Sonoma Valley High announces its Students of the Year

Sonoma Valley High School has selected three Students of the Year for the 2017-2018 school year.

Alyssa Schimm

Alyssa Schimm is the daughter of Alice and Michael Schimm. She is their fourth child to graduate from Sonoma Valley High School. She began her educational journey in kindergarten at Prestwood Elementary School and then attended Adele Harrison Middle School before entering high school.

Alyssa's teachers describe her as truly exceptional on several levels. Academically, she is ranked number one in her class and earned the title of valedictorian. She has taken the most rigorous classes SVHS offers and tackled all of them with determination. Last year, her peers elected her to one of the top student government positions. She is also a three-sport varsity athlete, who served as captain of the varsity volleyball and basketball teams, earned the Most Valuable Player award in basketball and even tried her hand in water polo.

Alyssa is president of the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) club. Last year she organized three Saturday workshops to introduce middle school girls to the field of engineering. This year, as her senior project, she expanded on these workshops by founding a WISE group for the middle school girls. Alyssa also serves as the student representative for the Engineering Academy Advisory Board and is president of First Saturdays Club, recruiting student volunteers to help at community fundraisers and events. Last month, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat recognized her commitment to community service in math and Alyssa was selected as one of the top recipients for the Professional Business Women in California scholarship at its annual conference – which was attended by Maria Shriver, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda – with Alyssa accepting her award in front of 6,000 people.

Next year, she will attend UCLA.

Mia Lopez-Bazan

Mia Lopez-Bazan is the daughter of Alfredo and Carmen Lopez. Prior to SVHS, she attended El Verano Elementary and Adele Harrison Middle School.

Her teachers at SVHS describe Mia as generous, positive, outspoken, extremely conscientious, honorable, loyal, outgoing and empathetic. Yet of all the descriptors and adjectives that can be used to describe Mia, what is the most inspiring is her heart.

'It truly is bigger than the state of California,' said teacher Andy Mitchell. 'Mia is a remarkable person, whose future is as bright as her smile.'

Mia has taken advantage of the academic opportunities offered at SVHS and has enrolled in Advanced Placement courses in science, foreign language, history and math as well as participating in school plays and musicals (drama and choir).

Mia has earned several academic honors at SVHS, including being a mainstay on the SVHS Honor Roll and a member of both the Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica and California Scholarship Federation. Mia also serves as an AVID tutor.

Mia has held both membership and leadership positions in a number of clubs, including the SVHS Key Club, MEChA, the AVID Club, Link Crew and the PLUS Program.

Mia is a natural leader, who has taken on leadership roles in many clubs and organizations on campus. But real leadership, her teachers said, is leading when no one is looking and they described Mia as the embodiment of this.

'Extraordinary is the word that best describes the caliber of person Mia is,' said Mitchell. 'She has made a difference at SVHS and will make a difference in our world.'

Mia will be a first generation college student and she has participated in the college bound programs of AVID and Academic Talent Search. Next year she will be attending St. Mary's College.

Dominic Tommasi

Dominic Tommasi is the eldest child of Janine and Tony Tommasi. Dominic attended Flowery Elementary as a dual immersion student before attending Altimira Middle School.

Dominic's teachers describe him as a natural leader and say that his outgoing, non-judgmental, supportive nature creates a culture of inclusiveness and camaraderie while encouraging excellence. He has been captain of the water polo and swim teams the past two years and he was elected by the student body to serve as Student Voice. Dominic was chosen because he can fairly and accurately represent the voice of the entire student body, and he can do this in both English and Spanish. The position required Dominic to attend monthly (and often bi-monthly) school board meetings lasting well into the late evening. Dominic is also a Peer Leaders Uniting Students (PLUS) leader. The program was started to improve campus culture and Dominic was elected by faculty to lead the program. During the October fires, Dominic spent almost every day working at the SVHS evacuation site. For his senior project, Dominic designed, researched and remodeled the Dragon Haven in order to provide a safe, inviting and comfortable space for students to enjoy.

Dominic is also a member of the Engineering Academy and has been called upon to speak at various community events. He truly has a gift for public speaking, say teachers.

Next year he will be attending Santa Rosa Junior College.

The article is one in a series honoring the Students of the Year at each Sonoma Valley Unified School District campus.