San Marcos High School Breaks Ground on New Health Careers and Wellness Facilities

The Santa Barbara Unified School District project will replace aging portable classrooms with permanent health-care training facilities and modernize a community wellness center.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Santa Barbara Unified School District is breaking ground on a project at San Marcos High School aimed at expanding health-care career training and improving wellness services for students and community members.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Building Community Wellness Project is scheduled for Monday, October 19, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at San Marcos High School, located at 4750 Hollister Avenue in Santa Barbara.

The project will replace four aging portable classroom buildings at the Doris B. Mithun Mini-Campus, home to the Cottage Health Careers Academy, with permanent classroom facilities.

Plans call for five specialized classrooms across three permanent classroom buildings, including science laboratories and a demonstration classroom equipped with patient-bed learning stations. The project will also include outdoor learning areas designed to support instruction.

The new facilities are intended to strengthen students' preparation for careers in health care by providing spaces for specialized instruction and hands-on learning.

In addition to the classroom construction, the project will modernize the Elings Wells Family Wellness Center. Planned improvements include upgrades to accessibility, interior spaces and technology.

The wellness center serves students and community members seeking care and support.

The project combines investment from Santa Barbara Unified with fundraising support from the Royal Pride Foundation.

District officials invited members of the media to attend the groundbreaking ceremony. Additional details about the project's total cost, construction timeline and anticipated completion date were not included in the district's announcement.