•Congratulations to the Piner science students who paticipated in the 2016 Sonoma County Science Fair. See a Press Democrat video of Piner Junior, Yesenia Aguilar, presenting her project on gel electrophoresis. 20 STEM students were showcased at the 2016 SYNOPYS Sonoma County Science Fair, Friday March 4th at the Rohnert Park Community Center. Students had projects ranging from Upcycling to Goldfish Preference studies. Our top winners, Ryan Le and Musiael Gebremariam and their project: "Do students with higher math grades have increased ability for number sequence recall ?" were 1 of the 6 chosen (out of 126 projects) to go to the State Science Fair in May-fully funded by SYNOPYS!

•Piner's 2016 Debate Team competed at the Windsor Invitational on Saturday February 20th. From left to right: Evan Mack, Shea Dorrell, Akiva Waxman, and Ross "the Boss" Thorsen.

•The organizers of this year's Piner Crab Feed, Piner High School's Athletic Hall of Fame, Booster Club, and Foundation, wish to thank everyone who helped with this year's event especially Jim Lanz, Piner Culinary students and Instructors, and Piner ASB and Ms. Hollman. We had many wonderful donors of food and auction items. Click here for the complete list.

•Piner's STEM program held it's first Enquiry Event on Friday, February 19th. Below are questions the students did research on.

•On February 4-6, 2016 Katerina Flores, Shayna Reed, Sunny Luamanu, and Kevin Ruiz participated in the NORCAL Honor Choir held at Humboldt State University in Arcata California. This event is held annually and draws students from across the state in both Choral and Instrumental music to perform collectively in an Honor Ensemble of 130-150 performers.

•Shea Dorrell (left) and Carla Suarez (right) won the Martin Luther King Jr. Speech Contest at Piner and went on to represent Piner at last month's County contest.

•Check out Press Democrat's Kerry Benefield's video of Piner's Varsity boys basketball team. Good luck in the playoffs!

•2016-2017 Piner Cheer Tryouts - Mandatory Parent Informational Meeting March 3, 2016, 6:30pm in the MPR. !Tryouts! March 7-11 (M-F) 5:30pm-7:30pm in the MPR. Official tryout date is March 11th, however you must attend every day prior, no exceptions. Questions? Email cheercoachtena@yahoo.com

•Musetta Perezarce, RN and Nurse Educator, taught a skills lab to our HSB 3 students. Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to prepare them for their upcoming job shadow experiences in the medical community. Students learned about universal precautions, handwashing and handrubbing standard techniques and how to don and doff their gowns, gloves and face masks.

•Piner's HSB students visited the UC Davis Vet School for the first time.

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•Piner's Ana Parra is the Physical Education Student of the Month for January. Ana, though nursing an injury, continued to do her best in class. Always going beyond what is expected and willing to help others. Ana not only is a great PE student, she is an outstanding runner for the cross country team this past season. Ana truly is a picture of one who gives her all and therefore she has been chosen as Piner's PE student of the month.

•Get the latest Early College Magnet Program newsletter.

•Upcoming college workshops: Please plan on attending the 2 college workshops on Monday, Jan. 25th, 6:00 pm in the Piner Library: Cash for College Night: “Everything You Wanted to Know About Financial Aid,” including assistance on filling out FAFSA forms and Thursday, March 10th, 6:00 – 8:00 pm in the Piner College & Career Center: “How to Choose a College”.

•"I am writing to let you know that one of Piner High School's long time teachers, George Greco, just recently retired, has passed away. George Greco was a wonderful, kind, and patient human being who modeled for all of those who knew him that we can pursue lives of great meaning, even while facing personal health challenges. He was a consummate professional and a supporter of everything Piner. He loved basketball and found meaning in working to help young people grow and learn. Despite being confined to a wheel chair each day, George reliably showed up to work with our students and impacted them positively. As Mike Erickson noted during George's retirement celebration at Piner High School, he never complained or dwelled on the negative predicament of his situation. We can all learn from his humility and the way he dealt with adversity. Our Piner family will dearly miss him and my condolences go out to all of those on our staff who knew and cared for George Greco, and to all of his family and friends."
Tim Zalunardo, Principal
Read more about George Greco in the Press Democrat. A memorial service will be held at Piner High School Gymnasium, 1700 Fulton Road, Santa Rosa 95403 on Saturday, January 16, 2016 at 12:00 p.m., with a reception following.

