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Cultural heritage (new/ modern)

Students at Canalino Elementary School and Carpinteria Family School brought their mascot to life in January 2023 with a ‘living’ portrait on the field of a breaching humpback whale, made up entirely of 700 students and staff.

The mastermind of this project is Daniel Dancer of Art for the Sky, who travels all over the country and helps schools bring their imaginations to life. He said the kids really enjoyed it and the teachers were teary eyed.

“The mission of our two schools is the education of students in Carpinteria and an understanding of the stewardship of our environment and its inhabitants, including whales. Our campus mascot is the whale, and all our merchandise and logo feature a whale with Chumash symbols within the whale, sanctioned by the Chumash Council. As a school, we focus on the health of our ocean, the sustainability of our planet, and the whale is a symbol of these efforts.” Jamie Persoon, Principal