Tag archives: Montecito Union School

After eight years of service, Montecito Union School Board president Gwyn Lurie opened her final board meeting on Tuesday, December 11. “It’s been a privilege to serve this school and this community, but now it’s time to let other capable people lead,” Lurie told us during an interview last week.  Lurie joined the school board in the […]

You always know when the Christmas season is here when the Channel City Club has its annual Christmas luncheon and program at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. It began with Gil Rosas playing the piano followed by the Montecito Union School choir conducted by Pam Herzog singing all sorts of Christmas and Hanukkah music. […]

On Saturday, December 8, Montecito was treated to an outdoor live music performance from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel [OLMC], Montecito Union [MUS], and Cold Spring School [CSS] students. The area in front of Giovanni’s on Coast Village Road was transformed into a festival holiday center, with white chairs in the roped off parking area, […]

An open garden gate and lively chatter from inside the house greeted me as I made my way across the lawn to the Montecito home of Cate and Matt Stoll. Hostess Cate welcomed me and we entered the garden, where overhead lanterns glittered and tables surrounded the pool for the evening’s 160 dinner guests. A […]

Also at the Montecito Association Board meeting, Montecito Union School superintendent Dr. Anthony Ranii announced that he is recommending to the MUS Board of Trustees that necessary facilities improvem vhu7yents needed on campus be done with in-house funds instead of a tax bond, with November marking four years since the failure of Measure Q, the […]

We enjoy the presumption of innocence in this country. It is by far the fairest way to handle a crime. Due process is the sign of a civilized people. My fear is we might be on the verge of losing it. Ms (Christine Blasey) Ford’s allegations have put Judge Kavanaugh in a position that he […]

I was pleased that President Trump stands four-square behind public disclosure on opinion pages and has come out so strongly against the use of “Anonymous” as cover for accountability. I would hope that the Journal would adhere to our president’s common sense and stop allowing letter writers to be “Anonymous” when stating their opinions in […]

Let’s call it “extraordinary,” as it certainly was out of the ordinary. I am referring to, of course, the recent Our Common Table event that occurred on the grounds of Montecito Union School on July 26. “We were worried we wouldn’t have enough food, and then the firefighters brought in thirty pounds of pulled pork […]

Well, now, here’s a good idea, and it’s one we believe will receive a hugely positive response from Montecito residents. The recent Village Fourth Parade and Celebration – sponsored by the Montecito Association and financed by the Montecito Community Foundation – was an expression made up of equal parts of patriotism, community, joy, and relief, […]

Montecito YMCA pre-school, El Montecito Early School, Cold Spring School, Laguna Blanca Lower School, Montecito Union School and Our Lady of Mount Carmel School held graduations the week of June 4.  Crane Country Day School graduation Friday, June 15, will be in the next issue. Congratulations to our town’s graduates and their families. YMCA Preschool […]

(The following was sent to us from MUS board member Gwyn Lurie.) This is a picture of the fifth-grade children from Montecito Union School on the steps of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. The students went on their colonial trip last week and also visited Jamestown, and Williamsburg, Virginia, and Philadelphia.  This trip has […]

This Saturday, June 2, Montecito Union School hosts its most popular event: the MUS Carnival! Hundreds of kids and their parents will descend on the MUS campus for an old-fashioned day of fun with rides, games, raffles, food, and entertainment.  The carnival will also have rides such as a Ferris wheel, a mechanical surf board, […]

At this month’s Montecito Association (MA) Board of Directors meeting, MUS Board chair Gwyn Lurie and former Santa Barbara Fire chief Pat McElroy reported on the work they are doing as part of the Partnership for Resilient Communities. The group of private citizens, which includes Lurie, McElroy, Brett Mathews, and Joe Cole, have formed a […]

The Montecito Union School [MUS] held a Cinco de Mayo-themed fundraiser at the lovely Chateau des Fontaines, the Montecito estate of Amanda Winn-Twining and husband Travis Twining, and Alastair and Ann Winn. The full-on affair shuttled guests from the school lot to the party for Cesar Lara’s live Mariachi band, cocktail hour, Gaby’s Catering freshly […]

On Monday, April 9, Cold Spring School and Montecito Union School campuses were both placed on lockdown for a short time after both schools’ superintendents received an email that threatened students’ safety. It was quickly determined that the email was a hoax, and it had been received by several school districts throughout the state including […]

At this month’s Montecito Association (MA) Board meeting, Montecito Union School superintendent Dr. Anthony Ranii gave thanks to the community for the support the school has received following the January 9 debris flow. Earlier this week, the school held a special event, “A Night of Heroes”, to personally thank the people and groups who helped […]

Lots of people only know the name James Paul Brown for his unique paintings that appear on bottles of Sunstone wines. But that isn’t even half the story, as a short conversation with the now octogenarian Mr. Brown reveals. During our short talk at Sunstone Winery headquarters in Santa Ynez, James Paul tells me he […]

I thought our community might like to see how other Montecito residents are coping with our recent disasters. Like many others, my wife, Nancy, and I were suffering from evacuation fatigue after the Thomas Fire and decided when authorities ordered a second evacuation for a winter storm, that our home was far enough away from […]

Several local students have won the right to compete at the state level after advancing through the Santa Barbara County Spelling Bee, which was held last week at the Santa Barbara County Education Office.  Lain Biles, a sixth grader at Montecito Union School, took first place in the elementary division by correctly spelling “effervescent.” Hannah […]

On March 5, the Montecito Union School Board voted to move forward with expenditure reductions to help mitigate the reduction in revenue expected from the Montecito mudslides. The exact decrease is not yet known, but it could be as high as 13 percent next school year.  Superintendent Dr. Anthony Ranii recommended three categories of reductions […]