About
About
Creating a Culture of Unbridled Inventiveness
Transformation and transition are ongoing processes here—by design. The journey of self-discovery that is a Sonoma Academy education starts here:
Be willing to stretch yourself and heed your own call to adventure. As Joseph Campbell says,“If you can see your path laid out in front of you, step by step, you know it's not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That's why it's your path.”
Our students are empowered with the intellectual, social, and creative foundations necessary to thrive in our rapidly changing times. We invite you to explore our website to learn more about us.
Be willing to stretch yourself and heed your own call to adventure. As Joseph Campbell says,“If you can see your path laid out in front of you, step by step, you know it's not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That's why it's your path.”
Be bold. Go for the audacious inspiring vision and welcome the crazy smart co-conspirators who will magically show up and help you make it a reality.
In the very beginning of our school, there was an audacious vision. The founders’ belief in the transformative power of a great school and great teachers was as mighty as the geological forces that shaped Taylor Mountain behind us. The Sonoma Academy trustees, past and present, literally believed this school into being. This audacious vision is still very much functioning as a signal flare that attracts such talented teachers, trustees, and administrators to this school.
There are other reasons it’s important to have an audacious vision. It will keep you from being mesmerized by the siren song of the status quo. And it will give you the strength and resolve to carry on during difficult and rocky times.
Create a safe space. And fill it with mentors who’ll help students explore, experiment, take risks and keep going despite inevitable setbacks
Keep iterating! The world and our lives are constantly changing. All of us here today are facing huge changes in our lives. Our freshmen are embarking on a four-year odyssey of finding out who they are. Our seniors are preparing for college and beyond. Our teachers and staff are always working on upleveling their teaching and our programs and processes. And many of our alumni are out there working on solutions to the myriad problems humanity faces today.
Our students are empowered with the intellectual, social, and creative foundations necessary to thrive in our rapidly changing times. We invite you to explore our website to learn more about us.
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Janet Durgin
Founding Head of School
Janet still vividly remembers the day she walked into her "office" at Sonoma Academy, little more than the dream of our founding Trustees....
Snapshots of life at Sonoma Academy taken from many angles, The View From Here is our bi-monthly blog featuring reflections from the Head of School and other staffulty members.
About Us At-A-Glance
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Beautiful Campus
Our campus comprises 34 acres surrounded by 1,000 acres of protected open space adjacent to Santa Rosa's picturesque Taylor Mountain -
Student Body
325 students attend our 9th through 12th grade co-ed college prepatory school. 31% of our students self-identify as students of color. 6% of our students are international students. -
Cities & Towns
Students arrive here from over 30 cities and towns across the Sonoma, Marin, Napa, and Lake Counties -
Middle Schools
Our students come from 80+ middle schools, ensuring a broad mixture of students from all over the greater North Bay Area -
Languages Spoken at Home
17 languages other than English are spoken at the homes of our students, including Spanish, Chinese, German, Russian, Hungarian, Swedish, Porteguese, Italian, Farsi, Urdu, Hindi, Tagalog, Malaysian, Balinese, Indonesian, and Japanese -
Financial Aid
50% of families receive approximately $3.9 million in financial aid annually
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Classrooms
Classrooms
We have a variety of types of classrooms to allow teachers the kind of space appropriate for their teaching style: Science labs, roundtable discussion rooms, music and theater spaces, and more. -
Thinkway Toy Lab
Thinkway Toy Lab
A donation by Thinkway Toys, the company responsible for turning Pixar characters into toys, made this studio possible. Here students tinker, play, and create while learning principles of robotics, engineering, and design thinking. -
Fabrication Studio
Fabrication Studio
A large, open space that can be configured as needed, the fabrication studio has a front half, where projects are assembled, and a back half, where the large equipment is stored and where materials may be prepared for fabrication. -
Digital Media Studio
Digital Media Studio
Endowed with ample professional level computers and all the software needed to work with film, photography, audio, and much more, our students explore their creativity in the Digital Media Studio. -
Recording Studio
Recording Studio
With a separate sound control room, soundproofing, and green screen, this studio is where our students produce original music recordings, podcasts, and TV-style broadcasts. -
The Commons
The Commons
Where we come to eat, study, play games, and enjoy tea and toast in between classes, the Commons dining area has indoor and outdoor seating, large group tables, individual seating, and lots of light and fresh air. -
Teaching Kitchen
Teaching Kitchen
Equipped with movable induction stovetops, as well as a double-oven and all the cooking utensils you could ever need, our students learn about the culture of food, a variety of cooking and baking techniques, and nutrition. -
Electra de Peyster Teaching Garden
Electra de Peyster Teaching Garden
Students learn to work the soil, take care of the plants and fruit trees, and harvest produce for our food program. They also learn to compost and keep bees. -
Fitzsimmons Black Box Theater
Fitzsimmons Black Box Theater
A small, classic "black box" theater space, our students have produced incredibly creative shows here. The black box lends itself to flights of fancy, where if you can imagine it, you can bring it to life on stage. -
Performing Arts Center
Performing Arts Center
We will break ground on a new, larger theater space, that includes flexible seating capacity for up to 435 people, as well as a theater classroom and actor's studio, in summer of 2020. -
Library
Library
Our Library's resources include over 12,000 books, CDs, and DVDs; magazine and newspaper subscriptions; 15 subscription databases; and a full-time librarian to help students access and navigate these resources. -
Gymnasium
Gymnasium
Home of the Coyotes, our gym is host to our boys and girls basketball, and girls volleyball teams, as well as the site of many a Communnity Meeting, dodgeball competition, basketball pick-up games after school, and PE classes and Intersessions. -
Ziemer Field
Ziemer Field
An all-weather artificial turf field named for our legendary Athletic Director Chris Ziemer, we field boys and girls soccer and lacrosse in fall, winter, and spring, all while saving millions of gallons in water each year. -
Jackson Banke Amphitheater
Jackson Banke Amphitheater
Named in honor of one of our founding Trustees, this beautiful amphitheater hosts many outdoor events, and is simply a lovely place to hang out and socialize. -
Art Gallery
Art Gallery
One of the only schools to have its own art gallery, we have artist shows throughout the year from artists who take an innovative approach and enhance our art curriculum. Student work is also displayed here.
Sonoma Academy Is...
Sonoma Academy is the only private, independent, college preparatory high school in Sonoma County. On our beautiful campus nestled at the base of Taylor Mountain in Southeastern Santa Rosa, our students are able to explore their interests and passions in a rigorous and inspiring environment that develops a lifelong love of learning and prepares them for college and beyond.
