Back to School: Success on Tap in Healdsburg

The Healdsburg Public School Success Team (PSST!) entered its third year by adopting its third 5th-grade class. In addition, the dedicated group of volunteers, mentors, tutors and business sponsors continue to mentor the first two classes -- now sixth and seventh graders.

Two-and-a-half years ago, the dynamic team of Tania Amochaev, Jane Rosenberg, Barbara Epstein and Lynne Brett, created the Public School Success Team and adopted their first 5th-grade class. They have been joined on the board of directors by Catherine Banti and Rich Schroeder.

This year, they along with 50 tutors, mentors and business sponsors, they have taken a new class under their collective wing.

Not only does PSST! assure the students they will continue to support them through eight years of their education, they also promise an educational grant, if the students finish school and graduate from Healdsburg High School. The grant may be used on any form of further education—college, university, technical or trade.

In addition, PSST! works with Sonoma State University to assure acceptance to the college, if the students meet admission standards upon graduation from high school, through the “PSST! Passport to Sonoma State University” program.

“We’re looking forward to meeting our new fifth graders, our new class,” said Lynne Brett, tutor coordinator. “We have such an amazing group of volunteers.

“They are so engaged with the kids; it’s marvelous,” she continues.

PSST! works in cooperation with the Healdsburg Unified School District and curriculum coordinator, Annie Millar. This year, Healdsburg High School and PSST! are adding a credit-course at HHS, appropriately named PSST! High School students can choose to take the course for experience and high school units, while helping mentor younger students.

“We had several high school students tutoring [last fall],” said Amochaev, founder and current board member. “By the end of the year, we had eight or nine.

“This year we anticipate between 14 and 20 high school students taking the class,” Amochaev stated. “The program was created in conjunction with the high school principal [Chris Vanden Heuvel].

“He jumped right on the idea,” she continued, “though he was new to the school last year.

“We provide tutoring and mentoring, have a family committee and encourage sports as a way to support their involvement with the school,” Amochaev went on.

The students aren’t just getting language arts and math tutoring, they are also getting art, science and specially designed courses to foster their knowledge base and help further their understanding of the world around them.

“Carlos Pérez taught our art class at the Healdsburg Center for the Arts, this summer,” said Brett. “It was so successful this summer that it will be continued throughout the year.

“Sarah Beard taught the science experiment class,” Brett continued. “She’s a senior at Healdsburg High School and she won Tech Trek.

“We called her class ‘Science Experiments with Sarah,’” she said. “She was an inspiration to the kids.”

They also visited the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society and Healdsburg City Hall.

“We had a course this summer called ‘My Healdsburg,” Brett continued. “The culmination of the course was attending the school board meeting where we compared the school board to the city council.

From their presentation to the school board, “Harmon Heald founded Healdsburg…. Italian and Mexican families helped the town grow.”

“The students also learned that being bilingual has perks, [police officers speaking Spanish get a wage adjustment of $250],” said Brett. “They also learned that they had to read and write the language.”

“The generous response of the community in helping us carry out ‘My Healdsburg’—included Holly Hoods at the museum, city manager Marjie Pettis, Pricilla Contretras from Alliance Medical, Stacy Miller at the police department, Rich Schroeder and Dave Goodreau of General Dynamics,” Brett enumerated.

“The wonderful staff at Parkpoint Health Club—they gave a fitness presentation, invited them to stay and try out an exercise routine or the swimming pool,” she continued. “They gave them lunch, too.”

“They had learned about the city council, its function, the election process and met the councilmembers,” she said. “The school board was very relevant to them because that is their world.

“We told them [the school board] what we learned this summer and asked them questions,” Brett enthused. “The board answered all their questions.

“It was a natural culmination of the summer,” she ended.

 “Our program will make a difference in students’ lives and their futures. To succeed, we need your help,” the PSST! website says.

Help today by donating or volunteering. New tutor orientation day is Wednesday, Sept. 14.

To join as a tutor or mentor, contact lynne@geysermail.com or hbgpsst@gmail.com or call 473-0902

Or send a donation to: Public School Success Team, PO Box 781, Healdsburg, CA 95448

To see a video of their first class click here.