•The PHS Boys' Varsity Basketball team celebrated Piner's own Sharon Stevens' 70th birthday last week with a heart-pounding win over El Molino. Not only did the guys present Sharon with a signed basketball before the game, but each member of the starting line-up went to Sharon before stepping on the court to shake her hand and wish her a happy birthday. Congrats to the team...for the win on and off the court.

•Spring Sports Notice: Concussion Screenings: January 30th and February 6th at 10:00am in the Performing Arts Center. Must have signed permission slip to attend. Spring sports registration deadline is Friday, March 4th. Any student interested in playing a Spring sport must have an athletic packet turned in to the Athletic Directors by 4pm on this date.

•2016 Project Grad Information: Packets were mailed home. Please take a look 2016 Project Grad Info/Contract (Espanol). Project Grad is able to offer a limited number of scholarships for this year's Grad Night party. In requesting a scholarship, please request only the amount you actually need. We want to be able to supply scholarships to as many seniors as possible with our limited funds. Please note that a request does not guarantee funds. Scholarships are available in the amounts of $15, $20 or $25. Get the scholarship here. The files are pdf and are not fillable online. Seniors/families please print the files, complete them, and turn them in with payment to the business office.

•Piner's Shamya Stone is the P.E. student of the month for December. Shamya just quietly goes about taking care of business every day in class. She has a wonderful attitude and work ethic. She has been working hard on improving her conditioning the entire quarter and she has a unique ability to make our entire 1st period class more enjoyable. Her attendance and effort have been a constant the entire semester and she sets the bar for what the ideal PE student can and should strive to be. Congratulations from Mr. Aubin and the entire PE department!

•Santa Claus and his elves (Piner ASB) visited Monroe Elementary school.

•Feliz Navidad from Ms. Michiel's Advanced Spanish class - celebrating Spirit Week.

•Piner High School and Comstock Middle School performed their Winter Concert on Wednesday December 9th. The annual "12 Days of Christmas" audience participation song was a rousing success. Watch a YouTube video.

•Congratulations to former Piner Coach Jim Underhill for receiving the North Coast Section Distinguished Service Award. Read more in the Press Democrat article.

•Congratulations to the Piner Cross Country Varsity Boys team and Cynthia Rosales who participated in the 2015 Cross Country NCS and State Championships. At NCS Piner Varsity Boys placed 3rd and Cynthia Rosales placed 5th in Division 3 (bottom two photos). Our Varsity Boys were Eduardo Calderon, Aidan Carpenter, Jacob Hayes, Nathan Hayes, Brian Luong, Harris Nguyen and Jonny Vargas. At the State Meet, 5 of 7 Varsity Boys and Cynthia Rosales each had personal records in their races.

•The Physical Education Department would like to recognize and congratulate Jonathon Cazares as the November P.E. student of the month! Jonathon is in Mrs. Pepper's 1st period P.E. class and never misses a day! Jonathon is always dressed and ready to exceed any expectation. He consistently goes above and beyond, and has the attitude to match. Thank you Jonathon for being so positive, energetic, responsible and a great role model for our class!

