Critical, independent thinking
Our high school offers a rigorous and innovative college preparatory curriculum in a student-centered, experiential, and collaborative learning environment. Practicing the values articulated through Sequoyah School’s Habits of Mind, students and teachers thoughtfully and creatively explore and improve their world.
Our curriculum is designed to inspire students’ curiosity and provide opportunities to apply learning to meaningful and authentic contexts, and our collaborative culture allows students to feel comfortable sharing an opinion or new idea. It is a culture that values intellectual risk-taking, where one can learn from failure, confidently seek out feedback, and develop a greater sense of ownership of one’s learning.
Habits of Mind
Teachers, parents, and students created what we call our Habits of Mind by distilling the broad narrative of a Sequoyah School education into essential practices and characteristics for engaged and meaningful living. Our Habits of Mind inform what and how we teach, the ways in which we frame learning, and how we operate as an institution.
Perspective
To seek, honor and reflect on multiple viewpoints in order to broaden understanding and solve problems
Communication
To engage in constructive dialogue, to value literature and language, and to express oneself effectively through a variety of modalities
Inquiry
To become curious, motivated, self-reflective learners who generate questions to deepen understanding
Application
To integrate and apply acquired knowledge in and out of the classroom
Creativity
To approach challenges with an open mind and a willingness to take imaginative risks while generating ideas and refining solutions
Stewardship
To take care of people, take care of things, take care of the environment, and seek to make the community a better place for all
Collaboration
To know when and how to lead, follow, and work together as an active listener and meaningful contributor
Ownership
To do one’s best work
Sequoyah School’s learning environment:
student-centered, experiential, collaborative
Our experienced faculty team supports intellectual risk-taking, which encourages students to comfortably share opinions or propose new ideas and to seek out feedback from their teachers and each other. Students are expected to develop individual initiative and purpose.
In Sequoyah School’s classrooms you will find:
Applied Learning: Fundamental disciplines – math, science, technology, humanities, world languages, and visual and performing arts – are interconnected; and students are focused on mastery beyond narrow performance measures. Final assessments move beyond tests to creative projects.
Social Impact: Students develop entrepreneurial skills – collaboration, communications, critical thinking, creativity. High school studies culminate in a junior-year social impact project and senior-year internship.
Character Development: Our faculty guides students through strategies for social, emotional and academic learning.
Modular Schedule
Sequoyah School’s modular (Mods) schedule provides ample time for a rich and focused learning experience. Designed to support student engagement, individual attention, and a range of course selections, the student schedule offers sufficient time for extensive field studies – real-world experiences beyond the classroom that reinforce deeper understanding of academic skills and concepts.
With this schedule, feedback is more detailed and frequent. The modular schedule also offers more choices for required courses, allowing students more options for exploring their interests and advancing their studies. Homework becomes a natural part of the project-based work done during the day, limiting the amount of stress that could be caused by doing homework in 5 or 6 subjects each night.
Mods last approximately 5 weeks and include 3 academic courses and 1 elective class per day, so students have homework in only 3 classes at one time. Mod 7 is a 5-week experiential Mod that includes Social Innovation projects and camping and international travel for 10th graders.
For closer look at the Mod schedule during an academic year, along with sample course plans for students, click here. Learn more about course selections in Sequoyah’s high school curriculum guide.
Assessment & Feedback
Sequoyah School uses a mastery-based approach to grading that articulates the different Learning Outcomes a student should master during the course. Based on the Learning Outcomes, teachers provide ongoing feedback as well as end-of-term notes and a final course report upon the completion of a course. Year-end grades are reflected on the student’s transcript.
Learning Outcome ranges for assessment and feedback.
Advisory
The Advisory Program is designed to build long-term relationships among students and between students and faculty. It aims to support our students as they confront the challenges of high school and to build a community that intentionally reflects shared values of compassion, diversity, justice, and academic commitment. By focusing on their social and emotional development in a supportive space, our goal is for students to feel acknowledged and understood, and to know themselves as people and learners while pushing themselves and others to ever higher standards. Advisory takes place 3 to 4 days per week in small group meetings.
Sequoyah Advanced Studies Program (SAS)
Sequoyah students are encouraged to rise to the challenge of the Sequoyah Advanced Studies (SAS) program, our honors curriculum available to grades 11 and 12. Faculty recommend students to pursue these more rigorous, sophisticated, and challenging courses, which we offer instead of APs. Courses are designed by Sequoyah faculty to be recognized by the University of California to meet honors-level criteria and the highest standards of college admissions offices. Advisors play an important role in guiding students each year to map out course selections that meet the prerequisites for any desired SAS courses. Learn more about SAS course selections in Sequoyah’s high school curriculum guide.
