It is Day #3 of Healdsburg Education Week
Earlier this week, you learned more about Healdsburg public schools and HEF programs in support of students in Grades TK-5. Today, we focus on the Healdsburg Junior High.

From Robotics and Chromebooks to a remarkable staff person, we invite you to explore our beloved junior high in today's school spotlight.

Consider renewing your support for HEF, and don't forget to scroll below to see which local businesses are supporting our students this week.

Thank you being a part of our community, and for taking a moment to learn more about the public schools during HEF Ed Week.
Sara M. Leffew
HEF President on behalf of the HEF Board
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Wed., November 10, Spotlight:
Healdsburg Junior High
HEF dollars support individual programs at each of the four schools in the Healdsburg Unified School District. At Healdsburg High (HJH), which educates children in grades 6-8, these programs broaden course and curriculum offerings available to students.

Exhibit A: The robotics program.

This class, one of the most popular elective classs at the school,
revolves around EV3 robots from LEGO, and Principal Chris Miller said HEF dollars paid for just about all the robots in use today.

“It very much ties into one of our big ideas of wanting to make sure we provide STEM courses to all students who are interested,” he said. Miller noted the program has been surprisingly popular among girls: “We’ve been able to get a lot of girls who might not otherwise have been
interested in the STEM fields interested in this because it is so dynamic.”

Miller said the class has been so successful that HJH students regularly compete at the Sonoma County Robotics Challenge. He noted that the school has and numerous teams win honors there for different competitions over the years. (Due to COVID-19, the competition hasn’t been held since 2019).

Another example of HEF dollars at work in the junior high: the Chromebook program.

Through this 1:1 computing initiative, each of the school’s 300 students receives a tablet they can call their own for the duration of the year.

While these tablets came in handy for virtual school during the pandemic, now they provide a way to supplement the curriculum in the classroom and extend and amplify it for the students at home. HEF teamed up with the John Jordan Foundation to fund the program entirely.

Miller noted that a third area where HEF dollars have made a big difference is the hiring of a parent outreach coordinator who splits time between HJH and Healdsburg High School. This woman—her name is Esperanza Nuñez (pictured above)—is tasked to connect with Spanish-speaking families to make sure the school district is meeting their needs.

“HEF makes sure great ideas in this district are able to thrive,” Miller said. “We’re lucky to have them.”
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A Message from HUSD Superintendent Chris Vanden Heuvel
"HEF not only positioned our schools to pivot in the pandemic, but has really stepped up during this unprecedented time. COVID and recurring fires have created more needs than ever before. Beyond just financial resources, our students and schools need advocates and channels to be able to reach the broader community. HEF has willingly made that shift and continues to work to be a stronger than ever partner of HUSD. Please support us by supporting HEF!"
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HEF's Mission: Bring our public schools and community together to promote and invest in programs and initiatives that have the greatest impact on student learning, & that help equitably prepare ALL of our K-12 students for college, career, and citizenship.
HEF believes in community. We thank you for being a part of the supportive network that cares so deeply for the public students of the Healdsburg Unified School District. We invite you to consider renewing your investment in HEF. We simply could not do the work without your valued partnership and generous donations.
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Healdsburg Education Foundation
P.O. Box 1668 Healdsburg, CA 95448