•Congratulations to Patty Michiels! From Judy Barcelon, "Patty Michiels was honored as the Piner High Teacher of the Year nominee for the California League of High Schools. Patty has dedicated 31 years of her life to sharing her passion for Spanish culture and language to our students be it Spanish for Spanish speakers or AP Spanish. She excels at any level. Principal Tim Zaldunardo introduced Patty acknowledging her dedication to the profession and how she serves as a cornerstone to the Piner High family. He captured perfectly her zest for classroom engagement, that when one opens the door to her classroom you can see her radiance that illuminate the minds of her students as well as hear their exuberance in the delightful singing that emanates. Ms. Michaels boldy gave her acceptance speech in Spanish at first. Demonstrating her passion for the subject and as her face lit up with such exuberance I found myself as enchanted as her students must feel. Besides all that fanfare, Patty is an icon and role model to the teachers at Piner. She has created such opportunities as cross cultural teaching with her students and elementary schools for over 15 years. She has kept up on technology, curriculum integration and being willing to try and learn new strategies. A life long learner, teacher advocate and perpetual Prospector, Patty well deserves this recognition and shall continue to reign at Piner High."

•Winter Sports Deadline: The last day to sign up for a Winter Sport is December 17th. You must turn in a completed Athletic Packet by 4pm on this date in order to participate in basketball or wrestling this season. See any of the Athletic Directors for details.

•PHS STEM Press Release: STEM Cell-a-bration features Scientist from the Buck Institute.

•Congratulations to the Piner Cross Country Teams for their great showings at the SCL Championship this past Saturday at Spring Lake. The Varsity Boys won their 6th consecutive pennant. Congratulations Jonny Vargas, Aidan Carpenter, Brian Luong, Nathan Hayes, Eduardo Calderon, Harris Nguyen and Jacob Hayes! Cynthia Rosales was 1st in the Varsity Girls race and is now one of only 4 Piner XC Girls who hold the title of Girls SCL Champion! Congratulations to Kassia Chagnon who placed 4th and ran the 3rd fasted time for a Piner girl on the Spring Lake Course. JV Boys also had a great season. Piner JV Boys are undefeated in league and won the JV Boys race at SCL Finals. Seana Smith placed 5th in the JV Girls race, great job Seana. GREAT job to everyone on the Piner XC team!

•Congratulations to Nicole Gregorio and Aidan Carpenter. They have been given official Commended Students status for scoring very high in the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test from last October of 2014. Both scored in the official high performers category and have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

•STEM Update: Nicole Gregorio was selected from a competitive field of students from around the county for the Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP) at Sonoma State this past summer. Here is what she has to say about it, "Last summer I was lucky to be picked as one of SSU's high school interns. I was accepted to a biochemistry project where I was paired with another student and an SSU professor to conduct research. Our project involved research on a protein called BAFF-R, which is of high interest in targeted therapies for lymphoma. In lab we used E. coli to produce this protein and analyzed samples for their content of BAFF-R. Not only was I able to learn skills like pouring and running SDS-PAGE, which is used to separate proteins by size, but I also learned how to troubleshoot failed experiments, which are frequent in research. Though research can be frustrating because results are often hard to come by, it is a very rewarding experience which has allowed me to grow as a student and a person. This internship prepared me for a career in science research, which I could not have received in a high school class alone." Although Nicole has already obtained her STEM certificate level 3 award for her rocket design last year... she plans to continue her commitment to the certificate by obtaining all levels possible for the STEM prospect award..

•Congratulations to Elias Negrete, Piner High School's Physical Education student of the month! In his 6th period weight lifting class, he was the only one to pass six of the seven standards. He attends weekly the after school PE on Wednesdays for extra credit. Elias is an example and model of what it means to work. He regularly works beyond the allotted class time to complete his workout.

•Piner Teachers Mark Mantoani (left) and Florentino Garcia (right) were recognized by the Santa Rosa City School Board as the Chamber of Commerce Educators of the Year.

•Press Release: Sonoma State promotes STEM education at Piner High.

•Piner's Tiffany Le played with Lang Lang, a Chinese concert pianist who has performed with leading orchestras in Europe, the United States and his native China, at the Green Music Center on October 4th.

•Piner's Jacob Montoya is the P.E. student of the month for September.

•Check out the Fall Gold Rush Newsletter.

•Get the latest ECMP Newsletter.

