Kerry Benefield

1 day ago | pressdemocrat.com | Kerry Benefield

For decades, high school seniors across Sonoma County have welcomed the new year with a “Senior Sunrise,” where students gather to greet the dawn of not only a new day but their final year of high school. In recent days, those same students have gathered for the bookend to that experience with “Senior Sunset.”Together, they watch the sun go down and bid farewell to the school year, and in many cases, to each other. It’s meant to be fun, perhaps moving, and certainly symbolic.

1 day ago | sanluisobispo.com | Kerry Benefield

1858 Santa Rosans move to open a "town school" but the name Santa Rosa School District was already taken by operators of a school in Bennett Valley. The Santa Rosans then opened their "Courthouse District." 1859 First public school in Santa Rosa opens, serving 30 students ages 4 to 18. 1880s To alleviate overcrowding, seventh and eighth graders are put on a "split shift." 1921 Fire destroys Santa Rosa High School and many school district records.

2 days ago | pressdemocrat.com | Kerry Benefield

1858 Santa Rosans move to open a “town school” but the name Santa Rosa School District was already taken by operators of a school in Bennett Valley. The Santa Rosans then opened their “Courthouse District.”1859 First public school in Santa Rosa opens, serving 30 students ages 4 to 18. 1880s To alleviate overcrowding, seventh and eighth graders are put on a “split shift.”1921 Fire destroys Santa Rosa High School and many school district records.

2 days ago | pressdemocrat.com | Kerry Benefield

Like any campus worth its salt, there are rumors and tall tales that have floated around about the Slater grounds. Perhaps the best one, at least according to Coltrin? “There are rumors that there is a pool on the roof of the gym — just for teachers,” she said with a smile. Other Slater lore includes memories of the lower fields, the ones with the baseball and softball diamonds and the fields where tens of thousands of kids have played youth soccer over the decades.

2 weeks ago | pressdemocrat.com | Kerry Benefield

To find out more about the Blue-Tailed Skinks mountain biking club, their ride schedule and summer camps, as well as to sign up for the club newsletter, go to www.bluetailedskinks.com It started with an email sent to a handful of friends and acquaintances. In it, Matt Fritzinger, an avid mountain biker with two young boys, asked a simple question: “Want to ride?”It’s safe to say, the answer was a resounding yes.