Santa Barbara School of Squash

SBSOS March Student of the Month is Daphne Miranda.

Daphne, a sophomore at Dos Pueblos High School, has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to her studies. Her passion for academics motivates her to go above and beyond to achieve the best possible grades. As a member of the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy, she has maintained an impressive GPA of 4.6.

In addition to her academic success, Daphne is an exceptional teammate. Her positive and cheerful attitude is infectious, uplifting those around her both in and out of the classroom and on the court. Daphne's dedication, strong work ethic, and kindness make her a deserving candidate for Student of the Month. Keep up the fantastic work, Daphne!!😀

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to us!!
SBSOS is officially 19 years old today!
We operated for a few months before we got our official nonprofit status on March 16th 2006.
I still remember the pitch by our founder, Mike Lewis, then a Santa Barbara High School freshman, to a group of us from Santa Barbara Athletic Club, sitting around his parents’ dining table. Soon after that we started working with six 6th graders from Monroe Elementary School.
How far we’ve come!

SBSOS February Student of the Month is Sammy Valencia.

Sammy, a San Marcos High School junior, has significantly improved his academics. His grades are excellent, and he is working hard to maintain them. Since joining SBSOS, Sammy has made impressive progress, and it is rewarding to see our program's positive impact on him. On the squash side of things, he always gives his best effort and even uses his YMCA membership to practice squash on the weekends with his teammates. Keep up the good work, Sammy! 😀

Kevin is our push up and plank champion so his team mates got creative and started making it a little harder for him yesterday! This was after four minutes…😂

Tom Parker was an early supporter of SBSOS and remained extremely generous over the past 19 years with financial support and office space through his Hutton Parker Foundation, and personal advice when needed. He did a huge amount for the local community. Santa Barbara will miss him. RIP Tom.

Tom Parker, Legendary Nonprofit Leader and Philanthropist, Dies | Local News | Noozhawk Tom Parker, one of Santa Barbara's most influential nonprofit leaders and community philanthropists, died recently. He was 77. Parker was the executive

20 SBSOS students currently have official US Squash ratings...here's the latest list:

On Sunday, SBSOS students teamed up with the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade for a day of community service. We helped prepare dirt beds for seed planting, set up irrigation, and cleared unnecessary weeds. The fruits and vegetables grown on this acre of land will be distributed to Veggie Rescue and local food aid organizations, supporting those in need. Thank you, Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade, for all the work you do for our community.

Monica Paredes is SBSOS’ Team A captain, and our January Student of the Month.

Monica has been with SBSOS for over ten years (!!), is currently a senior at Laguna Blanca School, and has demonstrated outstanding leadership and dedication in school and at SBSOS.

She played a key role in organizing a bake sale with another student last month to help Team A raise funds for personalized sweatshirts, showcasing her initiative and commitment to her team.

Beyond her contributions off the court, Monica's exemplary character and attitude was recognized in the recent round of matches at the SoCal Junior Squash League, where she earned the event’s sportsmanship award.

Her hard work and determination are also reflected in her academic success, as she has been accepted to multiple colleges.

Monica’s leadership, teamwork, and perseverance make her a truly deserving Student of the Month.

Congratulations, Monica!😀

20 SBSOS students currently have official US Squash ratings...after this weekend's SoCal Squash Junior Squash League and Individual tournament matches there was some movement and changes...here's the latest list:

Wow! Santa Barbara took a clean sweep of the medals at the SoCal Junior Squash Championships! Marshall Graham won the gold division, Josh Gomez won the silver, and Josh Santiago won the bronze! In addition Monica Paredes was awarded the sportsmanship award! What an achievement! The effort and support of their team mates all weekend did not go unnoticed either.

We are back at Access Youth Academy (AYA), our sister Squash and Education Alliance program in San Diego, this weekend with three teams playing in the next round of matches on Saturday in the SoCal Squash Junior Squash League and the Individual Championships on Sunday.

We had a good practice on Friday afternoon followed by dinner and entertainment at a local mall, before a lot of squash was played today (Saturday)! And we are celebrating three birthdays!

Team matches results were:

Laguna Blanca lost 3-2 to AYA 2
Marshall won 3-0
Monica won 3-2
Jorge lost 3-0
Benjamin lost 3-2
#5 forfeit

SBSOS 2 lost 5-0 to AYA 4
Daphne lost 3-0
Sammy lost 3-0
Nancy lost 3-0
Josh S lost 3-0
#5 forfeit

SBSOS 1 lost 3-2 to AYA 3
Elias won 3-0
Josh G won 3-1
Zaiden lost 3-0
Zahira lost 3-0
Eddie lost 3-2

Laguna Blanca lost 4-1 to AYA 1
Marshall won 3-0
Monica lost 3-0
Jorge lost 3-0
Benjamin lost 3-0
#5 forfeit

SBSOS 2 lost 5-0 to AYA 3
Daphne lost 3-0
Sammy lost 3-0
Nancy lost 3-0
Josh S lost 3-1
#5 forfeit

SBSOS 1 won 3-2 v AYA 4
Elias won 3-0
Josh G won 3-0
Zaiden lost 3-0
Zahira lost 3-0
Eddie won 3-0

Laguna Blanca lost 3-2 to Yellow Dots
Marshall won 3-0
Monica lost 3-0
Jorge lost 3-0
Benjamin won 3-0
#5 forfeit

SBSOS 1 won 4-1 v SBSOS 2
Elias v Daphne … 3-1
Josh G v Sammy … 3-0
Zaiden v Nancy … 3-2
Zahira v Josh S … 3-0
Eddie v Josh S … 2-3

Some tired bodies tonight but I’m sure they will rally for the individual draws tomorrow!

Thank you to Adam's Angels for allowing us to be a part of last night's food bagging event. It was a rewarding experience, and our students truly enjoyed the opportunity to give back to the community. We're excited about participating in future events and continuing to support such a meaningful cause. We look forward to working together again soon!

Happy New Year from all of us at SBSOS!
19 SBSOS students currently have official US Squash ratings...they are updated weekly and will change more following the SoCal Squash Junior Squash League matches this month and next...here's the latest list:

It was a full day of squash today with our three teams each playing three matches. Unfortunately we only picked up two wins - one when SBSOS 1 beat SBSOS 2 5-0, and the other a good 3-2 win for Laguna Blanca over San Diego’s Yellow Dots - but everyone gave it their all and played some good squash. Our teams will be back to full strength for the next round of matches in January and I predict a few more wins. Notable performances this weekend came from Marshall Graham at #1 for Laguna and Josh Gomez at #1 for SBSOS 1 both of whom won all three of their matches! Full results and some photos are below…

SBSOS November student of the month is Zahira Jarquin!

Zahira exemplified exceptional dedication to SBSOS. She balances academics, volunteer work, and active participation in SBSOS with remarkable poise. She consistently demonstrates strong communication skills and a sense of responsibility, proactively making up sessions when she knows she will miss practice. This Thanksgiving she went above and beyond by organizing a meaningful community service event that brought people together in the true spirit of gratitude. Her efforts not only made a lasting impact on the community but also inspired others to give back.

Finally, Zahira’s dedication and perseverance enabled her to complete her senior year at Peak Prep Pleasant Valley ahead of schedule. As of this week, she has officially finished high school and is now looking forward to graduating with her class in the spring. Congratulations, Zahira! Keep up the amazing work!