Winter | 2014

The 2013-2014 jubilee will climax with a gala celebration May 10, an elegant party for the entire community and school alumni at the Santa Rosa Junior College’s Shone Farm in Forestville. Students will have their own celebration at school May 9. Watch the El Molino 50th Anniversary Celebration Facebook page for details.

The school hopes the wider community will join in the festivities throughout the year.

El Molino High School | School of Scholars and Champions

Happy AnniversaryCelebrating 50 Years

Inside this Issue

A Digital Revolution

LION LINES

El Molino High School is preparing for its second 50 years with new classes, new supporters,

a new website, a new TV studio, a new athletic program, a new look, a new slogan -- and the same personal attention to each student that has been El Molino’s hallmark since it was founded in 1963.

To honor its historic half-century milestone, the school is in the middle of a year-long golden jubilee celebration.

“Hey! We’ve been here 50 years. That’s quite an accomplishment,” said Casey Bauer, 16, a senior from Sebastopol. Bauer is co-president of the student body with Issabella Negri, 17, a senior from Santa Rosa.

attending classes in trailers at Analy High School. They moved to El Molino in May 1964.

The first student body president was Larry Lefor of Forestville, who was in the first graduating class of 1966 and became a teacher and coach at El Molino for 39 years.

“We had a coaching staff and a staff of teachers that had a vision for El Molino. They believed in us, and more importantly they taught us to believe in ourselves.” -- Larry Lefor, the school’s first student body president

A digital revolution is sweeping El Molino.A flashy new website publishes school

news. A TV studio, where students produce a news show every day, broadcast into most classrooms, has gone high definition with a $12,000 remodel. El Molino makes videos. El Molino is on Facebook. Soon El Mo will tweet.

“We’re preparing students to be broadcasters, web designers, filmmakers, journalists, and marketing experts,” said teacher Seth Friesen who oversees these programs.

The website is maintained by students in Friesen’s new digital marketing class. These advanced students also create audio and

video web content for the school and for local businesses and organizations.

This real-world experience appeals to senior Tanner Yost of Monte Rio.

“I like to work on a website that is something people will actually use,” said Yost, who plans to study computer science in college.

The new TV studio is a complete make-over, paid for by donations, grants, sales of graduation videos, and sweat labor. Friesen spent much of the summer working on it. The control room is four times larger and has the latest equipment. Editing rooms have been added.

Senior Maria Membrila heads a broadcast crew that produces a daily TV news show -- the only one in Sonoma County -- where student anchors report the latest news and broadcast clever videos also made by students. Teens watch this five-minute show in their classrooms. It’s how they get their school news.

You can watch it, too, at www.elmolino.org.

AP Classes and Teachers

EL MOLINO

“Everyone in the west county has seen El Molino progress through the years, and they’re just as much a part of our school as our students are,” said Negri.

El Molino was created to serve a growing population of students in west Sonoma County. The school started operating in July of 1963. That September, 250 freshmen and sophomores began

“We were only three classes the first year and quite small,” Lefor told an assembly to kick off the 50th celebrations. “We really weren’t expected to do too much. But, boy, were they wrong.”

Soon the school was racking up academic and athletic awards including four times a California Distinguished School. “You have the same situation we had then,” Lefor told the students. “Remember, El Molino is a School of Scholars and Champions.”

You’ll be seeing those words a lot.As the people of El Molino High

School step into their second half-century, they’re planning a campaign to spread the word about the distinguishing features of their school.

“We are a school with a college-like campus that provides an enriching and community-based environment. Whether we plan on heading to college -- or jumping right into a career -- we all have extensive opportunities to explore our 21st century futures,” begin new marketing materials developed by school supporters.

“We’re small enough to know everyone. Our teachers cheer us on. Our staff have our backs. We feel safe. We work hard. We make deep friendships. We have fun. We are unique.

“We are El Molino.” The slogan and

materials are being used by El Molino organizations to help publicize the school’s strengths.

“We are El Molino”

Ever wonder what’s going on at El Molino?Here are ways you can peer inside every day.

The school works hard to open itself to the community.New website: Here are daily school bulletins,

calendars of events, class schedules, accreditation reports, faculty information, El Molino stories by the local press, and the Curriculum Planning Guide, which details courses, graduation and college requirements, career information, and extracurricular activities.

