Naree Surich – The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara
Everybody wants more money for college. Naree Surich spoke to Anacapa students about one way to make that happen, The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. The Foundation awards 450 scholarships per year to students in Santa Barbara County to further their education. This can be at a community college, university, or even graduate degree programs. To apply, students only need to have attended four years of high school in Santa Barbara County. Scholarships are awarded for a variety of reasons, … Read more
Elizabeth Schwyzer – Importance of Writing: Making an Impact with Words
Elizabeth Schwyzer, Anacapa alumna from the class of ‘97, spoke about the source of both passion and her livelihood, writing. Elizabeth currently works for the Santa Barbara Independent as a reviewer for arts and dance, but her true love is working with teens on their writing. Elizabeth specializes in personal statements for college and recognizes that while they may be annoying, they are a great opportunity to reflect on who you are and what’s important to you. She credited young … Read more
Pro Surfer Shaun Tomson: Anacapa Students Know “The Code” [video]
Shaun Tomson the professional surfer and best-selling author of “Surfer’s Code: 12 Simple Lessons for Riding through Life” and award-winning documentary filmmaker of “Bustin’ Down the Door” released his new book titled “The Code” during Breakfast Club at Anacapa School on May 29, 2013. Shaun says that Anacapa students were the inspiration behind his latest work. Shaun hopes that “The Code” will be a launching point for a worldwide movement generating “positive peer pressure.”
“This book was inspired not by … Read more
Positive Stress Management
Julia and Putja, seniors at UCSB, shared their experiences with the many ways in which people can cope with stress, both positively and negatively. Each told a story about people that they knew and cared about who responded to stressful situations, such as going to college, by using drugs or alcohol. Drugs and alcohol have a physical effect on the brain, and using once or twice can easily become an addiction, said both Julia and Putja. Finding constructive ways to … Read more
Life and School in Other Countries
Anacapa’s International students presented on their lives before coming to Anacapa. Allen, from China, spoke about his dorm as a retreat from his scheduled studies at Chengdu Foreign Language School. Jae Huen, from South Korea, enlightened listeners about his future in the Korean army after high school. Oriane, from Switzerland, showed pictures of her school, which was founded in 1559. Felipe, from Brazil, talked about the hot weather and everyone’s love of soccer. Isabelle, from Germany, reminisced about rowing in … Read more
Brenda Renteria Says ‘Don’t Eat This’
Anacapa alumna and Cal State Channel Islands student Brenda Renteria performed an original rap song to the tune of MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This” in an effort to encourage students to be thoughtful about the food that they eat. A self-professed “junk food eater” in high school, Brenda has found her way to healthy eating in college and can feel the difference. She encouraged students to make it fun. Plan a picnic potluck with friends, suggested Brenda. It can be … Read more
The Immortal Four Chaplains of WWII
For the final First Thursday Breakfast Club of the 2012-2013 school year, Anacapa students and visitors enjoyed a retelling of a story of brotherhood and bravery during World War II from Judge Barry Sax. Barry has been interested in the story of the “Immortal Four Chaplains” since he heard about it as a young boy. He has spent decades researching the story and is now considered an expert, sought as a consultant by museums around the world. The four chaplains, … Read more
Chiropractic Medicine and the Quest for Personal Health
Nichole Barry, licensed chiropractor and Bryan’s neighbor, spoke about her path to chiropractic medicine and her passion for personal health. After experience in athletic training in college, Nichole decided that she wanted to pursue medicine that was preventative rather than reactive. She found chiropractic medicine and loves the opportunity to not only help people with injuries and problems, but also to inform and educate people so that they can prevent injuries in the future and increase quality of life.… Read more
Creation of the Elements, Stars and Humankind
Warren Rogers, a nuclear physicist, professor at Westmont University and Anacapa parent, explained to a captive audience the poetic connection between the smallest of things, like subatomic particles, and the largest of things, the universe itself. While Warren is a self-professed novice in the ways of life, he passed on his considerable expertise in the minutia of matter, including the particles and forces that govern its behavior in the universe. He also explained the role of math on physics and … Read more
Travelling for Good
Heather Niven, Anacapa alumna from the class of 2008, revisited the familiar Elliott Hall to speak about her adventures since graduating from Anacapa. Heather, who graduated from UCLA last June, developed a passion for travel after a humanitarian trip to Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. The trip was enlightening for Heather, radically altering her personal world view, and resulted in many more adventures, including an extended trip in Quito, Ecuador, where she worked with young students in an afterschool program. … Read more
Global Medical Brigade
Chrissy and Alyssa, UCSB students and members of the student-group, the Global Medical Brigade, inspired Anacapa students to think about global health issues. The Global Health Brigade, the world’s largest student-run organization in global health, sends students around the world to engage in preventative health issues, such as the availability of clean water. Chrissy and Alyssa represented the UCSB chapter of the group and are hoping to involve Anacapa and the Santa Barbara community in a vitamin drive to supply … Read more
The Life of a Samurai
Luke Roberts, professor in the History department at UCSB, kicked off April with a First Thursday presentation on the life of samurai, Mori Yoshiki. Although Yoshiki was an average samurai, he was exceptional in his documentation of his life through personal diaries, letters and accounts from family and friends. Roberts outlined the daily life of samurai, including philosophies of child-rearing, architectural features of samurai houses, common hobbies and the rules by which samurai must live. Ultimately, Luke emphasized the constant … Read more
