Santa Barbara All-School Track Meet at Westmont College

On Friday, May 24, nearly 400 students competed in the eleventh annual Santa Barbara and Montecito Schools Track and Field Meet at Westmont College. From fourth to sixth grade, students competed in 11 events, ranging from high jump to 800-meter run. Peabody Charter School emerged as the overall champion of the competition, followed by Roosevelt, Washington, Adams, Harding, Cold Spring, Monroe, Franklin, Cleveland and McKinley. Cleveland Elementary School won the new addition to this year’s competition, the School Spirit Award, voted on by physical education teachers.

Westmont College Track and Field Coach Russell Smelley and Cold Spring School District Superintendent Dr. Amy Alzina founded the competition 11 years ago to expose students to sports and a collegiate environment, fostering connections between students from various neighborhood schools. “I am deeply grateful to all the schools that participated in the athletics competition. This meeting really aims to fill the gap in opportunities! The competition is made possible through the partnership of Westmont College, Coach Russell Smelley, Coach Derek Masterson, the Cold Spring School parent volunteers who served as timekeepers and recorders of field events, and the dedicated physical education teachers from each of the school sites. The students enjoyed the friendly competition, but I think they enjoyed lunch at the Westmont Dining Commons just as much! At the end of the day, everyone left with lots of smiles! said Dr. Alzina.