What’s Up, El Mo?

Homecoming Court: Hailey Elmore, Queen Megan Cheatham, Makenna Nordby, Victoria Sprague. (Ballard photo)

Jaime Beach and Carlie Leyden with one of El Molino’s new sandwich boards. (Lines photo)

Daily TV broadcast: At the website you can watch the daily TV news show prepared by broadcast students.

Daily Email Bulletin: A daily news bulletin will be emailed directly to your inbox. Sign up at the website.

Facebook: Check out the fun pictures and news posted regularly to the school’s Facebook page.

Visit El Molino: Come to events. Watch the website for details.

Digital marketing students Olivia Hom, Michael McLees, Hayden Berry, with teacher Seth Friesen. (Lines photo)

2 A Word from Leadership2 Integrated Athletics and Spanish3 Agriculture, Grapevines, and Theater4 Calendar and Shout Outs

I have the pleasure to teach the Leadership class at El Molino, where 30 students are working hard every day

to enrich the El Molino experience for all. These students and I truly care about our school and making it a better place.

This class develops leadership skills, promotes community service, improves extracurricular campus life, and helps manage the school’s largest events. I invite all students to consider being part of this unique opportunity while they are at El Molino.

Participants include elected student body officers and students appointed by those officers or by me. Applications are available in the office. We welcome sophomores, juniors, and seniors who have demonstrated leadership skills, good grades, and good citizenship.

This semester, Leadership is meeting in Room F3 during Period 5. We are helping to plan rallies, Spirit Weeks, dances, club days, elections, Homecoming floats, King and Queen elections, sporting events, and more -- the biggest memories teens will have of their high school experience.

We also do 20 hours of service outside of school each semester, often with food banks, humane shelters, teen clinics, beach clean-ups, and community fundraisers.

Among our goals this year are making student council meetings more productive and increasing school spirit on campus.

Through Leadership, each graduating class will raise $10,000 to $20,000 over four years to pay for its Senior Prom, Senior Breakfast, and Senior Gift. The Class of 2012 donated a new stereo system for the gym, $12,000, and the Class of 2013 donated new trees for the quad, $6,000.

Mike Roan has coached at El Molino for 11 years and taught here for nine. He is the school’s activities and athletic director. You can reach him at mroan.ehs@wscuhsd.k12.ca.us.

A Word from Leadership Class

2

Remember when sports were an integral part of school life? When teams were coached by teachers

who worked together and kept an eye on their athletes’ grades? When kids could play a variety of sports instead of having to commit full time to one? Remember when sports were fun?

Welcome to El Molino.Starting this year, athletics at El Molino is organized

in a new and exciting way. The purpose is to put the fun back in sports while ensuring that the school can be as competitive in its second 50 years as it was in its first.

“We want to support all of our athletes, academically and physically, and our coaches work together to provide that support,” said Athletic Director Mike Roan.

The new way, called Integrated Athletics, integrates sports in three areas. It links (1) each team with all other teams, (2) athletics with academics, and (3) El Molino athletics with middle-school students.

Here’s how it works:• Twice a week after school, athletes from all sports

-- fall, winter, and spring -- meet together with fitness trainer Dougan Patience who runs conditioning workouts. No longer isolated within their individual teams, these athletes develop friendships, become each other’s fans, and generate excitement for each other’s sport.

“It’s great. It prepares you for the upcoming season,” said senior Gonzalo Santibanez, who plays football and baseball.

• Twice a week after school, as many as 50 athletes show up for the new Integrated Athletics study hall, where they can do their homework and make sure they keep up the grade point average they must have to compete. Study hall coach Justin Brown tracks grades and discusses academic progress with athletes and their coaches.

Lion Lines

Publication of Lion Lines is made possible by a grant from the El Molino High School Foundation, a charitable non-profit founded by alumni that raises money for programs valued by the El Molino community. It is supported by memberships and yearly fundraisers. Contact president Christopher D. Carver at crvrlaw@aol.com. Past Lion Lines are available at www.elmolino.org.

