Salute to Education a rousing success

On Saturday, 200 people gathered in the Sonoma Vets Memorial Building to celebrate Sonoma’s outstanding teachers and Laura Zimmerman, a long time friend and board member of the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation.
Outstanding teacher awards went to Sandi Everett, of Dunbar School, Lynda Allen, of Sonoma Charter School, Mary Taylor of Altimira Middle School, and Andy Gibson of Sonoma Valley High School. The Newspapers in Education Teacher Award went to Amber Kalcic of Flowery Elementary School. Laura Zimmerman received the 2008 Community Involvement Award in recognition for her dedication to the students of Sonoma Valley Unified School District. Through her involvement with Jazz + and the Music Arts Advisory Council, Laura continues to dedicate herself to bringing music to every public school student in Sonoma Valley.
The evening sparkled with talent. Scott Foreman entertained the audience on the piano. Alexa and Melissa Carlson inspired the audience to a standing ovation by their speech about the symbiotic relationship between public school students and the community. SVHS senior Mike Lee wowed them with his video biography narrated by 2007 SVHS graduate Abby Lee. Kate Kennedy and Bob Gossett brought the talented performers from Altimira and Adele Harrison Middle Schools who performed a sampling of the recent production of “Hairspray.”
As a grand finale, the award-winning Sonoma Valley High School Madrigal and Concert Chorus conducted by instructor Barbara McElroy performed several numbers to a standing ovation while the students descended the stairs from the stage and out of the auditorium.
Board President, Kevin Jaggie said, “It was a very successful event all around, for the foundation, Sonoma Valley schools, teachers, volunteers and students. The Sonoma Valley Education Foundation is grateful for the support of our community.”