Congratulations to our La Cuesta Students of the Month, Mario Perez and Kimberly De La Luz!
Mario Perez and Kimberly De La Luz were honored with the La Cuesta Students of the Month award for January and February 2026. The award is given to students who have demonstrated outstanding academic and personal achievement and who are nominated by their teachers.
La Cuesta/Alta Vista Counselor, Carrie Anderson remarked, “Mario Perez stayed focused on his studies and finished early in January. We miss Mario because he is not on campus anymore but we wanted to give him this award. He is working, taking a break from school, and will be attending SBCC. Mario had 5 awards, our top winner, and earned summa cum laude.”
She continued, “Kimberly De La Luz is just like her name suggests, she is a light for us. She transferred to La Cuesta and hit the ground running. She earned all As and Bs. She has a sparkling personality and shows a lot of leadership potential serving on our ASB and student council.”
Student of the Month program chair, Dennis Johns, stated, “Today's youth are facing challenges that most of us never experienced when we were young. Social media, pandemic, AI, institutional racism to name a few. The best defense against these challenges is education. But not everyone learns the same way. Fortunately we have La Cuesta and Alta Vista high schools to help those students that are more receptive to increased personal interaction. We recognize students who have excelled as a result.”
The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise is very proud of Mario’s and Kimmy’s dedication to their studies and extends our best wishes as they continue their education. Congratulations, Mario and Kimmy!
The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise is committed to supporting youth organizations and youth-serving programs in Santa Barbara County. Beginning in 1999, the club sponsored the Student of the Month program at El Puente Community School until the school closed in 2013. The program resumed at La Cuesta Continuation High School for several years and is now includes the district's Alt Ed program.
Santa Barbara Unified School District offers two alternative education programs, Alta Vista Alternative High School and La Cuesta Continuation High School. Both schools are Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accredited and the diplomas that students earn are the same as the three traditional high schools in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Alta Vista Alternative High School offers independent studies options for 9-12th grade students that need a more flexible schedule and prefer a smaller school setting. La Cuesta Continuation High School is set up to support 10-12th grade students who need to recover credits in a smaller, more personalized setting.
Top photo: Liz Alves, President; Kimberly De La Luz, Student of the Month; Carrie Anderson, Counselor; Elena Perez, Parent; Mario Perez, Student of the Month; and Dennis Johns, Student of the Month program chair