& Award Recipients!

peter bonning ’94

Founded in 2009 by Peter Bonning ’94, and three lifelong friends, the Carpinteria Skate Foundation (CSF) has grown from a grassroots movement for the development of a multi-use recreational facility in the community, to a multifaceted non-profit organization working in close partnership with Carpinteria and its school district. For its efforts on behalf of the residents, the CSF was recognized by the Carpinteria City Council as the Community Partner/Business Award recipient for 2022.

CSF is dedicated to fostering recreational and extracurricular opportunities in the local community. Through the creation of the Carpinteria Skate Park and the PUSH PROJECT, CSF works to maintain inclusive spaces designed for creative self-expression, with a focus on engaging a growth mindset. Having grown up participating in a healthy balance of team and creative sports, like surfing and skateboarding, CSF’s founders understood the importance of alternative spaces with a low barrier of entry for creative self-expression and exercise. The inclusive, supportive, and generationally diverse nature of skateboard culture, and its sheer popularity, made it stand out among the key components missing from this idyllic beachside hamlet.

One night in 2009, Peter and his friends were engaged in dinner table conversation about what it might take to build a skatepark, and further, what effect it might have on the larger community. This conversation spawned a poll taken at the Rincon Classic that year to determine public interest. The response was so overwhelmingly positive that it was decided to lean into this effort.

With no experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, or municipal processes, the foursome began asking questions of those people in-the-know. They combined knowledge gleaned from many conversations and began to apply it to an outreach program that would serve Carpinteria for years to come.

Peter connected with fellow Crane alumnus, John Haan ’93 later that year to explore the creation of a skatepark. Peter and John knew the formation of a non-profit organization would help legitimize this movement and facilitate the fundraising necessary to drive a municipal campaign.

From the outset, the CSF directors were focused on creating a facility that would encourage empathy and understanding and would be a family friendly environment, while at the same time be a world-class venue capable of attracting visitors and initiate a revenue stream for local businesses.

In partnership with Carpinteria, CSF made the slow trek through the processes of developing this project. With unending positive support and generous financial contributions, CSF was able to cut a $1.5M check to the city in 2021 to break ground.

With the park under construction, the organization was approached by the Carpinteria School District to partner in the creation of an afterschool program for middle school students. With his classroom teaching experience Peter developed a plan rooted in visual arts, while promoting personal growth, creative selfexpression, financial literacy, and academic accountability. And the PUSH PROJECT was born. Carpinteria Middle School students are enrolled at no cost and have daily access to the program at the CSF headquarters, Culture Skate Factory. Carpinteria High School students earn community service hours towards graduation serving as mentors in the program, and all students enrolled play a tangible role in the development and maintenance of the new skatepark.

Peter Bonning ’94 is Executive Director at the Carpinteria Skate Foundation. For more information and ways to support, please visit www.carpskatepark.org and @carp_skatepark

faha banks ’83

Being a pre-first (kindergarten) student through eighth grade, Faha was a Crane lifer. Her siblings (Mweiu ’83, Simon ’87, and Maiesha ’03) also attended. Even at an early age, Faha was known for her athleticism. She is the only Crane student whose name graces the All-Around Girl Athlete Award for her three consecutive Upper School years — 1983, 1984, and 1985!

Upon graduation from Crane, Faha stood out as an all-star hall of famer — she was an inductee into the 2013 Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Hall of Fame for her stellar career in Santa Barbara High School basketball, softball and track. It’s no wonder she followed that with standout performances at SBCC.

Faha was no stranger to basketball success when she arrived at SBCC in 1989. A 4-year starter on the SBHS Girls’ Basketball team, she was selected as the SBHS Athlete of the Year as a senior. She was also a first team All-Channel League and CIF selection.

As a freshman at SBCC, Faha averaged 12.5 pts per game and set a single game record for most 3-point-shots in a game going 6 for 6 vs Glendale. She was an All-Western State Conference selection and earned a full scholarship to Chapman University (Div. 2).

Faha returned to SBCC in 1991-92, improving her scoring average to 18.2 points per game which helped guide the Vaqueros to a secondplace finish in the powerful WSC North Division. She earned WSC All-Conference as well as All-State honors where she participated in the California Community College Women’s Basketball Coaches

cooper allebrand ’07 and niko comati ’07

Cooper Allebrand ’07 and Niko Comati ’07 met at Crane’s pre-first (kindergarten) class in the fall of 1998. They built a deep friendship over their love for soccer and the ocean. As youngsters, they were fiercely competitive and always tried to outdo each other, but Crane created an atmosphere that helped them move past their rivalry and thrust them towards the rewards of trustworthy teamwork.

As they grew older their friendship grew stronger. After attending universities on opposite sides of the country, Cooper eventually moved back to Santa Barbara in 2020. Niko had been working in wineries for a couple years in northwest Italy, New Zealand, and all around the California central coast. Upon Cooper’s return, he also jumped into the wine world, quickly picking up a job with Storm Wines (a renowned Santa Barbara County winery), and enrolled in the UC Davis winemaker certification program. Revisiting an old idea hatched in 2017, Cooper and Niko decided to invest in some highquality grapes and make remarkable and delicious wines they love.

Association All-Star game. In both her SBCC seasons, Faha was recognized by her teammates earning the Team Player Award because in addition to being a scorer, she was also a willing passer who led the team in assists.

