A celebration of life for Dos Pueblos High School student-athlete Trevor Katz is planned for Sunday, Feb. 23 at the Elings Performing Arts Center on campus, Principal Bill Woodard said.
Katz, a junior, collapsed during track & field team practice at Scott O’Leary Stadium on Feb. 4. He was transported to Cottage Hospital, where he passed away.
No cause of death has been made public, said Woodard.
The memorial service will be at 11 a.m., with a reception following in Sovine Gym.
Katz was laid to rest last week.
Katz ran for the Channel League-champion and CIF-qualifying varsity boys cross country team last fall. He was an outstanding student and a member of the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy.
“As a member of the DPEA, cross country and track and field programs, Trevor was well known and well liked, and his loss will be felt by many here at DPHS,” Woodard said in a message to Dos Pueblos families and staff.
Nash Jimenez, the DP cross country coach, called Trevor a great student athlete.
“While engineering was his passion, he loved his cross-country and track family,” Jimenez said. “He was always helpful and encouraging to his teammates, especially our underclassmen runners.
“What made him special was his smile, his helicopter hat, and his friendships with his teammates. What I loved most about coaching Trevor, is that he would always ask me if he was working hard enough. He will be missed by many.”
In his message to the student body, Woodard asked students to honor Trevor’s memory “by striving to be extra kind and compassionate, especially to those who are struggling with the loss of their friend and student.”
Trevor Katz is survived by his parents, Jared and Nicole; his older brother, Owen, who is a Dos Pueblos alum; and younger sister, Justine, a student at Goleta Valley Junior High.
In a Facebook post, the Katz family thanked the “DP Community for its outpouring of love and support during this very difficult time.”
Donations in Trevor’s name and memory can be made to Safety Town of Santa Barbara County, PO Box 416, Santa Barbara, 93102. It is “an organization hugely meaningful to him,” said the family.
Woodard said the track and cross country teams are planning to do something in Trevor’s memory in the near future.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.