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Roadside Attractions: Dunn School at 50

By Sally Cappon/Contributor

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Sunlight catches a lily in front of the Nancy Luton Jackson Barn at the Dunn School. / File

To passers-by on Highway 154, Dunn School may be best known for its nickname, the Earwigs, which often shows up among the most unusual high school nicknames in the country.

But Anthony Dunn, an Oxford-educated Englishman with experience at Midland and Laguna Blanca schools, had loftier goals when he founded the Santa Ynez Valley school — which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

The school marked the occasion with special events on the weekend of April 26-27.

“He had a vision for bringing classical college-prep education to the Valley,” said Jessie Brumfiel, development assistant.

A private school for grades 6-12, Dunn has 180 students in ninth through 12th grades, including 110 boarding students from as far away as South Korea and Japan. Another 65 students attend the middle school.

The education comes at a cost of almost $40,000 a year for boarding students and nearly half that for day students.

While Dunn envisioned an all-boys school, girls were added about 1980, Brumfiel said. His son, Michael Dunn, lives in Los Olivos and is chairman of the school’s board.

Students are required to take one year of fine arts and take part in two sports a year. Sports include lacrosse, rock climbing and kayaking, which practices in the school’s pool. An Outdoor Education trip teaches leadership skills.

Dunn was CIF champion in soccer two years ago and is in its second year of eight-man football. Last year the baseball team won the Condor League title. The baseball field is the “most beautiful field in our league,” Brumfiel said.

The well-kept 65-acre campus, surrounded by vineyards and horse ranches, is an eclectic mix of buildings, many painted gray or red, including a historic red barn that’s used as a theater and for assemblies.

“Many buildings were brought from ranches,” said Brumfiel. An old schoolhouse houses the music department.

Classes have as few as eight students. Teachers, many of whom live on campus, serve as advisors for small groups of students. “An advisor is the advocate and cheerleader for their group of kids,” Brumfiel said.

“It’s a very compassionate school,” she added. “People have a lot of respect for each other. It’s just a special place.”

Roadside Attractions is a chronicle of sights among the Central Coast’s main commuter routes. Sally Cappon can be reached at sjcappon@aol.com.