Tag: Santa Barbara Education Foundation (SBEF)

Santa Barbara Education Foundation — How student grants keep cultural traditions alive through dance

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SANTA BARBARA — For Santa Barbara High School student Ofelia Jarabo, dance is more than just a performance. It’s a celebration of culture, history, and community. When she stepped into the role of president of the Baile Folklórico Club, she was determined to keep the tradition alive on campus.

But with the need for traditional skirts and transportation funding for performances, the challenge seemed overwhelming. That’s when Jarabo discovered the Santa Barbara Education Foundation’s Student Grants program.

Thanks to the grant, the club was able to purchase traditional skirts that not only enhance performances but also deepen students’ connection to their cultural heritage. For Jarabo, the impact goes beyond just costumes.

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Santa Barbara Education Foundation celebrates student innovation at annual student grants reception

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SANTA BARBARA  — Looking out at a crowd of students gathered with their advisors and parents, Santa Barbara Education Foundation Board Member Isis Castañeda captured the spirit of the evening in a few simple words: “It’s about the student-driven ideas.”
On Tuesday, March 3rd, high school students from across the Santa Barbara Unified School District filled the Faulkner Gallery at the Santa Barbara Public Library to celebrate the projects they designed and led through the Santa Barbara Education Foundation’s Student Grants program.

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Local Musician Irene Fredricey champions music education with Giving Tuesday benefit concert

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SANTA BARBARA — For Irene Fredricey, music has always been more than just notes on a page. It has been a source of confidence and community. Growing up in Santa Barbara, Irene remembers riding her bike to Peabody School with her violin in tow, eager to help set up the orchestra pit before class. ” I felt involved in something special,” she recalls. “I met new friends and became more focused in school.”

Today, Irene is passing that love of music on to the next generation. Alongside her husband and keyboardist Jim Thomas, she has organized a series of benefit concerts for Keep the Beat, a program of the Santa Barbara Education Foundation (SBEF) that provides instruments and funding for music education in local public schools. What started as a Valentine’s Day Sweethearts Concert evolved into a Summer of Love Couples Concert, both of which sold out quickly. This new tradition now continues with A Gift of Music: Giving Tuesday Concert on Tuesday, December 2.

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