•2015 Piner Homecoming Floats. Congratulations to the Latino Club for being this year's Homecoming Float Winner! Thank you to the Classes, the French Club and the Yearbook Club for your participation and helping to make Piner's Homecoming halftime show fabulous!

•Piner Spirit!

•Piner Spirit Week 9/28-10/3

•ASB Conference: High school students from all of over Sonoma County participated in a Leadership Conference hosted by our very own Piner High ASB class, led by new advisor, Ms. Hollman. Schools that attended the conference included: Analy, Casa Grande, Cardinal Newman, Elsie Allen, Montgomery, Rancho Cotate, Roseland, Santa Rosa, Technology, Ukiah, and Windsor. This 350+ people event brought students together to show their spirit and demonstrate their leadership skills. The conference featured games, a motivational message about change by Johan Khalilian, spontaneous dancing, and a powerful amount of noise and spirit. Piner's ASB class would like to thank all of the schools that attended for being so dedicated and spirited at the event. Also, we want to give special thanks to Jostens for helping to coordinate the event.

•PHS Spirit! Ms. Michiel's 4th Period Class.

•Get involved! Check out our parent organizations Piner Boosters, Piner PTSO, and Project Graduation.

•Welcome new Principal, Tim Zalunardo, and new Vice Principal, Andy Van Horn!

•Get to know more about the Piner Boosters Club.

•PHS STEM Press Release: Piner High School recently awarded over 70 STEM certificates to students that met the extracurricular criteria for each of 3 levels of the STEM certificate program. Click here for photos of the presentations.

Congratulations to Ms. Michiel's Spanish Class students! Back row: Grant Wingett, Daniel LaTourelle, Robert Santos, Clayton Matulich, Bradley Snetsinger, front row: Nicole Aquino, Jesus Lopez, and Sheena Blackwell (not pictured). This year Ms. Michiels had 8 students that have been with her all 4 years of Spanish. The students are wearing a mini paella pan "medal" that has their name and 4 years with Sra. Michiels in Spanish.

• This year, on the 10th anniversary of "The March to the Test," Piner High School's AP Language students--breaking records again with 70 students total--converged upon the quad wearing their self-designed baseball tees emblazoned with "WRITING THROUGH THE SIX WITH MY WOES!" While some adults might wonder why Ms. Spearman would encourage sadness (woe) on the t-shirt, the connotation of "woe" in this rhetorical flourish is "friend"! The class of 2016 marched off to the testing room, clutching two Ticonderoga pencils, two blue or black ink pens, and an ineffable amount of excitement. Ms. Spearman is very proud of her amazing, hard-working students.

• Congratulations to Sheena Blackwell and Tony Martignoli for being selected as the 2014/2015 Piner High School Athletes of the Year and to Daisjah Sheperd and Jacob Hayes for their selection of 2014/2015 Piner High School Scholar Athletes of the Year! Each of these individuals exemplify the meaning of balancing athletics and academics and serve as role models for all of our student athletes here at PHS.

• Piner's Health Science Biotech Pathway was recognized by SSU to receive Jack London Award of Excellence and Innovation for our 3 year program that inspires and challenges Piner students to participate in STEM education as it relates to Medical Science and Biotechnology. Read more about the HSB Program here. The HSB pathway has also been recognized as a Career Technical Educational pathway with its strong ties to the community for student job shadow experiences and preparing the students for a variety of college majors to pursue professional degrees. Sonoma State School of Education presented the award to HSB instructors Mark Mantoani, Judy Barcelon and Principal Sally Bimrose (Dante DePaola, treasured Year II teacher, was obligated to SRJC Football). From Judy Barcelon, "What I love most about being a teacher in the HSB program is that it feeds my need to be an explorer and life long learner. Each year with different students come different ideas, career requests and passions- infused with such topics as Healthcare and Biotechnology that have exponential potential and there is never a dull moment.

• Piner Principal, Sally Bimrose (center), selected SCASA (Sonoma County Association of School Administrators) High School Principal Administrator of the Year. In the photo "Team Piner", there is also Diann Kitamura who was chosen Assistant Superintendent Administrator of the Year.

