| Sequoia Middle School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 265 Boyd Road Pleasant Hill, California 94523 |
|
| Information | |
| School type | Public school |
| Motto | Sequoia spirit: A Tradition of Pride and Excellence |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Superintendent | Steven Lawrence |
| Principal | Connie Cirimeli |
| Vice principal | Brent Brinkerhoff |
| Grades | 6-8 |
| Language | English |
| Color(s) | Blue & Silver |
| Mascot | Giant Sequoia Tree |
| Team name | The Giants |
| Website | http://www.mdusd.k12.ca.us/sequoiamiddle/ |
Sequoia Middle School is a public school located in Pleasant Hill, California which educates students from sixth to eighth grade. It is part of the Mount Diablo Unified School District.
Sequoia originally opened in the fall of 1977 as a primary school, offering classes from kindergarten to seventh grade. In 1978 the program was expanded to include an eighth grade, and the school was separated into two adjoining campuses: an elementary school (K-5) and middle school (6-8).
Sequoia runs on a block schedule. The days alternate between blue and silver days. Blue days include periods 1-4 and silver days consist of 5-8. Unlike many middle schools, Sequoia has 8 periods. Sequoia offers many courses, including journalism, yearbook, leadership, an extra PE class (for eight graders), computers, art, hands-on technology, woodshop, math exploration, high school level 1 French, Spanish, and German, and Spanish for Spanish Speakers. Sequoia also has a number of clubs, such as: Art Club, Newscope, Earth Club, Library Club, and Lego Club.
Sequoia Middle School operates on the Academics Plus Program, a forerunner of the charter school concept. It is based on the belief that the first responsibility of a public school is to give its students the skills they need to achieve academically. The school stressed a "back to basics" educational approach and a standards-based curriculum, in direct response to some of the experimental teaching methods being attempted in California at the time.
The school quickly became so popular with parents in the district that in the early 1980s, parents would queue overnight outside the school's main office to place their children on a waiting list for admission to the elementary and middle schools. This practice has since been discontinued in favor of a lottery-style admission process, with preference given to students requesting transfer from schools that are identified as Program Improvement status under federal law.
In 2007, Sequoia was named a Distinguished School by the state Dept. of Education,[1] and is one of the top 2 percent of schools in California.