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Founded in 2001, Sonoma Academy (SA) has achieved an exemplary position among Bay Area schools in just 10 years. Drawing from five surrounding counties, SA attracts students and families seeking a rigorous college-preparatory education with a 21st century perspective. Along with high-level subject material, students learn critical skills like collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving and use of digital technology and media.
Having students be creative, cross-culturally aware, engaged in their communities, and able to become leaders in a changing world are goals of the school’s mission that are manifest today throughout SA’s program and culture.
Becoming well-rounded and capable leaders requires having global knowledge and the ability to apply it. At Sonoma Academy, curricular content — whether in humanities, art, or science — is drawn from cultures around the world. Half of students each year participate in the school’s international travel and service program, which won a Leading Edge Award from the National Association of Independent Schools. SA students have completed study or service in Thailand, China, Costa Rica, France, Japan, Nicaragua, Russia, Honduras, and Mexico. Students may pursue a concentration, which is similar to a college minor, in Global Citizenship. As a result of their education and experiences, students have initiated service projects that include building schools in Kabul and funding an AIDS nurse in Kenya.
One of the most striking advantages SA can offer students and teachers is its unique context. At the base of Taylor Mountain in Santa Rosa, the campus is surrounded on two sides by protected open space and overlooks residential and commercial properties. In this microcosm, students see firsthand the competition for land and resources, population growth/control, mediation of opposing interests, and the challenges of developing common ground.
As sophomores, all students participate in SA’s Environmental Leadership Program. Developed in conjunction with the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy, the program is based on their four pillars of “Environment, Equity, Economics and Ethics.” Students may also pursue an Environmental Leadership concentration. On campus, the school is developing the Electra de Peyster Organic Teaching Garden, with a community garden and full recycling and composting programs.
Sonoma Academy was founded by members of the local community, who felt a moral imperative to be sure that the school would be “of the community, for the community.” A scholarship fund, established at the school’s outset, has enabled talented students to benefit from SA’s college preparatory education regardless of their family means. In fact, 50 percent of students receive some form of financial assistance. SA students support the school’s commitment to having a positive impact in the historically underserved neighborhood bordering the campus. They tutor and teach music in local elementary schools and participate in a middle-school mentoring program.
Another essential element of a 21st century education that is evident at SA is the use of instructional technology. All students and faculty have laptops with specialized software that helps extend classroom learning and foster creativity. Technological tools enhance students’ access to material and ability to collaborate.
Sonoma Academy sees itself as fulfilling an imperative of its time: prepare graduates who can offer the unique leadership that this century demands.