SVHS students call for morecommunication

In the wake of a May 1 campus melee that saw Sonoma Valley High School students throwing food, pulling a fire alarm and leaving class, members of student government met last week with school administrators to discuss what student leaders are describing as “tension between students and staff.”

The student-admin summit was spurred by a May 4 letter to SVHS administration, in which seven students said the “riotous behavior” of the previous week stemmed from a “growing disconnect with the administrators” which has led students to “feel out of control in our own academic lives.”

The May 1 walk-out began with a water balloon fight in the school parking lot. Near the end of the lunch period, students started throwing water balloons, shortly followed by food thrown by underclassmen and other seniors. SVHS principal Kathleen Hawing ended the lunch period early in order to avoid a large-scale food fight, according to school officials. Students then protested the early lunch dismissal by gathering in the quad area. Faculty reported an odor of marijuana, and the Sonoma district police and County Sheriff deployed officers to oversee the campus while teachers funneled students back to class. One student pulled a fire alarm, causing everyone in the High School to exit their buildings and gather in a designated emergency zone.

Sgt. Orlando Rodriguez with the Sonoma Police Department said when he and five deputies arrived, they found hundreds of students in the courtyard.

Soon the fracas settled and students returned to class. The police issued a handful of citations to various students.

On May 4, eight students were cited by Sonoma Police for misdemeanor charges of unlawful assembly and willfully disturb in a school zone, and two of the eight were also charged with assault on a person on school grounds.

Going forward, Hawing said the school plans to better develop some of the open spaces for seating to give the students a safer place to socialize and eat. She also said administration was not aware of the water balloon fight, and even if it were sanctioned by administration, would not let it happen in a high-traffic environment like the parking lot.

“There were some disciplinary actions after that,” said Nikarre Redcoff, director of special education for the school district. “There were isolated incidents throughout the day that required some punishment, but the students involved in the water balloon fight were safe. They’ll all be able to walk at graduation.”

Redcoff added that she found the school administration’s response – to meet with students and talk about the issues instead of pursuing disciplinary action against all involved – is an encouraging step toward understanding why the students behaved that way and how the school can better serve the student body.

In the letter to administration, student leaders expressed frustration on behalf of the student body and said the May 1 food fight “was indicative of a deeper issue: a lack of communication and understanding between students and staff.”

The letter was signed by Rodrigo Rico, class president; Kirsten Storment, vice president; Rick Taggesell, student voice; Alex Gustafson, financial advisor; Alejandra Alvarez, activities director; Angelica Griggs-Demmin, valedictorian; and Elizabeth Eagles, salutorian.

Another “big problem” that day, according to Rico, was the timing of the water-balloon fight.

“It started early and when the bell rang to end lunch there were still a lot of seniors in the parking lot, trying to find a place to park and join in,” said Rico. “That led to a lot of confusion about whether we were going to do anything at all that day.”

Vice president Kristen Storment added that a mob mentality formed shortly after lunch ended. “We had a situation where there were a lot of people in the parking lot not knowing what to do. Collectively, they decided to do something after all, and the crowd followed the flow.”

The students alleged that Hawing’s decision to end the lunch “could have been handled better.”

In the following week, Redcoff, Hawing and district superintendent Luanne Carlomagno met with a team of administrators from SVHS and the student leadership to investigate why the students decided to protest and what the school and the student body can do to improve relations and communications with one another.

Rico and Storment said the biggest obstacle seniors face is the lack of quality time with the high school’s limited counseling staff. “This year, four counselors are assigned to roughly 1,200 graduating seniors,” Rico said. “I think there’s a lot of value lost when students don’t have a counselor who can dedicate a lot of time for them. When the person you’re hoping to help you establish your college plan doesn’t really know you because they have a lot of people they’re responsible for, it doesn’t help the student feel better.”

Storment added that during the graduation and finals period, graduating seniors in particular experience increased anxiety and stress, affecting performance. “When students need help, they start at their counselor. It’s the most direct way to have someone listen to you and help improve your mental health,” she said.

In a follow-up letter from the seven student-body leaders, addressed to the Index-Tribune, the students report that “constructive improvements are already underway” in their relationship with administration.

According to the letter, among the suggestions students offered in their meeting with SVHS administration, were “listening to student points of view, full explanations of administrative decisions that effect the student body, positive reinforcement, and recognition of good citizenship and academic accomplishments.”

Concluded the letter: “We hope that this newfound commitment from both sides to communicate and collaborate will in fact become the norm, helping ensure the happiness and well being of all Dragons for many years to come.”

You can read the complete letter on B4.

‘There were a lot of questions on why we would sanction a water balloon fight in the middle of a drought.’

- SVHS Principal Kathleen Hawing