Lorna Sheridan: Education Roundup, May 1

News, tips and resources for Sonoma Valley parents, teachers and students. This week there are award winners, a new outdoor stage at Dunbar, Screen Free Week and more.|

Summer opps: Sonoma Valley high school students should consider applying for this summer's Youth Engagement Seminar (June 18 to 29). Teens job shadow local government, businesses and nonprofits, they learn leadership skills and they will be urged to spark engagement on their campus and in their community. Plus they earn a $250 stipend. Visit Wendy Swanson at the College & Career Center or email wswanson@sonomaschools.org.

School calendar: The SVUSD calendar for all campuses has been approved. The first day of school for the 2018-2019 school year is Aug. 20; Thanksgiving break is Nov. 21 to 23; winter break is Dec. 24 to Jan. 4; spring break is March 18 to 22; and the last day of school next year is June 6. The complete calendar should be on each school's website.

Cinco de Mayo: La Luz Center will host its 14th annual Cinco de Mayo event on the Sonoma Plaza on Sunday, May 6. This is a free event and festivities will start at noon and wrap up at 7 p.m. There will be live entertainment, food and activities for the entire family.

Paid internship: The Pulitzer Prize-winning Santa Rosa Press Democrat is seeking a summer college intern who is interested in digital reporting and online traffic for a paid position. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to hr@pressdemocrat.com. Indicate the title of the position for which you are applying in the subject line. Sonoma Valley residents who are interested in applying can email lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com for more information.

Screen-free: It is National Screen-Free Week, April 30 to May 6. Good luck!

Young adult books: The SYNC app has launched its free summer weekly audio book giveaway program. The app gives away 26 popular Young Adult titles — two paired audiobook downloads every week. This year's authors include Kwame Alexander, Jazz Jennings and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Check out the lineup of exciting audiobook titles. The SYNC program is a project of AudioFile Magazine in partnership with OverDrive and audiobook publishers.

Melodrama: The 26th annual fifth grade melodrama production at Glen Ellen's Dunbar Elementary School will take place on the all-new, stage at 6 p.m. on May 25 to 27. The production is 'The Deadwood Desperado, or A Mother's Grief.' Tickets at the door are $10 for adults, $5 per child, and $25 for a family of 4. Donations can be sent directly to Dunbar School (fifth grade play in subject line) 11700 Dunbar Rd. in Glen Ellen.

The set was built by an all-volunteer crew. The stage was paid for by the school district. Superintendent Chuck Young said that the district's architect (STRATA), structural engineer (Tim Lengvel) and contractor (F.R.C. Construction) all made major contributions in terms of time and or material to make the rebuilding of the stage possible ahead of schedule.

Hiring: Seniors, are you looking for a flexible job? Bolt Staffing is holding an informational meeting on Thursday, May 3, in the College & Career Center. They are hiring people for summer and fall jobs. Stop by the CCC for a pass.

SSU news: For the first time in campus history, Sonoma State will guarantee first-time freshmen on-campus housing for the 2018-19 school year. Students must apply before April 23 to be guaranteed this housing option. Housing at Sonoma State University has been included in the National Top 20 'Best College Dorms' list by the Princeton Review over the past years. Composed of six residential villages, the community is a unique mix of non-traditional resident suites and campus apartments, all located just seconds from the main campus classroom buildings. Learn more at bit.ly/2EWyLPd

Youth innovation: ieSonoma will feature Harvard's Todd Rose on Friday, June 8 at Sonoma Country Day School in Santa Rosa. Rose is the Director of the Mind, Brain, and Education program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he leads the Laboratory for the Science of the Individual. ieSonoma 2018 is the sixth annual collaboration between the Sonoma County Office of Education, Sonoma State University, and Sonoma Country Day and is meant to foster innovation in Sonoma County schools. In addition to Rose's presentation, ieSonoma will feature local youth innovators, who will share their inspirational stories in a series of short talks. Rose and the young innovators will deliver their presentations beginning at 8:45 a.m. and Rose will take the stage following an intermission — around 10:15 a.m.

Expanding LGBT support: LGBTQ-plus Connections in Sonoma is seeking donations to a safe and accepting place for LGBTQ youth in Sonoma Valley. SVHS student Jacquelyn Torres is on the organization's Youth Leadership Team and she provided this link for donations. lgbtqconnection.org/#hometop

Open House: Sonoma Academy is hosting an admissions open house from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 10. Register at sonomaacademy.org/page/admissions/visit-us.

Principal fellowship: Sonoma Charter School director Marc Elin recently completed the School-Retool Program — a professional development fellowship by Stanford Design School, where the Design-Thinking Process was developed. The School-Retool program stems from the philosophy that big changes start small.

Spring celebration: The Native American Spring Celebration will be held on the Santa Rosa Junior College campus on Sunday, May 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be dance performances and cultural demonstrations, a fashion show, a plant sale, indigenous information booths and food and art. SRJC's Day Under the Oaks, a community education fair and open house, was canceled this year.

Family Day: The day before Mother's Day is Family Day at the Yoga Community featuring 'mompreneurs' with a trunk show, family yoga classes and herbal teas from a local apothecary. On Saturday, May 12, families are invited to practice yoga together. There will two family yoga sessions at 2 and 4 p.m. All ages welcome, $5 per class. The Trunk Show will run from 1 to 5 p.m. at 577 Fifth St. W. For more information go to yogacommunity.net.

Fundraiser: Dunbar School is hosting a fundraiser to raise money for playground equipment via mixedbagdesigns.com (use ID # 88945 when you register). The company sells a wide variety of eco-friendly totes, most of which are under $25. The fundraiser ends May 8.

Congratulations: To SVHS senior Cian Martin who was awarded the Vineyard Trails Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizens Award. And to SVHS student Uriel Vicente who just took fifth place in the Jostens Photo Contest.

Email story ideas and events to ourschools@sonomanews.com.

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