The Lewis E. Cook III Student Scholarship 

In 2011, Lewis E. Cook III, 32, was fatally struck by a drunk driver while on vacation in Vail, CO. Later that year, his parents, Lewis and Susan Cook of Glen Ellen, CA, created this scholarship in their son’s memory in honor of his time spent at Sonoma Valley High School.

From his first summer spent swimming while attending the SVHS summer program at the age of 10, through 8th grade summers swimming with the Sonoma Sea Dragons, Lewis attributed his ultimate All American swim status (four categories) to his SVHS coaches. Lewis went on to graduate from Princeton with honors in Economics, and was a Duke Scholar at Duke Business School.

Each year, a deserving senior from SVHS receives a $1,200 grant to help in their pursuit of the arts in any form.

We are grateful to the Cook family and proud to support these talented Sonoma Valley students.

Meet our Cook Scholarship Recipients

Genevieve Smith - 2024​

​Genevieve has found art to be an integral part of her life and since her sophomore year, film has become a new way for her to express her artistic side.  Participation in the Video Arts program at SVHS helped her immensely by providing education and tools she needed to make her vision appear on screen.  During her high school years, Genevieve created, directed, filmed and edited 3 short films that were selected for the Student Film Festival during the Sonoma International Film Festival. She also filmed the 2023 Red & White Ball and created a video for the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation’s website, which is still shown to people who want to learn about the Foundation. Genevieve says it is “…sentiments like this inspire me to create and share with others and I am excited to head to college as a Film and Digital Media major.”

Syd Chapin - 2023​

​Sid shared a few thoughts and plans recently:  "Art and creativity as a whole has always been very important to me, and I am happy to be ever closer to achieving my dream of sharing my art and stories with the world. I am extremely grateful to have received this scholarship and will put it to use to pay for my tuition. I hope to make Sonoma and the whole valley proud of me as I continue my education and my passions, and I will always be looking for a way to properly repay the graciousness of the town that raised me."
Sid will be attending Wheaton College in Massachusetts in the fall studying film and creative writing but plans to continue to pursue visual arts as well.

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​​Alejandra Gonzalez - 2022

​Ever since she was young, Alejandra has felt the need for artistic expression in her life.  She thinks of art as a way to relax as well as a creative outlet. Alejandra shares that “Art for me means so many things; it has allowed me to have a voice and has allowed me to express my emotions.  Over the years I interpreted art as different forms: movies, sculptures, books, and physical artwork. All of these different art forms have had such a drastic impact on me in different stages of molding the person I am today.  Art has always been a part of me and I’m proud to continue this passion in college.”
Alejandra’s  future plans include attending and graduating from UC Davis with a major in either graphic or fashion design.  She intends to have a career at a major magazine publishing company.

​​Elsa Winter - 2021

Elsa uses art as a tool to elevate her other passions. Since Elsa was young, she has been surrounded by an artistic atmosphere and immersed herself in creative ventures. From her first art classes at Sonoma Valley High School, she fell in love with the power of art and applying her creativity to a variety of hands-on pursuits: starting a club to turn recycled materials into jewelry and art pieces, designing and selling Black Lives Matter t-shirts to donate the proceeds to the Innocence Project, interning in graphic design to develop skills in the digital space, and collaborating with the Campus Beautification Club to create and paint an 800 square-foot mural. She will attend UC Santa Barbara as an Environmental Studies major in the fall, to focus on bringing a creative perspective to the environmental movement and possibly minor in Art & Design. She believes art can serve as a catalyst to create a more innovative future, and is excited to devote her creativity to fuel the greater good.

Luisa Perez Aceves - 2020

Luisa is a dedicated student who is the first in her family to go to college. She was an active student on campus, participating in the AVID program, athletics and clubs during her four years at Sonoma Valley High School. She is considering an Art major when she attends UC Santa Cruz in the fall. 