SAS courses offered include:
• Women, Capitalism, & Climate Change
• Allegory & the Novella
• One Mod, One Book: Cloud Atlas
• American History: Liberation
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics: Asteroid Avoidance
• Calculus
• Higher Mathematics
• Spanish 4 & 5
• Music Production
• Playwriting, Acting, & Directing
• Visual Arts Seminar
Talking Leaves
Sequoyah, the Cherokee leader and inventor of the Cherokee written language, referred to writing that conveyed the important thoughts of individuals as “talking leaves.” Our Talking Leaves Program challenges students to prepare presentations for Exhibitions of Learning twice a year. Students write essays and prepare public presentations to demonstrate their depth of thought on essential questions from their courses, and participate in ongoing dialogues on contemporary issues. Talking Leaves honors the individual academic growth of each student and provides opportunities for them to present and lead intellectual discourse.
Exhibitions of Learning
Public exhibitions of learning and periodic formal reflection are essential aspects of the learning process in which teachers and parents are encouraged to celebrate and honor accomplishments while supporting individual learners to take ownership of and communicate what they have learned. Exhibitions showcase student learning from the classroom, clubs, Stewardship, and the Social Innovation Program, and take place twice a year.
Social Innovation Program (SIP)
Sequoyah’s Social Innovation Program (SIP) offers a unique four-year curriculum that hones the changemaking attitudes and aptitudes of every Sequoyah School student, 9th through 12th grade.
Through talking with experts and community members and visiting places, students develop a firm understanding of their relationship to complex injustices facing our local and global communities. Graduates are seasoned ethnographic researchers, imaginative creators, and thoughtful collaborators.
Our SIP curriculum exposes students to complex issues and injustices in both local and global communities and teaches them strategies for addressing those issues with meaningful and sustainable solutions. Student teams tackle projects focused on a social or environmental issue of local urgency and global relevance.
Visit the Sequoyah SIP website for a deeper understanding of the curriculum and courses.
Field Studies
In Sequoyah School’s distinctive Field Studies program, all of our students are presented with real-world situations and challenges. They learn that what is important is not just what they know, but what they can do with that knowledge.
FALL
9th & 10th Grades
3-day trip in the Sierras
11th Grade
4 days backpacking in Joshua Tree
12th Grade
4 days canoeing the Colorado River
SPRING
9th Grade
9 days backpacking in Southern Utah
10th & 11th Grade International Trip
10-day homestay in Costa Rican village
12th Grade Option Trip
Mentor 3rd/4th graders (student-designed basecamp) or backpack to coastal mountains in Big Sur or southern Sierra Nevada Mountains
STEM Institute
Sequoyah’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Institute emphasizes the development of a scientific community at our high school and provides the opportunity for students to prepare for scientific lab work and internships. Students apply to the STEM Institute and join research teams. They visit labs and talk to experts to develop research questions that can be answered through field work and experimentation.
In addition to engaging in independent research projects, STEM Institute members also host an annual Science Symposium, showcasing student work in science classes at Sequoyah, host science demo tables at school events, run a Sequoyah STEM tutoring program, curate an Instagram page, and write blog posts for the Institute webpage.
Visit the Sequoyah STEM Institute website to learn about student initiatives and field trips and to read the blog.
Visual and Performing Arts
Theater Arts
Theater at Sequoyah School is driven by a passion for collaboration, risk-taking, artistic expression, and a deep sense of community. From Acting, Improvisation & Playwriting, and Acting & Directing to full theatrical productions and Sequoyah Advanced Studies courses, our theater program offers students a unique opportunity to explore the depth and breadth of theater.
Visual Arts
The visual arts program at Sequoyah School offers an in-depth analysis of art from multiple perspectives. Formal principles and elements of art and design are presented so that students can create a balance of skill and self-expression. Honoring the three modalities of learning - auditory, visual, kinesthetic - the visual arts program instills confidence and encourages risk taking as an essential means for self-discovery and excellence. Students are exposed to a wide range of critical and visual thinking strategies, as well as representational and non-representational exercises. Experimentation, research and critique lead students to a cohesive arts education.
Music
Sequoyah School’s music program builds upon the independent musical training of students to create performance ensembles that bridge artistic disciplines. The program balances lessons on developments in theory and the exploration of new genres, with collaborative approaches and new technologies that inspire creativity. As the means of music production becomes more economical and accessible, cultivating the ability to imagine and collaboratively create art becomes an increasingly crucial skill set. Students will recognize the variety of avenues that can lead to sustainable careers, such as cross-disciplinary fields involving music therapy, music diplomacy, digital instruments, computer music and software, wireless audio technology, and musical artificial intelligence.
Sequoyah Sports
In alignment with Sequoyah School’s philosophy, our sports program focuses on developing individual growth in skill and stamina, teamwork strategies, fairness, and exhilaration in play. We strive to provide a fun learning environment open to all students from beginners to those who are highly skilled and experienced. Sequoyah offers sports spanning the fall, winter, and spring seasons.
Sequoyah School competes in the International League of the California Interscholastic Federation, Southern Section (CIF-SS) for sanctioned sports. Our high school campus is located in close proximity to the Arroyo Seco and our sports teams use the exceptional facilities at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center, the Rose Bowl Tennis Center, and the playing fields at Brookside Park. High school teams also have access to nearby indoor gyms.