Last year 10 out of 19 varsity teams had a grade point average of 3.0 or above, qualifying them as Scholar-Athlete teams. They were: girls’ golf, soccer, tennis, volleyball, basketball, swimming, and track and field; boys’ soccer and basketball; and coed cross country.

Scholar Athletes

Integrated Athletics

The Hispanic community and its lyrical language have been a rich part of the El Molino experience

since the school board chose 50 years ago to give the school a Spanish name drawn from local history.

Today about one-fourth of El Molino’s 602 students are Hispanic and almost one-third of the student body is studying Spanish. El Molino is the only high school in the district to offer an Advanced Placement class in Spanish.

At El Molino, it’s cool to be bilingual.“Being bilingual has many benefits in our globalized

world, especially in today’s competitive job market,” said Monico Gutierrez, a freshman at Sonoma State University. Gutierrez was one of 18 seniors who graduated from El Molino in May with California’s coveted Seal of Biliteracy on their diploma, signifying that they had attained a high level of proficiency in at least two languages.

For students who don’t speak much English, the road to biliteracy often starts with teacher Lynn Stewart, who has spent 26 years opening doors so they can fully participate in El Molino’s educational opportunities and campus life.

This year 28 El Molino teens are working toward achieving fluency in English, and English is the

Hablamos Español

Teacher Lynn Stewart with officers of the Raza Club, for students interested in Latino culture and the Spanish language. Left to right: Secretary-treasurer Joel Gutierrez, co-president Evelyn Lozoida, organizer Mariana Lopez, co-president Claudia Carmona. (Lines photo)

Fitness trainer Dougan Patience watches as senior Travis McClintock lifts 275 pounds during a workout. (Lines photo)

Mike Roan

• Coaches, many of them private citizens who rarely saw each other in the past, met as a group to plan this year. They staggered their summer training sessions to accommodate El Molino’s multi-sport athletes, and they’re continuing to coordinate. The coaches, too, are a team.

• Meanwhile, to help ensure that entering freshmen will be eager and ready to participate in high school athletics, last summer El Molino coaches taught 14 free sports mini-camps, featuring seven sports, for 5th through 8th graders. Roan expects to offer middle-school clinics during the school year, as well.

With 602 students, El Molino is the smallest school in the Sonoma County League, which tops out with Analy at 1,400. It has developed Integrated Athletics to help Lions be competitive in football, soccer, volleyball, golf, tennis, cross country, basketball, wrestling, baseball, softball, track, swimming, and mountain biking.

second language for 89 others.With aides and tutors, Stewart teaches them English

grammar, reading, writing, and study skills. She helps them apply for college admission and financial aid, and brings back El Molino graduates to model their college success.

“She motivated me to move forward,” said Martha Aparicio, who entered El Molino four years ago not speaking English and is now a student at Santa Rosa Junior College.

Stewart organizes an English Learners Advisory Committee of Hispanic parents that meets at El Molino to learn about their children’s school life and the importance of education. Alicia Montaño and Ester Francisco are co-presidents. Last year the committee joined Stewart in sponsoring free beginning computer classes for Hispanic parents in the school’s computer lab.

Stewart’s ultimate goal? These students will go to college. And almost all of them do, she said.

Spanish-speaking students study Spanish to learn grammar, writing and literature. They join native English speakers, tackling Spanish. Bringing the two groups together benefits both, said AP Spanish teacher Michele Larkin. “They benefit from each others’ strengths,” she explained.

We know that being bilingual is very important to our futures, said Larkin’s students Faviola Ruiz and Zonia López, juniors, and Manuel Quintero and Angelica Lezama, seniors.

Published by El Molino High School

Editor: Patty SullivanReporter: Mary FrickerDesigner: Jenny MountjoyCopy Editor: Shawn Connally

It’s a good thing El Molino has 41 acres, because the new ag teacher Marilee Mazur may need

them.She’s putting together raised beds for ornamental

plants and establishing row crops. She’s converting the greenhouse into an animal barn. She’s bringing in a bigger greenhouse donated by Windsor High School and the Sonoma County Office of Education. She’s building pens for goats and sheep and possibly even steers, so kids will have a place for their animals when there’s no room at home.