Ethan Smith - 2019

Ethan Smith is a 3rd generation Sonoma High School graduate. He began his public school education at Flowery Elementary as a dual immersion student, which continued through Adele Harrison Middle School and SVHS, where he graduated with the Seal of Biliteracy. Ethan loves film making, in particular the specialization of sound editing. During high school, his short film entries placed in the top five student films at the Sonoma International Film Festival three years running. Ethan will attend UC Santa Cruz in the fall of 2019 as a film and media studies major. In addition to his interest in film studies, he is a competitive, year round swimmer who hopes to swim at the collegiate level, and a lifelong Boy Scout who recently received the rank of Eagle. 

Kiana Janson - 2018

Kiana was extremely interested in the arts throughout her elementary school experience at Sonoma Charter School. She developed strong relationships with the teachers and sought their guidance in her art career. As she transitioned into high school, she began to look into other fields of art such as 2 years of photography and exploring more sophisticated art classes as well as working in 3D design in which she was exposed to a more hands-on art class. She loves to play volleyball and spends her free time exploring what nature has to offer. She also loves to take naps because she believes it "gives her spiritual ideas" that help her create her amazing work of art. Kiana's favorite medium of art would be painting because it is an easy way to get strong contrast and vibrant colors into an idea. She also believes the texture is more appealing to the eye. Kiana is now studying Drawing & Painting at Loyola University in Chicago.

Anna Stava - 2017

The inspiration I found through Instagram and Flickr sparked a photography passion in me and gave me an incentive to save up for my own SLR camera like the pros. I entered and won several photography contests. In junior year, I was enrolled in Yearbook class and actually discovered another passion - graphic design - and this will be my major at Cal Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo.My ultimate goal is to eventually work at a large firm as an art director to manage the overall aesthetic direction of a project, as well as being responsible for reviewing and approving all creative materials before they are presented to a client.

Kaylin Riebli - 2016

Art is my voice. I was born with a condition that caused tumors to grow on my vocal chords. Multiple surgeries permanently damaged my vocal chords, leaving my voice persistently hoarse, weak or strained. Fortunately this is only my physical voice. The voice that speaks to who I am today, to my character and to the person whose creative passions have led me to become is in no way weak or strained. I draw from my art, my "voice," to change the world and give back to my community. I plan to graduate in 4 years from UCLA Theatre, Film and Television School with a degree in Theatre Studies.

Lucy Houghton - 2016

To create is perhaps the most gratifying action for me; to make something that will be appreciated, while knowing that I made it, I did. Art provides me with several things that I would struggle to find elsewhere, It allows a creative release, a way to calm my brain down. There is the gratification of watching my skills evolve. Of knowing that the work I put into developing my skill has paid off. This has translated into other aspects of my life; I enjoy working from the beginning to the end of a project. Art helps me understand myself. I will be attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Linaya Dinoto - 2014

I began experimenting with art as a form of escape and release while attending Woodland Star Charter School where classes in the arts are mandatory. I took two years of art while at SVHS and this is when I truly began to view myself as a visual artist; I began experimenting with materials and techniques like wax and heat manipulation. I plan to get my teaching credential so that I can follow my passion and teach high school art. I encourage all students and people to express themselves through art and never let their creativity die. Because of SVHS and organizations like Sonoma Plein Air, I am able to chase this creativity.

Morgan Momsen - 2013

I took my first photography class with teacher Andy Mitchell at SVHS. Under his guidance, I found a talent and passion for photography that continues to grow today. I now attend California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo), where I major in Art and Design with a concentration in Photography. The work I do here focuses mainly on people and their interactions with one another, although I also love experimenting with all types and styles of photography. I plan to move more into the Photojournalism side of photography in the future.

Sarah Summers - 2012

Art enables me to tell stories using more than words, practice emotional intelligence and empathy, and explore creative solutions to seemingly unsolvable conflicts. I currently attend UCLA as a Dance major in the department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance; I am also a musician and a visual fine artist. I released my first album Lovely Little Things in March 2014 with Delta Bound Records, and I have been featured as a dancer, choreographer, and composer in UCLA's undergraduate and faculty dance showcases. I enjoy collaborating with other artists to create interdisciplinary work and exploring topics of gender, disability, and human relationships.

Austin Rose - 2011

Thanks to my great art education experience at SVHS, I attended Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. Currently I am head designer at Burner Bikes and owner/head designer at Tribe of Tomorrow, both in Sonoma.