New hires to helm Sonoma public schools

At its May 18 meeting, the Sonoma Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees approved the appointment of three new administrators for the coming school year, two assigned as vice principals at the high school, and the third selected to lead Flowery Elementary.

Molly Kiss and Atinart Koonkongsatian will fill the vice principal positions at Sonoma Valley High School vacated by outgoing administrators Shawna Hettrich and Francisco Manriquez. Rachel Galdamez will take the reins from departing principal Esmerelda Moseley at Flowery.

Flowery

Rachel Galdamez, 42, will officially take over as principal at Flowery Elementary on July 1, but will shadow outgoing principal Mosely in coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition. Born in New Mexico and raised in California, Galdamez spent “considerable time” in Central and South America where she developed a passion for “culture, languages and diversity,” according to a district announcement of the hires.

“Ms. Galdamez has an extensive background and expertise teaching and working in dual-immersion elementary schools as well as experience as a school site leader and administrator,” district HR director Andrew Ryan said in the announcement.

Galdamez began her education career more than 20 years ago as an aide in a bilingual classroom. She was a teacher and founding member at Loma Vista Immersion Academy in Petaluma, and most recently served as a vice principal at Harvest Middle School in Napa, where she was in charge of providing special support to the school’s International Spanish Academy.

Sonoma Valley High School

Molly Kiss, 33, comes to SVUSD by way of the San Francisco Unified School District, where she served as vice principal at Galileo Academy of Science and Technology in the Marina district. Originally from Oregon, Kiss attended the University of San Francisco, earning a Pupil Personnel Services credential and a master’s in Education in School Counseling, according to the district.

Kiss recently relocated to Petaluma with her partner, Lavon, and son, Quinn, and says she is “thrilled” to introduce both to the community.

Atinart Koonkongsatian, 33, who goes by “Mr. K,” joins Sonoma Valley High School following nearly a decade as a special education teacher at Petaluma’s Casa Grande High School. Koonkongsatian’s experience implementing social-emotional learning curriculum and activities, and his familiarity with “positive behavior support systems” through mentorship of new special education teachers caught the attention of the hiring committee, said Ryan.

Koonkongsatian grew up in a military family, and spent formative years in Japan, Hawaii, Virginia and Seattle. Koonkongsatian and his wife — a fellow educator — live in Petaluma, where they are raising two young children.

Contact Kate Williams at kate.williams@sonomanews.com