2014-2015 School Year

• Piner's 2015 Prom is at Legends at the Bennett Valley Golf Course on Saturday, May 9th from 8:00-11:30 pm. The theme is "Our Time to Shine," with colors of black, white, and silver. The cost for a ticket with an ASB sticker is $55 and $65 without ASB; there are no couples tickets. Tickets will be sold beginning at lunch on Wednesday, April 15th in the quad. After Wednesday, April 29th, ticket prices will jump to $70, whether or not a student has an ASB sticker. There will be a dessert buffet and a photo booth as well as the standard DJ and prom photographer for prom photo packages. Questions? Email Mrs. Jewell

• Ms. Barcelon has set up a donation site to raise funds for grants to support classroom and training opportunities. Click here to read about the projects and provide support.

• Ms. Michiel's Advanced Spanish Class, for the first time, cooked a cultural feast. From Spain there was paella (rice, veggies & chicken) and a tortilla española (a "tapa" of fried potatoes, onions, & eggs). From the Caribbean, there were tostones (fried plantains) and from Mexico, bionicos (a fruit salad). It was all "muy delicioso".

• Read the Press Democrat article on Piner Alumni, Ken Rossi. One of the 2015 Piner Hall of Fame Inductees.

• Piner's Health Science & Biotechnology program wins the Jack London Award for Educational Innovation! Join us at the awards ceremony May 6th at Sonoma State Cooperage at 5 pm. Instructors Dante DePaola, Judy Barcelon and Mark Mantoani were proud to have students show what they are doing and learning in this 3 year pathway.

• Mr. Mancillas, Mr. Sullivan, Ms. Graves and Mr. Castro took 53 Piner students to San Francisco Art Institute and San Francisco City College to see Diego Rivera's murals that he made back in the 1940's.

• Congratulations to Anthony Villalobos. March PE Student of the Month. Anthony participated and earned full credit every day of PE for the 3rd quarter except one day which he made up afterschool during our Wednesday workout session. As a result, he earned a perfect 100% grade for the quarter. Anthony has been working hard all year on his mile and has improved dramatically over the course of the year. To compliment his excellent attendance, Anthony also carries himself with a wonderful attitude and his presence in 4th period only adds to the outstanding quality of this class. Congratulations from Mr. Aubin and the PE department!

• Piner's HOSA team attended the Future Health Professional State Leadership Conference in Sacramento. The girls competed in CPR event, served on Courtesy Corps, and networked with chapter members from across the state. Ms. Barcelon judged competitive events in Biomedical Laboratory Techniques and Public Health. They had a great time touring Old Sac and eating Bento Box sushi rolls! They are geared up to grow our HOSA chapter and invite anyone interested to come to their next meeting Wednesday April 8th at 2:10 pm in Room D1. Pictured is Pim Khunmom, Daisy Li and Judy Barcelon, HOSA advisor.

• Congratulations to Piner's Connor McKeever. Sonoma County Women's Soccer League invited every art teacher in the county to develop a new logo for their league. 75 logo's were submitted, 3 were selected and then each of the 400 players got one vote. It was a three way tie with one team left to vote.....and Piner won! Here is the winning logo:

• Congratulations to the Co-Ed 4X200 team of Itzel Gonzalez, Daisjah Sheperd,Trevor Wofford and Miguel Garcia for their school record performance (1:43.32) at last night's Twilight Relays in San Rafael. Their efforts broke the old school record of 1:45.01 set in 2011 by Kyra Johnson, Ivy Campbell, Isreal Sanchez and Leonard Carter. Also Congratulations to the Boys Sprint Medley team of Antonio Salath, Brian Luong, Miguel Garcia and Trevor Wofford for their school record performance (1:40.13). Their efforts broke the old school record of 1:42.13 set in 2005 by Phanat Amphai, Unknown, Ross Teeter and current Piner Football Coach Terrance Bell. The Twilight meet record in the Co-Ed 4X800 set by Piner in 2012 was broken last night by Bishop O'Dowd and Campolindo. Piner finished fourth for the 3rd fastest time in school history, the team of Sheena Blackwell, Daisjah Sheperd, Brian Luong and Aidan Carpenter. And finally congratulations to the Girls Spring Medley team of Olivia Potter, Daisy Garncia, Daisjah Sheperd and Itzel Gonzales for running the 3rd fastest time in school history. Great job Prospectors!

