jennifer Ono, Stephen & Tanya Masterson, and Dr. Justina Pham In-Kind Sponsors: Por la Mar Nursery and The Time Travelers Sponsorships opportunities are still available Tickets are on sale now! Visit DPHSFoundation.org/round-up to secure your spot at this unforgettable event. Don your finest attire, channel your inner high roller, and join us for a night of fun, philanthropy, and community spirit. About the Dos Pueblos High School Foundation: The DPHS Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the educational experience for students at Dos Pueblos High School. Through fundraising and community partnerships, the Foundation provides crucial resources for academic programs, extracurricular activities, and vital student support services. For more information:
Join us for a night of fun, fundraising, and community spirit at the DPHS Foundation ROUND UP! Dos Pueblos High School Foundation Seeks to Raise $50,000 to support new DPHS Wellness Center3/13/2023 Tickets to the Dos Pueblos High School Foundation’s ROUND UP Gala & Auction event on Saturday, April 22, 2023 are on sale now! The organizers of the ROUND UP event, held at the Frog Bar & Grill at Glen Annie Golf Club in Goleta, hope to raise $50,000 to support the new DPHS Wellness Center. The ROUND UP event includes dinner, dancing, auction and live entertainment.
“We are excited to host this event that brings our community together for such an important purpose,” stated Jennifer Ono, President of The DPHS Foundation. “ The mental health of our students is of the utmost importance and we are working hard to raise the needed funds to help support our DP students through the new Wellness Center on campus, opening Fall 2023.” The vision for the Wellness Center is to provide a safe place for students to go when they are feeling anxious, stressed or in need of social and emotional support. The space will centralize existing mental health professionals, offer drop in mental health support during every school day, provide information to students and families on the referral process, highlight our community agency partners, and provide meeting space for wellness groups and group therapy. Students can also use the Center for a myriad of support needs including food insecurity, school supplies, and mental health awareness and support. Bill Woodard, Dos Pueblos High School Principal added, “The school administration is working closely with Foundation on this important and fun event. We ask all Dos Pueblos High School families and alumni to consider donating and/or attending this special event. Your donations will make a lasting impact at DP.” Corporate sponsors for the event currently include Deckers Corporation, American Riviera Bank, Taylor Farms and Smart & Final. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Details about the ROUND UP event can be found at DPHSFoundation.org. Tickets can be purchased here. The Dos Pueblos High School Foundation’s mission is to raise funds and provide strategic support to honor and build upon the school’s tradition of excellence, enhance the school community, inspire school pride, coordinate efforts to support school programs, and promote the academic and personal growth of our students. The Dos Pueblos High School Foundation is a non-profit organization 501(c)(3). All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Tax ID# 47-5229640. Dos Pueblos High School Foundation www.dphsfoundation.org [email protected] ###  March 1, 2022 Goleta, California – Tickets to the Dos Pueblos High School Foundation inaugural ROUND UP event scheduled for Saturday, April 9, 2022 went on sale this month. The ROUND UP, which will take place at the Frog Bar & Grill at the Glen Annie Golf Club in Goleta, has a goal of raising $50,000 to help supplement funding for Dos Pueblos High School through business and community partnerships.
“We are so excited to be able to do an in-person event! There are so many school programs we want to support this year, so we hope to host over 200 community supporters at the ROUND UP,” stated Rechelle Ringer, President of The DPHS Foundation. The ROUND UP event includes options for participation in a golf tournament, dinner, and live and silent auctions, as well as live entertainment and dancing. Funds raised will be turned into grants supporting initiatives such as curriculum enhancements, special projects, facilities improvements and campus beautification, with a primary goal of benefiting all DPHS students. Local favorite, John Palminteri will be the Master of Ceremonies, and professional auctioneer, Alicia Williams will preside over the live auction. Attendees can choose to attend both the golf tournament and the ROUND UP event, or pick one or the other. Corporate sponsors for the event include Carpe Data, American Riviera Bank, Mullen & Henzell, Taylor Farms, Justina Pham DDS, Folded Hills Winery Ranch Farmstead, Union Bank, CAmino Real Marketplace, Community West Bank, Smart & Final, The Towbes Group, and White & Grube Orthodontists. “Support from community businesses has been amazing. We have almost 100 donated silent and live auction items and have already raised over $17,000 thanks to our corporate sponsors,” said Ms. Ringer, “Tickets are on sale now through March 29 but we hope to sell out before then!” Details about the ROUND UP event can be found at DPHSFoundation.org. Tickets can be purchased here. The DPHS Foundation was founded in 2015 and provides strategic guidance and funding for projects that enhance school facilities as well as supporting all Dos Pueblos students to excel and achieve excellence in academics and extracurricular endeavors. The Foundation is committed to helping raise needed funds to continue to improve the public high school experience and to help bridge the gap between public school funding and the true cost of a comprehensive and high-quality education. Recent projects include the new Charger Patio project and Tile Wall murals to honor the classes of 2020 and 2021.  November 4, 2021 Goleta, California – The Dos Pueblos High School Foundation announced the date of its inaugural ROUND UP event today. The community fundraising event will take place Saturday, April 9, 2022 from 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm at the Frog Bar & Grill at the Glen Annie Golf Club in Goleta with a goal of raising $50,000.
