The grief at Dos Pueblos High School is quiet, but undeniable.
Three students — 18-year-old Jake Curtis, 17-year-old Michael Ochsner, and 15-year-old Alexander Wood — were killed late Sunday night in a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 1, south of Lompoc.
All three were beloved by classmates, active in school athletics, and, just hours before the crash, had completed a junior lifeguard training at Jalama Beach.
The California Highway Patrol says the cause of the crash is still under investigation. But in the classrooms and hallways of Dos Pueblos High School, the weight of the loss is felt.
“It’s just really tragic,” said Seth Phillips, a senior who shared classes with Curtis. “He was always smiling — like a gleam of bright light in everyone’s life. I feel like there should be a celebration of life for him. He definitely had an impact on every senior, at least by name or face.”
Jake Curtis was a senior, just weeks away from graduation. His classmates are now grappling with the absence of a friend who should have been walking across the graduation stage with them.
“I think we should remember him at graduation,” said senior Holden Dicogno, who knew both Curtis and Ochsner. “Keep Jake a part of it, see him as someone who made it.”
Curtis was a member of the varsity swim team. Ochsner ran junior varsity track and cross country. Wood played junior varsity water polo. All three also participated in the county’s junior lifeguard program — a testament to their athleticism, discipline, and love for the water.
“He was a solid guy,” Dicogno said. “Michael was a great [track] teammate, always supportive. Jake, always happy. Always had a smile.”
Lucas Nora, another senior, says the loss is being felt deeply across multiple grade levels.
“It really feels like there’s a hole. Everyone’s just having a hard time trying to process that this really happened,” Nora said. “It’s not just sadness. It’s seeing your friends be that sad, too. It’s everywhere right now.”
The Santa Barbara Unified School District acted quickly, opening a compassion center on campus with support from the county’s Rapid Response Network. Grief counselors were made available to students and staff beginning Monday morning.
“When I went to visit the campus in the afternoon, it was very quiet,” said Superintendent Hilda Maldonado. “That’s not typical for a high school. The feeling was somber all around.”
Maldonado says all three students were deeply involved in the school community, and that plans are already underway to ensure Curtis is remembered at graduation.
“The school has received an outpouring of support from neighboring districts and community members,” Maldonado added. “It just speaks to the power of this community. How we come together in moments of deep tragedy.”
As the school continues final exams and graduation preparations, friends of the victims say the best way to honor them is to live more like they did: joyfully, openly, and kindly.
“Spend time with those who are important to you,” Nora said. “There’s no reason to not show love. Life’s too short for anything else.”