“It’s all happening so fast,” she said. “It’s a five-year plan we want to be done by March.”

debate competition. Debate is a subset of forensics. As members of the National Forensics League, El

Molino team members compete four to five times a year against more than 45 teams in the greater Bay Area. Each tournament consists of more than 400 students. Riley herself has received high honors from the League.

Many of Riley’s acting students are also involved in forensics. Several of the competitive events are the interpretation of literature. Public speaking requires the same set of skills that acting does, including emotion, vocal variation, and self-confidence.

Through forensics, Riley offers students another venue for performing and honing their skills.

It’s a New Day on the Farm

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and ag business, including sales, marketing, finance, and management. This semester she’s teaching viticulture and environmental sciences, plant and animal science, and agriscience.

She’s also working with culinary and environmental science teachers to develop a Farm-to-Table program that will feature seasonal foods, often sustainably and organically grown, all harvested and cooked fresh by El Molino teens.

So if you’re near the northeast sector of the campus, where farming happens, hold onto your hat. There’s a whirlwind out there.

Mazur is a 2011 graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a major in agricultural science, a minor in agribusiness, and a passion for agriculture education. She grew up in Martinez where her 4-H projects included horses, pigs, and rabbits. She loves showing at fairs, she told the Sonoma-Marin Farm News which profiled her in August, and she proved it by helping El Molino’s FFA kids with their summer fairs even before she officially became their teacher.

Mazur will have help with her ambitious program. El Molino’s Ag Boosters, headed this year by Stefanie Stornetta and including community members like well-known vineyard owner Saralee Kunde, a past president, are stalwart supporters and fundraisers. In September the Ag Boosters gave agriculture classes $7,000 for 15 laptops to enable 21st century learning.

On the Main StageBy Penny Horobin -- Performing Arts Alliance

When Ginger Riley, director of El Molino’s Theater Arts program, walked on stage at El Molino 15 years ago, she brought three degrees from the University of Tennessee -- including one in Russian Language and Literature and a Master of Fine Arts in Acting -- and the experiences of living in Moscow and teaching for years in Tennessee and Texas.

Widely recognized for her skills as a musician and actress, including her performances and musical directing with the Raven Players in Healdsburg, Riley brings not only dedication to the theater arts classroom but to the importance of lifelong learning.

Currently 80 students are learning theater, oral interpretation, and stagecraft at El Molino, where they study scenic design, sound reinforcement, costume design, makeup design, lighting design, and stage management, all of which could lead to fulfilling careers.

“My favorite part of theater arts is the community we build while putting on a production,” said senior Sam Flood, adding, “Learning to express yourself in

Lars Walton, Class of 1999, is Chief of Staff for the California State University

system with 23 campuses. A political science major from UC Berkeley, he’s also been an assistant vice chancellor at UC Riverside and a White House intern for Republican political advisor Karl Rove.

Alumni Corner

Theater students in the musical “Into the Woods” last year. (Michael photo)

The El Molino chapter of the Future Farmers of America, called Forestville FFA, has more than 50 events on their to-do list

this year, from community services, like taking animals to visit the elderly, to competitions and conferences.

The FFA is about preparing youth for their futures, said Forestville FFA President William Hamilton, a senior from Sebastopol.

“The focus is learning how to create a better tomorrow through agriculture,” Hamilton said.

All of the 83 agriculture students at El Molino this year are automatically members of the Forestville FFA. Their participation in the club is part of their class grade. El Molino’s new ag teacher, Marilee Mazur, is the club’s advisor.

Harvesting El Molino grapes: Levi DeCarly, Emily Eakins, Amanda Raffety, Justin Hammack, and Ms. Mazur. (Lines photo)

FFA ~ Our Future Farmers

Meanwhile, back in the classroom, she’s restructuring the curriculum, with plans to add floral design, ag leadership, ag communications,

A second group, the Ag Advisory Committee headed this year by Diana Stornetta, organizes local industry and community support and advises on curriculum.

The farmers and ranchers of the famed Russian River Valley have embraced El Molino since its

founding 50 years ago. “It’s about supporting the ag program. It’s about

supporting the kids. We’re in an ag community. It’s about keeping ag strong,” said Graton rancher Steve Dutton.