• Check out the latest Early College Magnet Program Newsletter.

• Read about a recent tour by Piner STEM certificate students of Sonoma State University's STEM departments.

• Congratulations to Maria Guzman. PE Student of the Month for February. Maria's positive attitude and enthusiasm for exercise is contagious. Maria has 100% attendance, 100% daily dress, 100% on tests, 100% on daily participation in her mile runs and activities. Maria is an excellent role model for all students in PE and is one of the "fittest" freshman girls on campus. "Maria's motivation and early morning smiles keep me going!" Congratulations from Mrs. Pepper and the PE department

• Spirit Week: Safari Day

• Asian Culture Night.

• The Piner High Debate Team competed in the 7th Annual Windsor Invitational. Our two teams debated such diverse topics such as water conservation, government stimulus and fighting ISIS. Pictured here are Taylor Papola, Yesenia Aguilar, Ross Thorsen, and Cameron Jordon.

• 2015 STEM Cafe schedule

• Like Piner Counseling's Facebook page to get information on scholarships and other information.

• Have a GMail account? Add the ASB Google calendar to your list of calendars. On the left side under Other Calendars type in "pinerprospectorsasb@gmail.com" in the 'Add a friend's calendar' box. You can access the calendar and be updated on events going on at the school including: sports, dances, fundraisers and informational nights.

• Congratulations to Ross Thoreson, winner of Lions Speaker Contest for Santa Rosa Host club! Ross moves on to compete at the Regional level in Cotati on March 14th. His speech was on water conservation, how can we reduce, recycle and reclaim. Bryce Polkinghorn was his assistant speech writer and Mr. Sramaglia was his Debate Team coach. Ross won over 3 excellent speakers from the Analy Debate Team, mainly for his poise, passion and well researched facts. He is pictured here with Lions Student Speaker Chairman, James Oswald.

• Congratulations to the Boys Varsity Basketball team on their win over Elsie Allen in the SCL Tournament.

• Some work from talented students in our Maker Program.

• Congratulations to Sophie Flores. Winner of Piner's 2015 Poetry Out Loud Competition!

• ECM sophomores and parents: Mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 11. That's the date of the SRJC Parents Informational Night held at the JC. Details are forthcoming ... save the date!!

• Piner Students, Schools Plus Board Members, and Principal Sally Bimrose accept a $22,000 donation from Schools Plus. Thank you!!

• Piner High School is participating in the 2015 Redwood Empire Battle of the Fans. Watch the BOTF trailer here. The trailer was created by Piner student Lucas McCormick with the help of Piner ASB, Mrs. Jewell, Mr. Thompson, Lindsey Snetsinger, and of course the amazing Piner High fans!

• 2015 STEM Cafe schedule

• Piner Teacher, Steve Carpenter, named California League of High School (CLHS) Educator of the Year for Region 1 Piner High School. Mr. Carpenter was recognized at a California League of High Schools event on January 22nd at the Villa Chanticleer in Healdsburg. He was nominated by his peers and was among nine educators who were honored. Mr. Carpenter will now represent our region at the state level at the CLHS Annual Conference February 27-March 1, in Sacramento. Steve is noted for his contributions to STEM education at Piner with his work with First Light crosss age teaching and introducing coding and robotics into the ninth grade curriculum. In addition he was selected to teach the Sonoma State class for future STEM teachers on campus and continues to lead by example the craft of modeling as well as providing students opportunities to engage in hands on learning be it with k'nex bridges or working with electronic gizmos using Raspberry pi computer boards. In the photo are District Superintendent, Socorro Shiels (left), Steve Carpenter (center), and Piner Principal, Sally Bimrose (right).

