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Class of 2018 information night a huge success

We opened the doors to Sonoma Valley High School’s Pavilion last week to welcome more than 500 eighth-graders and their families to our Incoming Freshman Information Night. The crowd was the largest that staff and current students in attendance can recall ever turning out for the event.

The attendance was truly unbelievable and the response from students and parents was both encouraging and inspiring. The Pavilion was full, with every bench taken, extra folding chairs in place and people standing three deep on the sides. Our visitors represented more than 200 incoming freshmen.

The presentation in the Pavilion was well-received, but the tours were the star attraction. As the informational session dismissed, all the attendees dispersed to join one of 10 tours, with two provided in Spanish. Tour guides waived their college flags attached to wooden dowels to direct their groups on a circular tour of the elective laboratories and classrooms on campus. 



Attendees experienced the Sonoma High Dance Team performing, the impressive photography and video labs, the art room’s spectacular works of art, cookies baking in culinary class, the diverse smells of metal and flowers together in the same rooms that house the metal shop, agriculture mechanics and floral design, engineering bridges designed by the Engineering Design and Technology Pathway students, a visit to a Freshman Team room and to the magical G-Wing. Several parents even commented that they wished they could return to high school to take our classes.



When I entered the G-Wing with my tour group, I felt as if I were in Disneyland. The jazz band was playing, students were proudly encouraging incoming freshman to take electives, including child development, leadership, AVID, drama, music, yearbook, newspaper, creative writing, French and forensics. Members from the cast of this year’s Sonoma High musical, “Beauty and the Beast,” were dressed in full costume, with Belle greeting the crowd and, believe it or not, the Beast was playing the saxophone. The Sonoma Valley Teen Services’ No Name Café had its lights on, and the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance had its doors open.

Our Boosters were also present in full force, helping host a dinner for 80 student/staff volunteers and setting up a venue with spirit wear for our newest dragons.

The evening couldn’t have happened without the support of the entire office staff. On behalf of the entire high school, I would like to thank Sherry Anderson, Maria Campos, Sherry Dean, Jo Fitchenberg, Kyra Halkovich, Mary Klenow, Laura Kracke, Julie Lorenzen, and JoAnn Merritt

I would also like to thank the many teachers and counselors who played a crucial role in pulling off a fantastic evening and an inspiring representation of the high school experience in Sonoma.

We had a wonderful evening, and we had fun. We look forward to next year. Go Dragons!

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Kathleen Hawing was named vice principal of Sonoma Valley High School in 2012. Previously, she ran the school’s College & Career Center and taught Spanish at the high school for several years.