Living Voices Theater: La Causa
Living Voices Theater, an annual Breakfast Club visitor, returned again this year with Yolanda, who depicted the struggles of migrant workers in the U.S. and the efforts of Cesar Chavez. Yolanda combined a live monologue with video and recorded audio to demonstrate what it might have been like for a young woman in the midst of strikes, non-violent protests and the creation of the United Farm Workers Association. She stressed that although migrant workers won rights during this battle, the … Read more
Philosophies of Songwriting
Lanny Sherwin, multi-talented Anacapa dad, visited Breakfast Club once again, this time to discuss his career as a singer/songwriter. As Lanny said, you do not need to be a rock star or even play an instrument to write songs – everyone has the necessary poetic devices. The key, suggested Lanny, is to write songs that affect people and convey emotion. Although Lanny originally sought success in Nashville as a country songwriter, he didn’t find it until he changed his definition … Read more
Operations at Vandenberg Air Force Base
Larry Hill joined the Anacapa School for the March First Thursday Breakfast Club to discuss the past, present and future of Vandenberg Air Force Base. After an overview of Vandenberg’s history, starting as Camp Cooke in 1941, Hill outlined the varied present-day roles of Vandenberg, including over 1900 satellite and missile launches to date. Aside from boasting an ideal location for launching into polar orbits, Vandenberg is also home to 9,000 acres of protected dunes, 16 endangered species and 1,600 … Read more
Building Bridges in Kenya
Anacapa parent and teacher Alison Strelich shared photos and memories from her recent trip to Kenya. She and her sister became involved in bridge-building in honor of her late brother-in-law. Together, they raised funds for three- to four-foot bridges in Kenya that provide valuable access across hippo-filled rivers of fast-moving water. Africa may have a rustic reputation, but the accomodations were anything but, complete with a swanky safari tent and a Masai warrior to ward off the local jaguar. Alison … Read more
Finding Geocaching
Anacapa student Alec Sherwin and his dad Lanny introduced the Anacapa community to the world of geocaching, a real world treasure-hunting game. As Lanny described it, geocaching is a game which uses “billion dollar satellites to find cheap tupperware in the woods.” The goal, according to Lanny and Alec, is to be clever, have fun and bring people to places they might not visit otherwise. We even did some geocaching together in Elliott to start off everyone’s day.… Read more
Born to Be Wild
Steppenwolf musician, John Kay, and his wife Jutta, drew record crowds at Anacapa’s February First Thursday Breakfast Club as they spoke about their involvement with the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Both John and Jutta share a long-time love and commitment to preserving wild spaces. Together, they started the Maue-Kay Foundation, which works with the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to raise orphaned elephants, orangutans and rhinos. The foundation rescues elephants, orphaned due to the ivory trade and the hunt for elephant tusks, as … Read more
Lego Robotics
Anacapa student, Jade Muller-Galbraith, introduced Anacapans to the art and science of Lego Robotics with her team of lego engineers called “Legonardo Davinci.” The group boasts a perfect record in competitions so far this year, in which they design robots to complete a series of challenge tasks, such as triggering a lever or moving an object to a specified location. The team also works to innovate solutions to community problems, such as their program creation, “Senior Connections,” which would provide … Read more
Anacapa Alumni: Checking in from College
Anacapa alumni, Douglas Throop and Haley Yuhaz (both class of 2012), returned to Elliott Hall to reminisce and pass on wisdom they’ve collected so far in the post-Anacapa world. Douglas, a freshman History major at Pepperdine University, was surprised at how quickly his sleeping patterns shifted to night owl. He recommends taking later courses to account for this inevitable shift. Haley, freshman in Theater at Northern Arizona University, enjoys the freedom that comes with a college schedule- she has a … Read more
Crafting the Message: Who Should Have Won the 2012 Election? [video]
Fred Davis, legendary political ad man and Anacapa alum dad, brought his expertise to discuss the outcome of the 2012 presidential race. By analyzing Barack Obama and Mitt Romney as candidates in categories such as appearance, economic policies, personal finances and life experiences, Fred concluded that ultimately, Romney should have been the victor. The deciding factor, says Fred, is the cohesiveness of the political party. He argued that because Obama was the incumbent, he enjoyed more unified support for his … Read more
How to Run like the Pros
Bob Wilcher, owner of Killer Bee Fitness, has a passion for running right. He showed Anacapa students and faculty the right way to run by using videos of professional marathoners and sprinters. Bob encouraged students to recognize the difference between the heel-strike technique of amatuer marathoners and the flat foot strike characteristic of professional runners. Now, Bob fills his time with Killer Bee Fitness, where he can encourage his students to adopt proper technique and get in shape right. According … Read more
Three Billion Seconds in an Age of Consequence [video]
Dr. Chris Funk, professor of geography at UCSB, Anacapa alumnus and former Anacapa science teacher, challenged Anacapa students to evaluate the significance of the moments of their lives in the context of a changing world. Chris argued that the current age represents a time of opportunity, with an exploding population and unparalleled access to data and information, but also a time of consequence, with consumption rising to match the demands of a growing population. With references to historical ages of … Read more
Bravery in the Face of Danger [video]
As an airman in World War II, Lt. Jim Kunkle was flying with his squadron when they encountered powerful Nazi air forces. His position in the rear of the formation made him susceptible and he was hit with enemy fire early in the engagement. Flying without radio contact in his burning aircraft, Lt. Kunkle managed to destroy two enemy aircraft before parachuting to safety! For his heroic actions he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Air Medal of Honor … Read more
