Sequoyah School
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Sequoyah School is a non-profit independent school althernative school in Pasadena, California. The school was founded in 1958 Sequoyah School and is located at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, situated on 2.25 acres of property leased from the California Department of Transportation on the corner of South Pasadena Avenue and West California Boulevard.
The studenty body is comprised of about 200 children in kindergarten through grade 8. Students are grouped into seven age-ranged classes. These mixed-aged classes include The Bamboo Forest (4-6 year olds), The Backyard (5-7 year olds), The Burrow (7-9 year olds), The Treehouse (8-10 year olds), The Eagles' Nest (9-11 year olds), Over There (10-12 year olds), and The Junior High (12-14 year olds).
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[edit] Educational philosphy
From its inception, Sequoyah has held a strong commitment to creating and maintaining a community of families from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
Curriculum is designed and implemented by collaboration of the teaching staff. Sequoyah aims to inculcate the values of learning to respect diversity, being resilient when one's convictions are challenged, and sustaining a strong sense of self in relation to others.. The school's goal is to produce graduates who are able to think creatively and work happily as caring members of their communities for the rest of their lives.
The school follows the tenets of child-centered education and boasts a low student-to-teacher ratio.[citation needed] The curriculum is integrated, emergent, and often place-based. The school’s place-based and experience-based approach to education utilizes elements of the local community to shape a curriculum based on the study of the arts and sciences with emphasis on critical thinking skills, a sense of environmental stewardship, recognition of the importance of personal accountability, and a commitment to social justice.
The school-wide camping program engages students in scientific, cultural, and historic field studies, from high-desert trips for the youngest children to the Junior High adventures that typically include extensive travel out of California and to Mexico.
[edit] Financial Aid
Sequoyah School maintains a financial assistance program that provides tuition support to approximately 31% of its student population, including its Yvonne Pinto Fund, dedicated to the students of employees of the school. The School is well known for its ethnic, racial, gender, cultural, and economic diversity. The ethnic breakdown is as follows: Asian American 6%, African American 6%, Hispanic/Latino 10%, Multiethnic/Other 31%, Caucasian 47%.
[edit] Governance
The school is governed by a Board of Trustees, which includes four executive officers and six trustees-at-large, elected from the parent body and local community. The staff is represented on the Board by two faculty members, elected by the staff, who serve staggered two-year terms. There are up to eight appointed trustees, who are selected from the larger community and also serve two-year terms. The director of the school sits on the Board as an ex-officio member and maintains voting privileges. Patti Pinto was director for 25 years, until her retirement in 2006.
Parents or guardians of enrolled students are required to contribute time to the school, performing tasks ranging from maintenance to finance and development.
