Fall Pep Rally on Sept. 13

Associated Student Body President Andy Brennan (12) said he is looking forward to the first pep rally of the school year. The beach-themed rally will be held in the gym directly after second period. Like past pep rallies, all of the fall sports will come out to perform a skit. Then, students will be able to watch a surprise activity planned by the Dos Pueblos High School Leadership class.

“[The activity] is going to be hilarious,” Brennan said. “We’re going to try to get the teachers involved.”

Brennan acknowledged that there are people who choose not to attend pep rallies. However, he pointed out that the pep rally time is built into student’s schedules, and they are required to be there, or watch from the Elings Performing Arts Center.

“[Leadership is at the gym] from 7 a.m. making it the most fun place it can be,” Brennan said. “The more people go crazy and get loud and have fun, the more fun [the pep rally] is for everyone. Plan to show up with a lot of energy.”

While this pep rally was originally scheduled for Sept. 6, it was postponed to the following Friday due to excessive heat.

First varsity home football game on Sept. 13

The DPHS Football team’s first home game of the year will be held from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Scott O’ Leary stadium. Defensive linebacker Gabriel Velasquez (10) will be playing in the game against Ventura High School.

Velasquez is feeling good about the game and believes that the close bond of the team will contribute to their performance. His favorite part of the sport is spending time with his teammates, whom he considers to be family.

While Velasquez admits that Ventura is a “good team,” he’s optimistic about the game’s outcome.

“They’re going to be hard but we got it in the bag, definitely,“ Velasquez said. “We’re ready.”

Homecoming on Sept. 21

This year’s Homecoming is disco themed, and will be in the Sovine Gym from 7-10 p.m.. Bee Melby (12) is part of the DPHS Leadership class, and has been helping to plan for the event.

He said his favorite part of the planning has been getting to create art for the dance, including the banner that revealed the theme in the Greek theater on Thursday, Sept. 5. He’s also working on a big backdrop to be displayed in the gym for Homecoming.

Melby’s passion for sign-making was sparked this summer, when he started working at a family owned convenience store in Los Olivos, and found a knack for designing chalkboards.

“I’m a bit of an artist, so I like writing stuff on [the chalk boards] and drawing on them,” Melby said. “I have a lot of fun with [art], it’s a nice outlet.”

Open Mic Night on Sept. 27

The DPHS Theater Company’s first open mic night will take place at 7 p.m. in the EPAC. Adora Bricher (12) attended almost every open mic night last year, and will be performing at the upcoming one.

“They’re always really fun and a great opportunity to meet new people who enjoy performing arts at DP,” Bricher said.

Bricher, along with a few friends, are going to perform a number they taught to children at Tomato Theater’s summer camp, a camp they founded back in freshman year.

“I would write the music and then we would perform it with kids at a free summer camp,” Bricher said. “It’s just gotten bigger and bigger each year.”

Open mic nights typically happen once a month on Fridays, and last about two hours.

“[Mic nights are] a lot of fun,” Bricher said. “It’s fun to watch, even if you don’t want to perform.”

Goleta Lemon Festival on Sept. 28 and 29

The annual Goleta Lemon Festival will be held at Girsh park from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. It will host the Goleta Fall Classic Car Show, Safety Street, a pie-eating contest, arts and crafts, and lots of food.
Julissa Corado (10) went last year to perform with the DPHS Cheer Team.

“I was really nervous because that was my first time performing not at a school event,” Corado said. “It ended up going really well though and I was super relieved at the end.”

Corado joined the cheer team last year because a friend of hers was joining the team as well. Since then, her fourth period cheer class has become her favorite class, and she enjoys the sense of community on the team.

”The people I’ve met on the team and the memories I’ve made with them have made all the early mornings and late nights worth it,” Corado said. “There’s definitely been times when I’ve thought about quitting, but I pushed through ‘cause I know it’s worth it. I can’t imagine leaving the friends I’ve made.”

Corado will be attending the festival again this year, and is looking forward to it.

Concerts at the Santa Barbara Bowl

The historic outdoor amphitheater, the Santa Barbara Bowl, will have a number of performances throughout September. Millie Bolton (9) experienced the venue for the first time in 2021, after getting free tickets for Olivia Rodrigo’s “Sour” Tour.

“I think it’s nice that [the Bowl] is really small so every seat has a good view of the stage, the sound quality is really good, and they host a variety of artists,” Bolton said.

Bolton describes her music taste as “pop and indie,” and says that if she could watch any artists perform at the SB Bowl, it would be the band Boygenius.

”They’re still small enough that maybe they could come to the SB Bowl or just individually,” Bolton said. “That’s my dream, I really want to see them in concert.”

Artists set to play at the SB Bowl this month include Wallows on Sept. 9, Remi Wolf on Sept. 10, Stephen Sanchez on Sept. 14, the Indigo Girls and Amos Lee on Sept. 21, and Kacey Musgraves on Sept. 25.