A good example today is the Russian River Valley Winegrowers Foundation, rrvwfoundation.org, which is the genius behind El Molino’s one-acre vineyard of pinot noir adjacent to the school on Anderson Road. Farmed today by Dutton Ranch and El Molino students, that vineyard produces two to five tons of grapes a year and raises thousands of dollars annually for the El Molino ag program.

Kendall-Jackson planted the school vineyard in 1999-2000 and bought the grapes for nearly a decade. Winemaker Merry Edwards made the first Lion’s Pride wine, followed by Bob Cabral and Lee Martinelli.

Ag Support front of others is one of the most important skills to learn to prepare for life outside of school.” 

This month more than 45 students are presenting the musical “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown!” based on the comic strips of Charles Schulz of Santa Rosa.

In addition to her dedication to theater, Riley goes the extra mile at El Molino by coaching the forensics team. It placed first in the 2013 Sebastopol Rotary Speech Contest, beating out all local high schools.

Forensics is interscholastic speech and

Since 2010, El Molino alumni Steve and Joe Dutton have overseen the vines, and a group of members of the Bohemian Club of San Francisco buy the grapes to make their Bohemian Pinot Noir wine.

In 2012 the foundation gave El Molino $10,500 in scholarships. In other years it bought a nine-passenger van, pickup truck, textbooks, tools, and more. It also shared the cost of a livestock trailer with Ag Boosters.

Checking out the new class laptops are Forestville FFA officers William Hamilton and Julia Almind with teacher Marilee Mazur and Ag

Booster Stefanie Stornetta. (Lines photo)

Junior Emily Eakins with a load of grapes. (Lines photo)

El Molino High School7050 Covey RoadForestville, CA 95436

El Molino Calendar & Shout Outs

For more events, information, and contacts, see the El Molino High School online calendar at www.elmolino.org/calendar.

Fifty years ago, the school board named its new Forestville high school El Molino to give the school an historical identity.

The “molino,” a commercial sawmill built in 1834, was on Mark West Creek where it flows into the Russian River, less than a mile north of the school, at the foot of Covey and Mirabel roads in Forestville. The 17,892 surrounding acres that Mexico granted to the sawmill owner, including Forestville, became known as Rancho El Molino. The high school is at the heart of that rancho and thus took its name.

Cast rehearses “Into the Woods.” (Lines photo.)

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How’d we get the name “El Molino”?

Built for Speed: High-fives to digital media teacher Seth Friesen, whose 1971

Volvo 1800e, rebuilt for less than $500, and LOL Racing team beat out 183 others for the top award, the Index of Effluency, at Car & Driver’s 24 Hours of LeMons race in Willows, Calif., this past September.

Chicken Coops: Need one? Teacher John Novak’s construction class builds them to order. Choose from available styles and negotiate your price. These are the same skilled craftsmen who are building the new fence between the library and the cafeteria and sandwich boards to advertise El Molino events.

On the Wall: Pictures of fall athletes selected First Team Sonoma County League will be added to the gym wall: Louis Rampone, football; Valerie La Forge, Jocelyne Santibanez, girls’ soccer; Morgan Would, Kayla Allen, girls’ volleyball; Issabella Negri, girls’ tennis; Brian Schulz, Brady Lane, cross country; and Connor Gieseke, Andes Toruno, boys’ soccer.

Super Support: Thanks to North Coast Builders Exchange for helping construction classes. Thanks to Trope Group for chairs in the computer lab. Thanks to Jim McClure for tutoring math to bilingual students. Thanks to Wilbur-Ellis for vineyard help.

Soccer Success: The girls’ soccer team, under first-year coach Alexis Sciacqua, made the North Coast Section playoffs in 2013 for the first time in more than 15 years.

El Molino students produce The Daily Bulletin of school news. To get the bulletin by email or to view the daily video bulletin, go to www.elmolino.org.

Generou$ Rotarians: The Russian River Rotarians donated $41,075 to El Molino students and activities in the past three years, and in recent years they also contributed $17,500 toward athletic field improvements. Rotarians, you rock!

Winning Speakers: Emma Leahy, a junior, won first place for Novice Thematic Interpretation at the Golden Gate Speech Association Tournament in October. Then El Molino swept the top three awards in the Voice of Democracy speech contest

sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Sebastopol, with junior Gillian Barrio taking first place.

