Email  Print

Pathway, Booster Bash, leaving California, WUE, Tony Moll, SOS

Education Roundup

Further planning for the Engineering, Design & Technology Pathway at Sonoma Valley High School is in high gear. The pathway leaders, Kelly Kennedy and Mark Lea, have selected “STEM 101” – a NAF (National Academy Foundation) program – as the curriculum for the Introduction to Engineering course to be offered this fall. There are also several professional development opportunities planned for current staff. In June, experienced STEM 101 teachers will come to SVHS to train Kennedy and Lea in curriculum specifics, and NAF representatives will be on campus explaining the support available during implementation. In July, a group from Sonoma will attend NAF Next in Washington D.C., a nation-wide leadership and professional development networking opportunity for all NAF academies.

• • •

In related news, majoring in math- and science-focused subjects gets college graduates higher-paying jobs compared to other majors, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. Economics, engineering and accounting graduates make $30 an hour or more on average. And a recent study by jobs site CareerCast found jobs requiring math and science skills were superior in terms of wages, work environment and employment opportunities.

• • •

Altimira and Adele Harrision middle schools will host a Save Our Sports (or SOS) fundraiser on Saturday, May 12 at 6 p.m. at Larson Family Winery, 23355 Millerick Road. Due to current budget cuts, all sports programs at the Sonoma middle schools, including soccer, basketball, volleyball, track and wrestling, have been cancelled for next year unless money can be raised to save them. The SOS event is a combined effort by the two schools to raise funds. This casual, adults-only event will feature a Mexican buffet and a cash bar for beverages. Tickets are $35 a person. There will be a cake auction, music and an auction. Purchase tickets in advance in the office of Altimira or Adele.

• • •

Likewise, don’t wait another minute to get your tickets for the Satuday, May 5, Booster Bash at the new auditorium at Hanna Boys Center. The Booster Club raises more than $160,000 each year to support sports teams, drama, band, choir, journalism, forensics, dance, yearbook, video production, grad night, intramurals, sports trainers, the No Name Café, California Scholarship Federation and all campus clubs, and more … and this is their one big fundraiser. Tickets are $65 and are available online at sonomavalleyhigh.org.svhsboosters.html.

• • •

The Bay Area-based nonprofit, 10,000 Degrees, has just opened an office at 746 Broadway and it will be hosting an open house on Thursday, May 10 from 5:50 to 7:30 p.m. Since 1981, 10,000 Degrees has helped more than 17,000 students earn a college degree. It was one of the most effective, efficient, innovative college access organizations in the country. Its program is open to any low-income or minority student in the region. It is very active at the high school. If you are interested in learning more about the program or supporting its efforts, stop by and say hello.

• • •

I missed a great new art camp in my summer camps article last week. Art Escape, on Highway 12 in Boyes Hot Springs, is offering a series of weeklong camps June 18-22 for $80-$125, lasting from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or from 6 to 8 p.m. for ages 8 and up. Classes include mixed media painting, book art, 3D structures, stenciling and more. Go to artescapesonoma.com.

• • •

According to the Wall Street Journal, nearly four million more people have left the Golden State in the last two decades than have moved here from other states. This is a sharp reversal from the 1980s, when 100,000 more Americans were settling in California each year than were leaving. Most of those leaving are between the ages of 5 and 14 or 34 to 45 … in other words, young families.

• • •

I have written about this before but every time I see new statistics, I am surprised. In 2009 (most recent year data is available), 57 percent of bachelor degrees, 60 percent of basters degrees, and 52 percent of doctoral degrees were awarded to women.

• • •

You can register now for the Hit the Road Jack Race on Sunday, June 3 at 8 a.m. It is terrific that the race is back and it is just about the most fun way I can think of to support our schools. Options include a 10K course and a 2.2 mile run/walk. Start and finish are at the Plaza. Register at hittheroadjack.org.

• • •

There is a little-known program that offers discounts at public colleges and universities to students from 15 states, most of them in the West. The Western Undergraduate Exchange is an interstate agreement that sets tuition at no more than 150 percent of in-state rates and saves undergraduates on average $7,700 a year. In all, 150 public colleges – some two-year, some four-year – take part; only 10 are in California. Over the past four year, the number of Californians taking advantage of WUE has more than doubled, to 9,717, and now is 10 times larger than the number of residents of the other 14 states who come to California. For Californians, the most popular destinations are Northern Arizona University, the University of Nevada, the University of Hawaii, Southern Oregon University and New Mexico State University. In California, 10 of the 23 Cal States have joined, with the Humboldt and Chico campuses attracting the most out-of-staters.

• • •

I heard that Sonoma son and NFL player Tony Moll has an idea called “Grapes For Grades.” Moll plans to ask wineries to donate surplus grapes, to be converted into drinkable, lost-cost wine, with the money made going to public schools in the city in which the wine was purchased. What a great idea.

• • •

Sonoma Valley High seniors were asked last week to fill out the Post High School Senior Survey. This important short questionnaire helps the high school track its students’ college acceptances and college, career, gap year and military plans after graduation.

• • •

Just in time for seniors to compare their financial aid offers, the College Access Foundation of California has launched a new Financial Aid Award Comparison Tool that allows California students to compare their financial aid packages from colleges and universities across the state.  This tool helps students assess California-specific aid packages that often include Cal Grants and institutional awards from the UC and CSU systems. Students (and their parents) get a summary of their remaining unmet need that helps them compare the ratios of “free aid” (including Cal Grants and institutional awards) to “loan aid” between different financial aid offers. Students create a free account on CaliforniaColleges.edu and can compare up to six financial aid packages at a time. 

• • •

Princeton, Penn and Michigan have joined Stanford and Berkeley as partners of Coursera, a company founded earlier this year by Stanford professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng. Together, the universities will produce free, online versions of their courses that anyone can take. Go to coursrea.org.

• • •

According to a recent British Broadcasting Service story, students who bring water with them into exams score higher than students who do not. Can’t hurt to try it.

• • •

Sonoma Charter’s Cinco De Mayo celebration has been moved to Sunday, May 6. The school’s gourmet taco night at the Community Café was delicious and a great success. Sonoma High senior (and Charter grad) Sarah Summers played music and the school raised $500.

• • •

The free, online, public school Pivot Charter, North Bay has scheduled a local information session from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 3, at 950 S. Wright Road in Santa Rosa for prospective students and parents to learn more about their online and site-based program during the open enrollment period for the fall 2012 semester.  Pivot Charter School offers full-time programs for students, grades 6-12, and complies with all California graduation requirements. It offers a rigorous, standards-based curriculum with UC A-G course approval and comprehensive student support and assistance.  

• • •

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, May 7 through 11, the documentary American Teacher will play at the Sebastiani Theatre on Sunday, May 6 at 1 p.m., free of charge.  This film weaves interviews with teachers and policy experts into a dramatic look at America’s classrooms today.