Principal's Welcome
Dear Students, Parents, and Community
Welcome to the start of the exciting 2025-26 school year at Santa Maria High School! As summer comes to a close, our dedicated staff is already hard at work—enhancing our campus, coaching athletics, and preparing engaging lessons. We look forward to another remarkable year, continuing the tradition of success we’ve built together.
The 2024–25 school year brought outstanding achievements for our school community. Test scores continued to rise across all areas of the CAASPP in ELA, Math, and Science. Our school had a highly successful WASC audit, where visiting educators affirmed the strength of our programs and our commitment to student learning. College readiness reached new heights as well, with a record-breaking number of completed applications and acceptances to four-year colleges, among the highest in Santa Barbara County. Athletics programs thrived, highlighted by a CIF championship in women’s soccer, a second-place finish in men’s golf, and our first swimming league championship since the 1980s. Just as exciting was the continued growth in student involvement, with a record number of students participating in our clubs and sports.
Last year also brought special recognition to our staff and programs. Our counseling department earned RAMP (Recognized ASCA Model Program) certification for excellence. Our FFA chapter was named the top chapter in California, while our Agriculture teacher, Marc DeBernardi, received the Golden Owl Award, recognizing him as the best Agriculture teacher in the state. In addition, Morgan Kavanaugh was honored with the Crystal Apple Award as an outstanding science teacher in Santa Barbara County, and Oscar Velasco was named Outstanding New Teacher in the county. These awards speak to the incredible talent and dedication of the people who make SMHS such a special place.
Looking ahead, we are building on this momentum. This year, we are adding a ceramics course, a drama course, a robotics club, and more concurrent enrollment classes with Allan Hancock College than ever before. Our campus will also continue to see improvements, including renovations to the Math Hall and Ethel Pope Auditorium, a new weight room, and additional facility upgrades. While construction has been an inconvenience over the past few years, this should be the final year of major work, leaving future Saints with a modern, state-of-the-art campus that students, parents, staff and community can all take pride in.
As we begin this school year, I encourage all students to take advantage of the opportunities available at SMHS. Whether through sports, clubs, the performing and visual arts, vocational programs, or community service, the students who get the most from their high school experience are those who get involved. If you are new to SMHS, I urge you to find at least one way to participate—you will be glad you did.
For more information about Santa Maria High School and ways to get involved, please visit our website at www.santamariahighschool.org or follow our Weekly Update on ParentSquare. I look forward to working with all of you this year.
Get ready for a fantastic year, and as always—Go Saints!
