Monroe Elementary sixth grader Mara Diguilio was one of about 100 kids playing 5-on-5 mixed soccer matches at Thursday's Noon League Soccer event at Santa Barbara High School.
"I feel like there are a lot more kids here than I thought!" Diguilio said.
Santa Barbara High School students, like junior Nicole Buist, coached and cheered on the sixth-grade players. She hopes the event will make younger kids feel less stressed about transitioning to junior high.
"It's awesome to see like other people building friendships and talking, even though they're on different teams, is so great. I think they'll hopefully have an easier transition just being in our space," Buist said.
Monroe Elementary Principal Brian Naighton says this is the first district-wide event, completely organized by teachers and principals, bringing together eight elementary schools from across Santa Barbara Unified.
"Our kids look up to the high school kids and see them as role models — that's one opportunity for us today. And then, for the high school kids, it's equally important for them to build and develop some leadership skills and some coaching skills for those kids in elementary school," Principal Naighton said.
District Supervisor Dr. Hilda Maldonado says the friendly competition allows players to learn from mistakes, celebrate successes, and engage in a stress-free environment.
"I just think it's so important that we all understand the developmental stages they are going through, maybe anxieties and fears they have to go to junior high school. This is a great way to show them [that] we all are one community," Dr. Maldonado said.
Win or lose, Diguilio says after a few games, she’s feeling excited about the future.
"This experience really, like, opens my eyes to, like, who's going to be at junior high next year and I’m glad just to meet them," Diguilio said.
