“Movin’ On,” a forum to educate graduating eighth graders on what to expect when they enter high school, begins Friday, April 9, at Adele Harrison Middle School.
The program, presented separately to the boys and girls in preparation of the transitional challenges they will face next fall, will also be held at Altimira Middle School on Friday, April 16. Both presentations will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Students from Sonoma Charter School, Hanna Boys Center and St. Francis Solano are also invited to attend the program as future graduates of the class of 2014. Topics include peer pressure, sexual activity, hazing and bullying, eating disorders, alcohol and drugs, study habits, and confidence building.
Panel speakers will be: Cristin Lawrence, program director of Operation Youth; Danielle Roshausen, of Social Advocates for Youth; Bret Sackett, Sonoma police chief; and Mark Lea, a teacher at Sonoma Valley High School. David Pier, executive director of The Boys & Girls Clubs, and Rebecca Hermosillo director of the Valley of the Moon Teen Center, will also participate, along with guest speakers Dr. Linda Lea, Dr. Mala Singh, and Dr. Frank Lucchetti.
Additionally, Sonoma Valley High School student guest speakers for the boy’s and girl’s sessions will be Cindy Sanchez, Stephanie Villasenor, Ryne Fanslow-Torzilli and Daniel Fonseca. Each of these four students has attended a ten-week program called Date SMART, where they studied how to achieve mutually supportive relationships free of violence and abuse. The young guest speakers will share their experiences in high school and answer questions from the eighth graders.
“Movin’ On 2010” is sponsored by Soroptimist International of Sonoma Valley in conjunction with the parent teacher organizations of each middle school.
