Family and friends greet graduates at the Courthouse Sunken Garden where commencement ceremonies were held for Alta Vista and La Cuesta high schools.
Family and friends greet graduates at the Courthouse Sunken Garden where commencement ceremonies were held for Alta Vista and La Cuesta high schools. Credit: Santa Barbara Unified School District

Pomp and Circumstance played throughout Santa Barbara and Goleta Wednesday and Thursday at four high school graduation ceremonies.

Diplomas for Alta Vista High School graduates are stacked on an outdoor table, along with a couple of red roses.
Alta Vista High School diplomas are stacked on an outdoor table, waiting to be handed out to graduates. Credit: Santa Barbara Unified High School

Santa Barbara Unified high schools graduated 1,536 students this week.

The first ceremony was held Wednesday evening for La Cuesta Continuation and Alta Vista Alternative high schools, where 72 students proudly received their diplomas at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Gardens.

Graduation ceremonies were held for 1,464 students at Santa Barbara, San Marcos, and Dos Pueblos high schools on Thursday evening. 

Class of 2023 graduates will attend prestigious universities in the Ivy League, CalTech, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford, NYU, and Northwestern. In the Tri-County area, students are attending:
• Santa Barbara City College — 691 
• UCSB — 33
• Westmont College — 23
• Cal Poly — 36
• Cal Lutheran — 4

Nine members of the Class of 2023 are enlisting in the military.

Family and friends watch as students from La Cuesta Alternative High School receive their diplomas at the Courthouse Sunken Garden.
Family and friends watch as La Cuesta Continuation High School students receive their diplomas at the Courthouse Sunken Garden. Credit: Santa Barbara Unified School District

“We are so proud of the Class of 2023,” Superintendent Hilda Maldonado. “These students were just starting their high school careers when the pandemic hit. They had to set up remote learning in their homes while facing unprecedented challenges brought about by COVID.

“However, the Class of 2023 is resilient and overcame the obstacles to return to the classroom and finish high school strong. We also know this class has an energy and passion that will be a huge benefit to our community, country, and world.

“The class of 2023 is full of leaders who are not afraid to speak their minds when they feel there’s inequality that needs to be addressed.”

Thursday morning, Santa Barbara Unified held junior high school graduation ceremonies as well. Santa Barbara Junior High School notably celebrated its 90th graduating class. A mural to commemorate the milestone was unveiled on the campus in May.

Promotion ceremonies for TK, kindergarten, and sixth-grade were held at district elementary schools Wednesday.