District unveils new video

As parents around the Valley are finishing up visits to various campuses in preparation for registering their child for the 2015-16 school year, most have seen a new video overview of the Sonoma Valley School District’s elementary, middle and high schools. The video was produced by Sonoma Valley High graduate Mike Abela (‘06). 

Abela is a professional filmmaker with a soft spot for Sonoma schools, having lived in Sonoma his whole life before leaving town to study filmmaking at San Francisco State University. He was part of Peter Hansen’s very first media arts class at Sonoma Valley High. Abela was back in town this fall, taking time out of his busy schedule as a professional filmmaker to produce several videos for the district and his alma mater, El Verano Elementary School.

Abela recently finished producing and directing a commercial for a Swedish motorcycle clothing company, with ties to Harley Davidson. He is planning a trip to Jamaica to produce two videos for well-known reggae musicians, as well as producing documentary material for an organization helping to fight violence and gang activity. He has also been hired to do some cinematography for a PBS documentary to air next year. Later in the year he will travel to Southwest and Southeast Asia both for pleasure and to produce some short documentary profile pieces. 

“Mike is amazing,” said El Verano principal Maite Iturri. “The work he has done for our campus and the district as a whole beautifully captures what our schools offer for local students.”

Abela’s video can be viewed on the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation web site at svgreatschools.org. – L.S.