California State University East Bay was Faha’s next destination where she completed her BA in sociology with a minor in ethnic studies. She returned to Santa Barbara ready to make an impact in the basketball community by starting the Blazers Girls’ Basketball traveling team with former UCSB star Carrick DeHart. Faha also served as an assistant basketball coach at SBCC during the 1995-1998 seasons and has been an assistant girls’ basketball coach at SBHS for the past 8 years.

Faha’s passion for serving the youth in our community goes far beyond points, assists, and rebounds. Her 21-year career working in the Santa Barbara Juvenile Probation Department is testimony to her commitment to help young people prosper. Currently, she works for the Santa Barbara Unified School District as a Family Engagement Liaison at Washington School.

To the present day, Faha continues to demonstrate her winning spirit by contributing to the local community with the same passion, tenacity, perseverance and work ethic that defined her style of play. She’s the proud mother of her wonderful sons, Dallas and Mason Redick.

On June 16, Faha was named to the SBCC Vaqueros Hall of Fame; congratulations!

2021 is their inaugural vintage, making Cab Franc, Syrah, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, and Riesling. Their business is the result of the desire to build community through approachability and collaboration with local artists, chefs, musicians, and artisans.

Alamati Wines (a combination of their last names) is their label, and they were kind enough to donate cases to pour at the Cirque du Crane Spring Benefit.

hans rheinschild ’88

Interview with Crane alumnus Hans Rheinschild, the current principal at Monte Vista Elementary School:

I attended Crane from grades 1-6 (19801986); attended SBMS for grades 7-9 and am a graduate of Santa Barbara High School ’92. I received my Master of Teaching from Bennington College in Vermont ’00 and my Education Specialist of Educational Administration from Appalachian State University in North Carolina ’15.

What are your three best memories of Crane?

In no particular order:

• Falling headfirst out of the big oak tree on picture day in grade 5 and breaking my arm. Legendary.

• Mizz Rose,s creative writing class was a favorite.

• I mostly remember Crane as a huge, green campus surrounded by trees and feeling the need to fully explore everything.

How did you come to be a school principal? How long have you worked at Monte Vista and what is the most enjoyable part of your job?

I started out as a middle school English teacher in North Carolina. After a few years, the school promoted me to Literacy Facilitator where I supervised the school-wide English program. This led to an assistant principal position at Clemmons Elementary School. My family then decided to move back home to California and ended up in Buellton where I served as the principal of Oak Valley Elementary and Jonata Middle from 2016-2020. I am now nearing the end of my third year as principal of Monte Vista Elementary. The favorite part of my job is spending time with the students. I try to sit at a different lunch table every day. I'm so happy to spend my days working beneath the mountains that I hiked as a kid!

Tell me a bit about your personal life.

I've been married to Gina Bernacchia Rheinschild for almost 20 years. We live in Buellton with our two children, 17-year-old son Wylder and 14-year-old daughter Cambria, and two mega highenergy dogs. They both attend Dunn School in Los Olivos. Cambria recently returned from Thailand where she worked at an elephant sanctuary. Wylder is on a mission to figure out how to ride an e-bike around the world. My main hobby is hiking the San Rafael Wilderness in search of hidden Chumash rock art. I also fear that I am slowly turning into a birder.

Anything else you would like to add?

I believe when someone has had really great school experiences such as I with Crane, SBMS, Bennington, etc., these schools create an inherent drive to share this deeply impactful learning with others. This has become my calling, my career and something that I'm honored to do every day.

Eighth Grade

Eighth Grade Speeches

The long-standing tradition of the eighth grade speech serves as a powerful embodiment of our core value, "Value Your Voice." It is a memorable occasion where our students take center stage at Assembly and showcase their growth and potential. This aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing a safe and supportive environment for learning, embracing new challenges, and taking risks. Through this experience, our students build their confidence, and ignite their curiosity, discovering the transformative power of their own voices. Here are the 2022-23 speech topics: l-r: Doug McKenzie (former US math teacher), Joel Jamison, Chris Caretto (former 5th grade teacher), Dan McCaslin (former US Social Studies teacher), Peter Glynn

Peter Glynn and Joel Jamison’s time at Crane overlapped by 15 years; fortuitously they found friendship and several mutual interests during their tenures.

How did you find yourself at Crane?

PG: I ended up at Crane kind of by accident. In 2008, I was researching how to obtain an education grant to teach in the Goleta School District and stumbled upon an ad for a math specialist at Crane. The rest is history!

JJ: Back in the 1990s, I had a musician friend who was in charge of maintenance at Crane. He actually recruited me to play at the Crane Country Fair in ’93 and ’94 so I was somewhat familiar with the campus and some of the teachers. In the summer of 1995, a spot opened up and I joined the maintenance team!

Would you share your favorite place on campus?

PG: My favorite place is out on the field watching kids playing tag, soccer, etc.

JJ: I love being on my lawnmower down at the far end of the soccer field looking back at the campus with the mountains and Montecito Peak in the background.

What is your favorite Crane memory?

PG: My favorite memories will be of all the wonderful Friday Spotlights. Mr. Kono does a splendid job helping kids highlight their talents for everyone to enjoy.

JJ: There are too many to list! I've always been a big fan of daily Assembly and the Spring Musical. The first show I was involved with was Oliver in the spring of ’96. Bennett Barbakow ’96 played Fagan and just killed it! I had so much fun being part of a team bringing a show to life; I will always remember that fondly.

We wish them both many happy retirement years and know that they will continue to play music and hike in the backcountry together. . . Happy Trails!

These five bandmates represent over 150 years of service to Crane!