• Piner students and teachers (Ms. Spearman, Ms. Armstrong, & Ms. Michiels) got together to honor Martin Luther King Jr by seeing the movie "SELMA" on January 19.

• Check out the latest Piner High Foundation Newsletter

• Want to know more about Project Graducation? Check out this flyer

• Students and families of Piner High School are invited by Piner PTSA to a financial seminar presented by the Redwood Credit Union. Tuesday 2/10 6:30pm in the Piner Library.

• HOSA students (Pim K; Daisy Li, Brian Duong, Andrea Robles, Patricia Abarca, Alejandra Robles, and Sinoug Phong) were busy over the holidays volunteering at two scheduled service opps at the Redwood Empire Food Bank. They became quite skilled at repacking Pizzas and had a great time as well.

• Check out the latest STEM update. Lots of great things happening like GIS Day, a campus visit by Sonoma State's Computer Engineering Department, MESA's Prosthetic Arm Challenge, and lots more.

• Congratulations to Mr. Dilillo's period 3 Culinary Arts class! Winner of 'Cupcake Wars'. The winning cupcakes were red velvet with chocolate covered strawberries and a pinch of candy cane.

• Congratulations to Kayla Poulsen, P.E. Student of the Month for November! Kayla carries herself with a wonderful attitude that is contagious. Her effort, attendance, and demeanor serve as a guide for what is expected from all our students on campus. As a result of these qualities she is currently earning 138% in PE. Not to be overlooked, Kayla was a contributing member of our Women's varsity Soccer team as a freshman. Congratulations from Mr. Aubin and the entire PE department!

• The latest Early College Magnet Program (ECMP) Newsletter is posted. Check it out. LOTS of great information is included.

• Congratulations to Piner's Brandon Zavala, Santa Rosa School Board's Student of the Month!

• Congratulations to Piner Mens Varsity Cross Country Team on their 5th consecutive pennant. SCL Champs for 2014!

• Piner Students at the recent Science Discovery Day.

• Read the lastest "Student Testimonial from Class of 2014 Graduate, Chelsea Wood.

• Lots of art happening at Piner. Check out the latest cool creations from Mr. Pedersen's Commercial Art and Design class on their Piner TShirt Club Facebook page. There are photos of a digital photography assignment using Photoshop.

• Join us for the next STEM Cafe Nov 6 at 7pm in the SPARQ Center. The featured speaker is Michael Van Grouw, Software Architect, Oscilloscope Products Division. The presentation is "How the 86100D Digital Communications Analyzer is Used to Design and Test the Next Generation of High-Speed Internet Devices". Come learn what it is and play with cool electronic gizmos!

• Piner's Office Staff get into the Halloween Spirit.

• North Bay Business Journal article "Piner observatory seen as a tech-education model"

• Piner Golfer, Sierra Sanchez, shown here with Coach Gregus, is only the 3rd Piner Lady Golfer to qualify for NCS. Congratulations!

• Press Democrat Teen Face - Pim Khunmom.

• 10,000 Degrees is hosting a series of meetings about college planning on Thursdays starting October 9th for Seniors and Parents/Families of Seniors: College Roadmap to Success (en Espanol)

• Lots of ways for parents to stay involved at school. Piner PTSA (Piner Parent-Teacher-Student Association) supports education and the classroom, Piner Boosters supports athletics, Piner Project Grad, and ELAC supports English Language learning.

• Ms. Michiel's 1st period class shows their school spirit for Homecoming - Pink Out Day.

• Ms. Michiel's 5th period class shows their school spirit for Homecoming - Comfy Cozy Spirit Day.

• State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson stopped in at Piner High School on Friday, part of a statewide tour to recognize schools that emphasize career and technical training on October 3rd. He lauded Piner High School programs. "“I hear great things about the programs here,” Torlakson told a morning gathering of students, local business leaders and officials from Piner, Santa Rosa City Schools and the Sonoma County Office of Education. “You’ve been pioneers.”" Read the full Press Democrat article.

