The board has included a student representative on the board since 1978. Schools are represented on a regular rotation. Student representatives are given a preferential vote on all items except those discussed in closed session. The student rep vote does not affect the final outcome.

McCloud has earned a 3.0 grade point average. At Ridgway, McCloud is on multiple sports teams and works in the cafeteria at both brunch and lunch. He is the coordinator of the campus recycling program and attends Ridgway’s night school program.

He is also active in his Big Valley Pomo tribe.

“You carry a lot of responsibility on your shoulders,” Bill Carle told McCloud.

Dawson, a 15-year veteran who has spent her entire career Bellevue’s Primrose Avenue campus, was selected from a pool of nominees from throughout Sonoma County’s 40 school districts.

Dawson’s classroom was described as a place where “creative, stimulating, and interactive learning takes place and she is highly resourceful in helping her students succeed,” according to the county.

Dawson is a teacher leader in the district and has been a facilitator for Project LEAD, a program aimed at improving math instruction and achievement. Dawson has also mentored new teachers in the district and served as an advisor to student teachers from Sonoma State University.

Dean Knight, science teacher at Sonoma Valley High School, was runner up.

Also honored where Michelle Franci, resource specialist teacher at Mark West Elementary School; Judy Sovel, fifth grade teacher at McNear Elementary in Petaluma; Elizabeth Street, eighth grade teacher at Kenilworth Junior High in Petaluma; and Lynette Williamson, English teacher and debate coach at Analy High School in Sebastopol.

In gearing up for the grand opening of their new science facility for the upcoming school year, Piner High School students went to Medtronic last week for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Awareness Day.

Students were able to tinker with the valves of a dissected pig’s heart, analyze the caffeine content of power drinks using a gas/mass spectrophometer and other gizmos. Medtronic staged a product fair to let students see coronary stents, endovascular stent grafts, percutaneous heart valves, renal denervation systems and various catheter delivery systems.

“All of these engineers were passionate about what they do in their jobs and willing to share the challenges they faced to help students see the rewards at the end of a STEM major in college,” said Piner teacher Dante De Paola.

Piner has three science-based pathways: Geospatial Technology, Health Science and Biotechnology. A MAKE physics program will be offered in 2013-14.

The 25-mile trek is sponsored by the Sonoma County Historical Society. Kids and adults are welcome, but Tobes said no cry babies or whiners, please.

For more information, go to www.sonomacountyhistory.org or call Tobes at 888-1670 or email him at jefftobes@hotmail.com

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Dressing up for tests? Piner High School’s Simone Spearman every year encourages her AP language and composition students to wear a class-designed t-shirt when they walk in the doors on exam day.

This year, the students created shirts emblazoned with “Party Like Gatsby,” (the whole class – 46 strong were invited to attend a screening of the movie the night they took the test) and the students did a dance in the quad before sitting down to the test.

The dance and pre-test atmosphere actually inspires other students to inquire about the class, the rigor and possibly sign on to see if they can meet the challenge of an AP class, teachers said.

In 2004, about 30 students were in AP language courses at Piner. Now registration is regularly near 50 students spread over two classes, said fellow Piner teacher Patty Michiels.

In 2004, 13 students passed the exam. Last year, that number was 27, Michiels said.

Eighty-one students have signed up for the course in 2013-14.

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Binkley Elementary School in Santa Rosa is taking part in the grassroots “Sunflowers for Santa Rosa” campaign.

Every students at the Canyon Drive campus has planted to sunflower seeds in eco-friendly pots, according to Principal Mike Herfurth. After they sprout, students will take them home and plant them in their community, he said.

To read more about the citywide program, click here: http://bit.ly/YMSOaU

Tickets are $65.

Email: geegmom@aol.com for more information.

The first event was held at the Petaluma campus. Read about that event here: http://bit.ly/10HVx3v

“Community Conversations” will focus on drawing out what the public would like the college to become and how it can serve the community in the future. The final event will be held 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  on Friday, May 17 at SRJC Public Safety Training Center in Windsor.

The event is  free but RSVPs are requested at 521-6950.

The restaurants will donate 20 percent of their proceeds on Tuesday and Wednesday to support programs that would not exist without community support, including sports, music, art and others, according to organizers.

Participating restaurants in “Forestville Food for Funds” include: Cork’s Restaurant at Russian River Vineyards, Carr’s Drive-In, Twist Eatery, Tiny Town, Sunshine Coffee Roasters, Forestville Pizzeria, Tahoe Chinese Food and the Russian River Pub.

The 25-mile trek is sponsored by the Sonoma County Historical Society. Kids and adults are welcome, but Tobes said no cry babies or whiners, please.

For more information, go to www.sonomacountyhistory.org or call Tobes at 888-1670 or email him at jefftobes@hotmail.com