A long-awaited new gym and multi-use building at Orcutt Academy High School will serve as a “beacon of opportunity” for students after finally becoming a reality.
Two years after gathering for a groundbreaking to mark the start of construction, Orcutt Union School District officials, staff and students assembled Monday to celebrate the completion of the building at 608 Pinal Ave. in Old Town Orcutt.
“As we celebrate this magnificent accomplishment today, remember that this is more than just a building,” said Lisa Morinini, president of the OUSD Board of Trustees. “It’s a space where our students will learn teamwork, discipline and resilience. It’s where friendships will be forged, victories celebrated and memories created.”
The 14,000-square-foot, one-story facility includes a full-size gymnasium for basketball and volleyball, a stage for performances, a lobby with restrooms, an additional classroom, and an outdoor stage for assemblies and performances. The campus also gained 38 parking spaces.
“This project has been in the works for a long time,” Superintendent Holly Edds said.
While the class of 2024 won’t get to fully benefit from the new facility, the June 5 graduation ceremony will take place on the new outdoor stage, Edds said.
When he joined the staff in 2013, Principal Rhett Carter recalled dreams about the possibility of the school having its own gym on campus some day.
“The beautiful facility you see in front of you will be a true game-changer,” Carter said, adding that 85% of the school’s students are active in sports and clubs. “It’s going to be used in so many ways.”
Since its start in 2008, the Orcutt Academy High School operated on the campus of the closed May Grisham School, which was home to kindergartners through sixth-graders.
“We’ve done a great job making do with what we have,” said Kristine Acasio, Associated Student Body president. “Now that this gym has been built, Orcutt Academy has space to further elevate our previous accomplishments.”
She ticked off the CIF championships achieved by the girls basketball team she played on, noting that they could never host a game on campus. They also lacked their own place for dances and rallies.
Ken Parker, a retired associate superintendent for OUSD, was recognized for working “countless hours to bring this dream to reality,” Edds said.
Today, Orcutt Academy has 618 ninth- through 12th-grade students for what has been designated the best high school in Santa Barbara County, Edds said.
Funding from the $60 million Measure G, the bond measure that voters in the Orcutt Union School District approved in November 2016, paid for the approximately $12.5 million project. The bond measure also paid for other safety and security projects across the district.
“Thank you to the Orcutt community. Thank you for believing in our students, investing in their future and making this multi-use building and gymnasium a beacon of opportunity,” Morinini said.
The ceremony included the first basket by a member of the girls varsity basketball team with the player, Elizabeth Johnson, also granted the honor of cutting down the net to applause from the audience. That was followed by the boys varsity volleyball team members serving to teammates before the theater program’s first performance — along with the first stage fight, Edds added.
While built for the school, the facility will benefit the broader community with the first being a new speaker series forum featuring a presentation by Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong.
“This state-of-the-art facility represents not only a significant milestone for our school but also a tremendous benefit for our entire community,” Morinini said.
The Orcutt Children’s Art Foundation provided funding support for lighting and sound equipment for the stage, while Dignity Health has signed on as a sponsor to help.