Go Gryphons!
Fall Sports
Volleyball (Girls)
Cross Country (Co-ed)
Soccer (Co-ed)
Winter Sports
Basketball (Girls)
Basketball (Boys)
Spring Sports
Archery (Co-ed)
Mountain Biking (Co-ed)
Volleyball (Boys)
Tennis (Co-ed)
Looking forward
Congratulations, Sequoyah Class of 2023!
Our graduating Seniors have chosen to attend the following colleges and universities:
George Washington University
Hampshire College
Ithaca College
Lancaster University
Lewis & Clark College
Loyola Marymount University
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Parsons Paris at The New School
Parsons School of Design at The New School (2)
Penn State University (University Park)
Pitzer College
AMDA College of the Performing Arts (L.A.)
Amherst College
Art Center College of Design
Bard College
Beloit College
California Polytechnic State University,
San Luis Obispo
California State Polytechnic University:
Humboldt, Pomona
Colorado Mesa University
Colorado State University (Fort Collins)
Princeton University
Purdue University (Main Campus)
Skidmore College
Southern Methodist University
Spelman College
University of California:
Berkeley (3), San Diego, Santa Cruz (2)
University of San Francisco
Vassar College (2)
The College Journey
Sequoyah School students become changemakers — effective and skilled advocates who know how to inspire collaboration and lead innovation. Our high school curriculum is designed to prepare students to become experienced, confident, and resourceful problem-solvers who apply their knowledge and passion using strategies that can make a difference for their communities and in their own lives. Sequoyah School students are challenged to think critically and creatively, learn how to work in diverse teams, and communicate ideas successfully.
Our high school graduates (2019-2023) have been accepted to the following colleges and universities (bold indicates matriculation):
AMDA College of the Performing Arts (L.A.)
American University
The American University of Paris
Amherst College
Art Center College of Design
Bard College
Beloit College
Bennington College
Berklee College of Music
Boston University
Bradley University
Brandeis University
Brown University
California College of the Arts
California Lutheran University
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, Pomona
California State University, Channel Islands
California State University, Chico
California State University, East Bay
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Maritime Academy
California State University, Monterey Bay
California State University, Northridge
Carleton College
Case Western Reserve University
Champlain College
Cinema Makeup School
Claremont McKenna College
Clark Atlanta University
Colgate University
College of Charleston
The College of Wooster
Colorado College
Colorado Mesa University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University (Fort Collins)
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia University
Connecticut College
Cornell University
Cornish College of the Arts
Creighton University
Curry College
DePaul University
Dickinson College
Drexel University
Duke University
Eastern Oregon University
Eckerd College
Elon University
Emerson College
Emory & Henry College
Fordham University
Fort Lewis College
Franklin & Marshall College
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Goucher College
Grinnell College
Hamilton College
Hampshire College
Harvey Mudd College
Hofstra University
Humboldt State University
Indiana University (Bloomington)
Ithaca College
Johns Hopkins University
Kenyon College
Knox College
Lafayette College
Lancaster University
Lawrence University
Lees-McRae College
Lewis and Clark College
Los Angeles Community College
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola University Chicago
Macalester College
Manhattanville College
Marian University
Marist College
Marymount California University
Marymount Manhattan College
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Miami University (Oxford)
Michigan State University
Middlebury College
Mills College
Montana State University
Montclair State University
Moore College of Art and Design
Mount Holyoke College
The New School
New York University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Occidental College
Oregon State University
Otis College of Art and Design
Pace University
Parsons Paris at The New School
Parsons School of Design at The New School
Pasadena City College
Penn State University (University Park)
Pitzer College
Portland State University
Pratt Institute
Princeton University
Purdue University (Main Campus)
Quinnipiac University
Quest University, Canada
Reed College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rhodes College
Rider University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Ryerson University
San Francisco State University
San Jose State University
Santa Clara University
Sarah Lawrence College
Savannah College of Art and Design
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
School of Visual Arts
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Scripps College
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle University
Sewanee: The University of the South
Skidmore College
Smith College
Sonoma State University
Southern California Institute of Architecture
Southern Methodist University
Spelman College
St. Lawrence University
St. Olaf College
Stanford University
Stony Brook University
Syracuse University
Trinity College Dublin
Tulane University of Louisiana
Union College
University of British Columbia
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Merced
University of California, Riverside
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Chicago
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Colorado, Denver
University of Denver
University of East Anglia
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
University of Iowa
University of Kansas
University of La Verne
University of Miami
University of Michigan
The University of Montanta
University of Nebraska
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
University of Oregon
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Portland
University of Puget Sound
University of Redlands
University of Rochester
University of San Francisco
University of Southern California
University of Utah - Honors College
University of Vermont
University of Victoria
University of Washington (Seattle Campus)
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Ursinus College
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Washington State University
Washington University in St. Louis
Wesleyan University
Western Washington University
Whitman College
Whittier College
Widener University
Willamette University
Williams College
Xavier University Louisiana
Yale University