Bienvenue! To our new French teacher Ghislaine Gery, a French native whose family home is a 1776 farmhouse in mid-France. She comes to us from the French American Charter School in Santa Rosa.

Digital Leader: El Molino math teacher Rachel Lasek is one of the first 19 California teachers to receive national certification as a digital educator from Leading Edge Certification, which identifies teachers skilled at using technology as a tool.

School Board Rep: Sam Harsimranjit Kang, 16, a junior, represents El Molino on the

school board this year. At each monthly meeting, he will speak about El Molino and sit through hours of important deliberations.

Got Art? In honor of El Molino’s 50th, art teacher Mary McGowan wants to include art by former students in the annual art show this March. Artist alumni, please contact McGowan. Current students will sell postcard-size art to raise money for school art supplies. Check the school website for details.

JANUARY23-25 Thurs-Sat: “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” musical, 7:30 p.m., Cafe Theater. See page 3.27 Mon: Junior Parent Night, 5:30-8 p.m., library.27 Mon: Booster meeting, 6-7:30 p.m., teachers’ lounge.30-1 Thurs-Sat: “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” musical, 7:30 p.m.

FEBRUARY3 Mon: Freshmen and Sophomore Parent Night, 6-7 p.m., library.3 Mon: Friends of Music meeting, 7-8 p.m., teachers’ lounge.4 Tues: FFA meeting, 12:38-1:08 p.m., Room J-5.5-6 Wed-Thurs: Theater a la Carte, 7:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., cafeteria.22 Sat: Turnabout Dance, 8-11 p.m., gym.24 Mon: Booster meeting, 6-7:30 p.m., teachers’ lounge.24 Mon: Winter Sports Awards, 6:30-8:30 p.m., gym.25-26 Tues-Wed: Solo Ensemble Dance, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Cafe Theater.27-1 Thurs-Sat: Dance Spectacular, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Cafe Theater.

MARCH3 Mon: Friends of Music meeting, 7-8 p.m., teachers’ lounge.4 Tues: FFA meeting, 12:38-1:08 p.m., Room J-5.6 Thurs: 8th Grade Parent Night, 7-9 p.m., library.7 Fri: Jazz ‘n Pasta music dept. show & fundraiser, 5:30-9 p.m., Cafe Theater.13 Thurs: 8th Grade visitation, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., gym.14-15 Fri-Sat: Visual Arts Dept. show & fundraiser, 4:30-8 p.m., Room C4.17-21 Mon-Fri: Spring break.24 Mon: Booster meeting, 6-7:30 p.m., teachers’ lounge.27 Thurs: 8th Grade registration, 3-7 p.m., library.

APRIL1 Tues: FFA meeting, 12:38-1:08 p.m., Room J-5.1 Tues: 8th Grade registration, 3-7 p.m., library.7 Mon: Friends of Music meeting, 7-8 p.m., teachers’ lounge.8 Tues: Supes On, meet Supt. Keller McDonald, 2:30-3:30 p.m., Room C4.24-26 Thurs-Sat: Dance Spectrum, 7:30-9 p.m., Cafe Theater.

Historic Yearbook: This one’s a keeper, for students and alums. The theme is Then and Now, pegged to El Molino’s 50th anniversary. Buy a yearbook, ad space to recognize a graduating senior, or your own special ad, at jostensyearbooks.com.

Outstanding: English teacher John Thomas was named 2013 Teacher of the Year by the Sebastopol Rotary Education Foundation. Thomas has taught at El Molino for 26 years, and has coached baseball, softball, football, basketball, golf, and track. (Did you know he also played semi-professional baseball?)

Iron Lions: Albert Beltran, Jesse Fichman, and Megan Warren, all Class of 2013, were the first athletes to win the school’s new Iron Lion award for athletes who compete in three sports a year for each of their four years at El Molino.

Thanks, Voters! Measure K, approved by voters in 2012, is paying for 20 class sections each at El Molino and Analy high schools this year, helping to finance libraries and counseling.

Rancheros Doria Trombetta and Matt Dunkle, aka El Mo principal and vice principal. (Ballard photo)