Susan Smith, at left, has been named the new assistant principal at St. Francis Solano School. She will be working alongside principal Dr. Lydia Blecksmith, who has been the top administrator for more than 10 years. – Submitted Photo
Firefighters quell two blazes within
24 hours
Two morning fires in two days kept the Sonoma Valley Fire Authority busy last week. The first call came in at 4:15 a.m. Thursday, for smoke at Maxwell Farms Regional Park. Firefighters responded to find a wildfire that was, in the words of Chief Bob Norrbom, “burning for quite a bit before it was discovered. It was late at night and no one was up.” Firefighters from four engines had the blaze under control within about 30 minutes.
The second call came in at 1:20 a.m. Friday. Neighbors called about a residence burning in Agua Caliente. Arriving a mere six minutes later, firefighters found the home’s second floor engulfed in flames and the occupants still inside. Bob and Miren Herrschaft awoke to the sound of firefighters breaking glass in the back of the house, got out of bed, and encountered another team of firefighters approaching from the front of the house. Damage to the house and its contents was estimated at more than $300,000, but there were no injuries.
Memorial Day
observed
An estimated 1,000 people showed up Monday for a Memorial Day ceremony at Sonoma’s veterans cemetery.
Master of ceremonies marine Col. Bucky Peterson presided over an observance with seemingly everything, from Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, to the release of a dozen doves as the wreaths were placed at the foot of the star, to a riderless horse, complete with boots in the stirrups, symbolizing the men who did not return.
Blue Star Banners were presented to the families of those Sonoma sons and daughters in active service, including two cadets at West Point.
Distinguished speaker U.S. Navy Capt. Brian Pecha read a passage from the diary he had kept during his second tour of duty in Iraq. And as one might expect from military leaders, the event kept right to schedule, concluding with the aerial fly-over by vintage aircraft from Schellville and Sonoma Skypark.
Supervisor Brown back in the race
Valerie Brown is running again. She made the announcement last week at the luncheon meeting of the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley, where she was the featured speaker. The election will be part of the presidential primary polling next spring.
Sonoma County Supervisor for District 1, which includes Sonoma Valley, Brown was first seated in August 2002, as an appointment to fill the remainder of Mike Cale’s term (Cale had retired for health reasons). Voters affirmed the appointment at the next election, in November 2002, and re-elected her in March 2004.
Brown served two years on the Sonoma City Council, leaving in 1992 to serve three terms in the California State Assembly, representing District 7.
New assistant
principal at
St. Francis School
Veteran educator Susan Smith has been picked as the new assistant principal at St. Francis Solano Catholic School in Sonoma.
Beginning this fall, Smith will assist longtime principal, Lydia Blecksmith, with administrative duties at the 270-student school.
Previously, Smith served as an upper-division mathematics and science teacher at St. Francis, which educates children in grades kindergarten through eight. She will continue teaching during the next school year, however, in a reduced capacity.
“She is the right person at the right time,” said Blecksmith, noting that she and Smith share a similar vision for the school, and were both a part of the leadership team for the school’s recent accreditation process.
Smith, who received her administrative credential last year from Sonoma State University, is excited about the appointment.
“This is a dream come true for me,” she said. “Our children are the only resource we can count on with certainty for the future, and we owe it to them – and to ourselves – to educate and mold them with the greatest of care.”
In her new post, Smith will focus on curriculum development and student discipline.
She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Humboldt State University and her teaching credential from San Francisco State. She previously taught at St. Paul of the Shipwreck in San Francisco. Smith is married to Steve Lewis and currently resides in her hometown of Novato.
