The Santa Maria High School ASB recently received the Outstanding Leadership Program Award (OLPA) during the California Association of Student Leaders (CASL) Conference in Santa Clara, California.

Members o f Santa Maria High School's ASB gather for a group photo and show off their recent award. (Courtesy photo)
The award won by Santa Maria High’s ASB recognizes programs that impact school culture and community. (Courtesy photo)

The OLPA honors schools in California that cultivate student leadership programs fostering ethical, responsible, and servant-minded leaders.

The award is bestowed upon about 5% of eligible schools, recognizing programs that significantly impact school culture and community.

Manuel Zamudio, ASB president and Student Board representative, was part of the Meet the Pro’s Workshop. His topic covered integrating different components into a school rally, using the Winter Fair as an example.

“Being recognized for the work we all put in is an amazing feeling,” said Adrian Salazar, SMHS activity director. “To hear Santa Maria’s name get called brings joy to my heart.

“More importantly, the 44 students who attended the conference rocked the conference.”

“CASL was amazing,” said student Alma Moncada. “I had a chance to meet a lot of wonderful people, make new friends, and most importantly, I came back motivated.”