Academics
Connections
We are Connected
Students engage in our Connections program Wednesday afternoons. They explore the web of connections that exist between themselves and others through Health & Wellness, environmental sustainability projects, community engagement projects, and college counseling.
Ninth Grade: Health & Wellness
Connection to Self
The freshman Connections/Health & Wellness program is designed to inform, challenge, and support students in their ethical and personal decision making. Students learn about and grapple with complex health and moral issues. They gain the skills and resources necessary to make informed and responsible choices for themselves. Freshmen receive mentorship and guidance from seniors who have applied to and been trained to be Health & Wellness Teaching Assistants. The curriculum addresses mental health, stress management, sleep, nutrition, drugs and alcohol, conflict resolution, friendship, questions of identity, digital citizenship, communication skills, gender roles and gender fluidity, and body image.
Tenth Grade: Sustainability
Connection to the Environment
In tenth grade, our students learn about how the concept of sustainability applies to their personal lives, the life of their community and the future of our planet. The unique location of our campus—surrounded as it is by rural farmland and preserved open space—affords compelling opportunities for our students to examine and model sustainability. Students learn about our campus water and power use, as well as our trash production, land use, and food sourcing.Through speakers, field trips, and hands-on activities, students understand the connection between the environment, the economy, and the concept of equity. As students learn more about sustainability, they become aware of the role and responsibility they each have in protecting our planet.
Eleventh Grade: Community Partnerships
Connection to Community
Through our Connections program, juniors spend Wednesday afternoon leading enrichment workshops at our two neighboring local elementary schools, which also happen to be the most underserved schools in Santa Rosa. Our students mentor fourth and fifth grade students in small groups where they take part in athletics, theater, music, robotics, filmmaking, dance, and art. On occasion, we are able to bring the elementary students to our campus for school-wide presentations of the work we’ve done in partnership. Through this program, students (both high school and elementary) learn new skills and build connections. Some of our graduates discovered a passion for teaching through this program; we also have current students who were mentored in elementary school by Sonoma Academy juniors.
Through our Connections program, juniors spend Wednesday afternoon leading enrichment workshops at our two neighboring local elementary schools, which also happen to be the most underserved schools in Santa Rosa. Our students mentor fourth and fifth grade students in small groups where they take part in athletics, theater, music, robotics, filmmaking, dance, and art. On occasion, we are able to bring the elementary students to our campus for school-wide presentations of the work we’ve done in partnership. Through this program, students (both high school and elementary) learn new skills and build connections. Some of our graduates discovered a passion for teaching through this program; we also have current students who were mentored in elementary school by Sonoma Academy juniors.
Twelfth Grade: College and Beyond
Connection to the Future
In twelfth grade Connections, senior spend their first semester receiving intensive college counseling, giving them time and guidance to work through their college applications. During the second half of the year, students gain practical skills to help prepare them for life after high school through a a combination of guest speakers, hands-on workshops, small group activities, and large group discussions. Topics include campus safety; taxes and finances; cooking; sewing; using hand tools and making minor repairs; applying for jobs; issues of sexuality, diversity and inclusion; and substance use. The program also features an alumni panel where graduates speak about what they wish they’d known before heading off to college.
In twelfth grade Connections, senior spend their first semester receiving intensive college counseling, giving them time and guidance to work through their college applications. During the second half of the year, students gain practical skills to help prepare them for life after high school through a a combination of guest speakers, hands-on workshops, small group activities, and large group discussions. Topics include campus safety; taxes and finances; cooking; sewing; using hand tools and making minor repairs; applying for jobs; issues of sexuality, diversity and inclusion; and substance use. The program also features an alumni panel where graduates speak about what they wish they’d known before heading off to college.
Sonoma Academy Is...
...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.