The annual ROUND UP event will be held each spring to help raise supplemental funding for Dos Pueblos High School through business and community partnerships. The adult-only event is expected to draw 250 parents, staff, alumni and community supporters and will include food, drinks, live and silent auctions, a golf tournament and line dancing. Funds raised will be turned into grants supporting initiatives such as curriculum enhancements, special projects, facilities improvements and campus beautification, with a primary goal of benefiting all DPHS students. “The ROUND UP provides a wonderful opportunity to bring people together as a community while helping raise funds for important programs at DP,” stated Nancy Naretto, Vice President of Fundraising. “After almost two years without being able to hold an event, we are ready to celebrate. And what better way to do that than a fun community event benefiting our local students?” The event will begin with the golf tournament and culminate with the dinner and auctions. Local favorite, John Palminteri will be the Master of Ceremonies, and professional auctioneer, Alicia Williams will preside over the live auction. Attendees can choose to attend both the golf tournament and the ROUND UP event, or pick one or the other. Details about the event can be found at DPHSFoundation.org. Tickets for the event can be purchased here. The DPHS Foundation was founded in 2015 and provides strategic guidance and funding for projects that enhance school facilities as well as supporting all Dos Pueblos students to excel and achieve excellence in academics and extracurricular endeavors. The Foundation is committed to helping raise needed funds to continue to improve the public high school experience and to help bridge the gap between public school funding and the true cost of a comprehensive and high-quality education. Recent projects include the new Charger Patio project and Tile Wall murals to honor the classes of 2020 and 2021. “We are new to the local school foundation world. The other local high schools have strong foundations with solid fundraising track records, so we have a lot of ground to make up,” stated Rechelle Ringer, DPHS Foundation President. “We have worked really hard the past two years in preparation for this moment. We had incredibly successful short-term fundraisers during the pandemic and have raised over $28,000 to date through our annual campaign this fall. The ROUND UP event is our first large-scale outreach to our community at large and we are excited to work together in such a fun way.” Local businesses may donate items for the auctions and/or become a corporate sponsor. Interested businesses should reach out to Nancy Naretto at [email protected].  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.”  August 3, 2021 Santa Barbara, California – 172 students from the Dos Pueblos High School graduating class of 2020 met on the rooftop of the Kimpton Canary Monday night, August 2, for a one-year reunion and the prom they didn’t get when the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly ended their senior year in March of 2020.
The festivities began on the steps of the Courthouse for the traditional prom photos and ended on the Kimpton Canary rooftop for four hours of food, “mocktails”, and dancing. “The Foundation thought it was important to honor its commitment to create an event for the Class of 2020 when things opened up a bit more,” said Rechelle Ringer, Dos Pueblos High School Foundation President. “We polled the students to see what type of event they wanted and the message was loud and clear: they wanted the prom they had missed out on in May of 2020. So that is what we set out to do.” The Dos Pueblos High School Foundation was able to cover most of the cost of the evening thanks to donations from the community and parents. The event included local favorite, DJ Hecktik, and a photo booth from AMS Events. Over the course of the evening, the Foundation gave away over $2,000 in gift cards and the Alumni Association gave away alumni t-shirts. The Kimpton Canary served hors d’oeuvres of beef and chicken sliders and quesadillas, as well as a cheese display, vegetable crudité, funnel cake, and more, and an assortment of desserts was donated by La Bella Rosa Bakery. Each student was given tickets for signature “mocktails” and received a gift on their way out. “We are super grateful to the Foundation and Alumni Association for making this special night happen for the class of 2020. I heard over and over from the students how grateful they were that this was able to happen,” stated Principal Bill Woodard of Dos Pueblos High School. “We not only gave them a prom, but we gave them the perks of the after prom party. Totally awesome and the students are so grateful!” remarked Scott Guttentag, Counselor and Activities Director at Dos Pueblos High School. In an effort to help students stay connected for future events, the Alumni Association extended its 50% off lifetime membership discount to the students through the end of August. Students may join for $25 instead of the standard $50 price through the end of the month. The Dos Pueblos High School Foundation’s mission is to raise funds and provide strategic support to honor and build upon the school’s tradition of excellence, enhance the school community, inspire school pride, coordinate efforts to support school programs, and promote the academic and personal growth of our students. The Alumni Association is a division of the DPHS Foundation. More information can be found at dphsfoundation.org and dphsalumni.com.  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.” 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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