Desirae Pulido graduated from sixth grade at Hollister School in Goleta in 2011. She comes from a long line of Hollister alumni, including her mom, Missy, and brothers Daniel, David and Dominic. Dad Victor is the only family member who did not attend Hollister. 
San Marcos High School Class of 2017 alumna Desirae Pulido is flanked by brothers, from left, David, Dominic and Daniel. All four attended Hollister School, as did their mom and their grandparents. 
Hazel LeBlanc, Ellwood School Class of 2023, is the second generation of her family to attend school in the Goleta Union School District. 
Lindsey Donner LeBlanc graduated from Foothill School in the Goleta Union School District in 1995. Her 6-year-old daughter, Hazel, just finished kindergarten at Ellwood School.
[Noozhawk’s note: Second in a series sponsored by the Hutton Parker Foundation. Click here for the first article.]
Goleta is the picture of an ideal suburb: quiet neighborhoods are filled with parks and open space, local beaches are easily accessible by car or bike, and neighborhood schools offer students a quality education.
It’s not unusual for families to have multiple generations attend elementary school in the Goleta Union School District, which has nine schools in the Goleta Valley.
Patty and Manuel Robledo have had at least one grandchild at Hollister School for the past 25 years. One generation earlier, their children, Anthony, Natalie, Missy and Kristina, all graduated from the same school at 4950 Anita Lane.
Daughter Missy Robledo Pulido’s four children, Daniel, David, Desirae and Dominic, attended Hollister between 1997 and 2012. Her youngest son, Dominic, will be a senior at San Marcos High School this fall.
“You walk down the hallways or through the playground and you think, ‘I used to swing on those swings!’” Pulido said of returning to her elementary school as a parent.
“I can’t imagine what it was like for my parents going through all of us and most of the grandkids.”
Pulido’s children are already nostalgic for their elementary school, and enjoy returning to see their younger cousins graduate.
“It’s cool to walk back down those hallways and have those memories,” shared Pulido’s daughter, Desirae.
Having attended the same school as their mother gives the siblings and the other Hollister grads in their family a special bond. Though they attended Hollister at different times, all of them count the Olympics — an annual school-wide competition that ends with a tug-of-war against the teachers — among their favorite elementary school memories.
Lindsey Donner LeBlanc is just beginning her journey as the mother of a second generation GUSD student. She graduated from Foothill School in 1995, and her 6-year-old daughter, Hazel, just finished kindergarten at Ellwood School.
“Foothill set me up to succeed by giving me a great education, a sense of community and friends that I still have to this day,” LeBlanc said, adding that she’s confident her daughter will have a similar experience at Ellwood.
“I would have been happy with her attending any of the GUSD schools.”
The two already share a favorite memory: one event Hazel loved was Ellwood’s fall festival, and Lindsey fondly remembers the Halloween carnival Foothill put on in the 1990s.
That LeBlanc and Pulido both chose to stay in the community where they grew up is a testament to Goleta as a great place to raise a family.
“My whole family is here and we are really close,” LeBlanc said. “We also just love the area. My husband and I have both lived in the area our entire lives, so it’s hard to leave.”
Click here for more information about the Goleta Education Foundation. Click here to make an online donation.
— Noozhawk contributing writer Jessica Haro can be reached at news@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.