By Natalie Wetzel

As I reminisce on my time in high school I would definitely say my favorite memories revolve around Homecoming week, especially the float parade that follows the dance. The floats are given a theme and each grade level builds a float that fits the theme. My freshman year the theme was “Under the…”

Our float was titled Under the Bed,” so we created a bunk bed in a messy room with a dragon peaking out from under the bed.   My sophomore year the theme was “Cereal.” However, my junior year was online so this event was not held.

Senior year the theme was “Decades.” I love this tradition since it creates a sense of community in each class. As a class we build a float, making friends that you have never met before. The parade at the end of the week is also super fun. Our floats are towed with some students riding on them to the Plaza. Community members stand on Broadway to watch the floats go by. From the parade we go to the outdoor theater on the Plaza where the Homecoming candidates tell jokes, finish the song lyrics, and playfully roast students. Then at night the floats are put in a semicircle with popular music playing and students dancing. This is definitely one of my favorite events that the school puts on and one that I will remember as my fondest high school memories. 

By Camille Phillips

My favorite memory from high school has definitely been participating in and playing sports.

When you’re on a sports team, you are forced to learn more skills, work hard on what you already know, and create bonds with your teammates. I have met some of my best friends through sports and I love the idea that all grades are included because as a freshman I became friends with seniors and as a senior I was able to get to know the underclassman. I was forced to step outside of my comfort zone and race/play positions I wasn’t used to, but that only made me a better player/competitor.

Although every sports team faces its fair share of trials, my teammates and I always made the best of every situation and were lucky enough to have coaches and team parents that would bend over backwards to do anything for their players.

Aside from playing in a sport, watching them as a fan was equally as much fun. Football and volleyball against Justin Siena wearing our best country/country club outfits, stomping our feet on the bleachers during basketball games, and seeing the boys lacrosse team win their first game were just some of my favorite memories from sporting events.

To go to a sports game, was to feel fully involved and immersed in the high school. I never felt more connected to my friends, family, and school than when I was watching SVHS sports. Once a dragon, always a dragon! 

By Bella Quilici

These past four years at SVHS have been anything but easy as the obstacles I’ve faced have forced me to develop a thicker skin and reevaluate my long term goals.

I’ve had more trips to the hospital, more therapy sessions and more natural disasters in the past four years than I have ever had in my entire life. And of course, who could’ve predicted a global pandemic? 

But needless to say, there have been some silver linings that have restored at least some of my faith in humanity. One of them being the school’s Model United Nations club. 

Everyone knows Model UN because of the trips we have been lucky enough to go on but not everyone realizes how impactful those trips can be. Going to Washington D.C and discussing foreign policy with like-minded students from all over the world was a life changing experience that I will never forget. 

It’s been a bittersweet experience passing the torch to the next group of officers but I have faith that they will continue to make the club a more inclusive place. I truly believe that without SVHS clubs, I would have been completely lost trying to navigate my way through these past 4 years. 

Earth Club taught me how to live more sustainably, Link Crew allowed me to connect with underclassmen and the Gender Sexuality Awareness Club created a safe space for me to continue my journey with activism. 

Because I fulfilled my sports credits this year, I decided to pursue an old hobby of mine and audition for the school play. This spontaneous decision turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made in my high school career.

I met some of the most supportive, enthusiastic people and made memories that defined my senior year. While there were times that I questioned my commitment to the after school and Saturday rehearsals, all of my hard work paid off when we were able to perform for the Sonoma community

As much as I say that I hate Sonoma, there are some things that I will miss about my scholastic career here. Being the broadcast anchor, MUN co-president and writer for the Dragon’s Tale have been some of the greatest honors of my life which I will cherish dearly. 

By Erin Nicholson

At the beginning of the school year, I had the opportunity to introduce Min Jin Lee at our school’s Author’s Day. I had no idea until only a couple of days before the event, and I was actually pretty nervous to meet her. I read her novel Pachinko, and several other articles that she had published throughout the years. 

Min Jin Lee is one of the many influential writers that I admire because of her ability in storytelling and her background. Seeing Asian and women’s representation in the literary world is important and should be embraced. I’m so glad that I was able to read her work.

A group of students were able to hear her read an excerpt from her novel and New York Times article. She retold her story of her family’s immigration from South Korea to New York, as well as her struggle with identity, culture, and courage. Her story was moving to say the least, and my admiration and respect only grew. 

Though it was technically against the rules of the event, Min Jin Lee insisted on signing my book and left another message that I will cherish forever. I told her how much it meant to me that I was able to be with her that day, and she pulled me into a hug and gave me words of encouragement that I will never forget. 

I hope to meet Min Jin Lee again in the future and thank her for her work done in the literary, feminist, and Asian-American worlds.