Anacapans Take Pride in Their Campus
Anacapa School’s historic campus, located in the heart of the Santa Barbara civic center, is a source of pride for the Anacapa community, and everyone works together to keep it shipshape. Students share in the responsibility to care for the campus with both five-minute jobs and the work study program.
At the end of each school day, every student is responsible for a five-minute job which ranges from erasing the boards to taking out the trash. With all 59 students completing a chore at the same time, a lot is accomplished during the last five minutes of the school day.
In addition to these chores, students who receive tuition assistance participate in Anacapa’s work study program, earning a $1,200 credit toward their annual tuition. These students devote 30 minutes either before or after the school day on tasks such as vacuuming, sweeping, dusting, and cleaning. Students work in teams, with older students and teachers acting as supervisors and motivators.
“Our students take pride in their campus,” explained math teacher and work study supervisor Bryan Anderson. “It is amazing to watch the teamwork among the students as they develop leadership skills and personal responsibility.”
It is not uncommon, according to Mr. Anderson, for alumni to remember these formative experiences years after they graduate.
“The only feasible way for me to attend Anacapa was through a scholarship,” said Sharone, an Anacapa graduate from the Class of 1989. “I had to apply dedication and commitment to my education and also had the responsibility of working after school to earn a portion of the tuition. This developed character traits that carry through to the woman I am today. I take pride in my work ethic and ‘can do’ attitude, which were developed in large part by my experiences as a student at Anacapa.”
The Anacapa faculty strongly believes that the school is enhanced by an economically diverse student body, and they are proud of the school’s legacy of meeting the financial needs of hard-working families who are willing to make the investment to provide their children with the benefits of an Anacapa education. Scholarships are available for students who qualify on the basis of both financial need and merit, allowing them to pay reduced tuition of varying amounts, depending on their family’s financial need.
Anacapa’s founding headmaster, Gordon Sichi, says, “At Anacapa, the tuition assistance program is an active partnership between the school, the parents, and the students. We all contribute: the school meets families’ financial need by providing scholarships to students who qualify, the parents of those students make a financial investment by paying a reduced tuition, and the students ‘buy in’ by participating in the work study program to earn a portion of their tuition. Working together to make the ‘Anacapa experience’ happen for good kids becomes a win-win-win proposition!”
Anacapa School is an independent, co-educational, WASC–accredited, college preparatory day school for junior high and high school students in grades 7-12. With our challenging academic program, dedicated faculty, small classes, and emphasis on critical thinking, Anacapa creates a learning environment that promotes excellence in academics and the fine and performing arts as well as positive experiences in sports, student activities, and school trips.