• Congratulations David Chaparro, PE Student of the Month.

• Piner's Music Teacher, Mike Milbrath, bringing music back to Comstock Middle School. "Recognizing the need for band programs at Comstock and Piner, Schools Plus has decided to hold a special drive at its annual October fundraising event with the goal of raising $100,000 for instruments, uniforms and other supplies at both schools." Photo credit: Crista Jeremiason, The Press Democrat.

• Mr. Castro's Advanced Spanish Class showing the fruits of their hard work in the Piner Garden. Thank you!

• Piner's STEM program teams up with Sonoma State University to promote science education. "Piner announced a new partnership with Sonoma State University that will recognize ...students who commit to an intensive science education program by guaranteeing them early consideration for admission to SSU’s science and engineering department. They’ll also earn a certificate at graduation that reflects their specialty in an area of learning known as STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math.". Photo credit = Christopher Chung, Press Democrat.

• Piner PTSA invites you to join for the 2014-2015 school year. Membership is $5. Members signing up for the 2014-2015 year receive a coupon for Baskin Robbin for a scoop of ice cream. Sweet! The PHS PTSA is a non-profit, 501(C)3 organization. 100% of donations benefit Piner High School students.

• Stay up to date with STEM at Piner. Information is posted for the STEM Certificate. The next STEM café on Thursday,October 9th will be awesome, learning and exploring the Chemistry of Fluorescence…and we get to play with glow sticks in the After café! Food will be provided by 4th Street Deli so it will be even more fun!

• Thanks to a grant from last year we finally got a 3D printer. We printed the wrench today. It took about 20 minutes from warm up to finish. 10 years from now a large percentage of households will have one. Very cool. PHS Student Justin Wedel set it all up and printed the first item. He got to take the wrench home.

• The Santa Rosa Press Democrat's latest Teen Face article featured Piner Senior, Brandon Zavala. Photo credit = Christopher Chung, Press Democrat

• Piner Boosters raised $13,000 for Piner Athletics for the 2013-2014 school year. Thank you!

• The latest Early College Magnet Newsletter is now posted. The Early College Magnet Program (ECMP) is in its 9th year with a total of 285 students participating in the program this year, and we just keep growing! We now have 86 freshmen (with more on the waiting list!), 65 sophomores, 65 juniors, and 69 seniors enrolled, with juniors and seniors taking over 300 units at Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) for the fall semester

• Congratulations to Piner's Garden Club! Their exhibit placed 3rd at the recent 2014 Heirloom Seed Festival at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.

• Congratulations to the Piner Varsity Boys XC (Cross Country) team! They won the small school division at the Lagoon Valley Classic Invitational and throughout the team there were a lot of competitive races. Team photos

• Piner Student, Aidan Carpenter, participated in Pepperwood Preserve's Teen Nat Program as a Teen Nat Leader. These photo collages were created by Aidan.

• Piner's PAC wanted to acknowledge Mrs. Michiels' contributions to Piner. Thank you!

• Check out this year's Senior Wall courtesy of the Class of 2015. Artists: Kiana, Sydney, Madison, Annabell, Natasha, Ashley, Garrett, TJ, Brandon, Crystal, Laken, Sarah, Allie, Brianna, Clayton, Kristen, Laura, and more!

• Kurt Kruger and Sharon Stevens represented Piner High School as Outstanding Educators at the annual Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce Breakfast honoring educators on Friday, August 15, 2014. Mr. Kruger was honored as Co-Winner of Outstanding High School Educator of the year! Read more in the Press Democrat article.

• Piner's STEM Program looks back at a productive year.

• Piner High School was featured as a KPIX Cool School featuring our new Science Center and Observatory.

• Piner High School has been accepted into the 21st Century Learning Institute at the Sonoma County Office of Education.

2013-2014 School Year