Sonoma Valley school notes
Sonoma Valley High School (SVHS) held a Campus Beautification Day on October 26, with participation from parents, teachers, community members, and members of three student clubs: the Campus Beautification Club, the Interact Club, and the Art Club. School Board trustee John Kelly was there, too, helping out with two of his daughters.
Video Arts teacher Peter Hansen, Art teacher Renate Kuprian, and Math teachers Tammy Rivara and Sarah Gaschler led the charge. The half-barrel planters created last year were refreshed, and 30 new barrels were filled with lush plantings and placed around campus. An area resident,who heard about the project, donated a dozen mature trees, including fruit trees, plus plants and wine barrels. Students decorated metal poles using stencils and embellished metal garbage cans with bright designs. Finally hay bales, pumpkins, and autumn decorations topped off the day, with leadership from SVHS parent and local designer Lori Winter of Explore Creative.
The event was teacher-funded, with start-up costs of $3,500. The group will be seeking community support and ongoing partnerships. Donations of wine barrels, soil, bark, and plants are always welcome. Contact Peter Hansen at [email protected] to learn more and to help out. The next Beautification Day is in January!
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Just prior to the October Homecoming Week at the high school, some were surprised when senior Luis Esteva stepped down from the Homecoming court of eight candidates. His reason? As the Student Voice (akin to Student Body President), he is already involved in many school activities and “I decided to step down,” he said, “because I wanted to get more people invested in homecoming week – whether that was attending the dance, paying attention at the rallies, tuning into the student broadcast, or going to the football game.” The student with the next highest number of votes took his spot.
For the first time ever, SVHS recently offered the PSAT to all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors – at no charge – to provide them with practice, help them prepare for college, and to help them assess their own strengths and challenges. While they did the PSAT, seniors engaged in a Senior Success Day that included practice for college applications and financial aid, networking, and looking at schools and scholarships.
Did you know you can check out the SVHS Video Arts Department student broadcasts and other work? Find it at Svhsvideo.com.
The next Chat with the SVHS Principal, Alberto Solorzano, will be held on Monday morning, November 18 from 8:30 to 9:30 in the SVHS College and Career Center. The next Sip With the Supe (Socorro Shiels) will be held on November 12 at Adele Harrison Middle School from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. – snacks are provided.
Tickets for the annual Crab Feed, to be held on February 1, 2020, go on sale on November 13. Tickets are $80, and $100 for VIP tickets. Tickets sell out every year so get yours early. This is the SVHS Boosters’ biggest fundraiser of the year. Boosters fund a variety of programs at the high school.
Check out the photo from the recent SVHS 30th class reunion.
— Sarah Ford
