Building the Next Generation of Changemakers



“Like many educators, we strive to ignite the passion to learn…students who are genuinely curious want to learn more and are willing to do it on their own – we help them fall in love with learning by making sure our programs are challenging and relevant,” said Marc Alongi, the Director of Sequoyah High School.

Sequoyah School focuses on building and nurturing students’ creativity through Habits of the Mind. These six Habits – Perspective, Inquiry, Communication, Collaboration, Application, Stewardship, Ownership, and Creativity – are integrated into the school curriculum from Kindergarten through High School.

K-8 students are encouraged to be confident and passionate changemakers and in the high school they participate in the Social Innovation Program where they explore a single issue through a multiple disciplines and learn design thinking. In 11the grade they go on to do an Impact Project and in 12th grade students complete an apprenticeship with a local organization, explained Alongi.

“We develop continuity with Habits of the Mind,” he said.

They school maintains its focus on empathy-building, intellectual challenge and acknowledging/celebrating the inherent dignity of all human beings by giving high school students the chance to explore topics that matter to them.

The high school year is divided into seven modules (“MODS”) lasting approximately five weeks each. During each MOD, a student takes three 85-minute classes per day, plus one 45-minute elective block. This allows students to take electives of their choice – everything from Robotics to Acting – and explore core curriculum subjects more in-depth. Alongi said that many classes end with project based assessments because these tools help students demonstrate what they learned rather than just memorizing facts.

“What can you do with what you know?” is one of the big questions here,” said Alongi.

For education that reaches beyond the classroom, learn more about Sequoyah School. They are is located at 535 South Pasadena Avenue, Pasadena. You can call (626) 795-4351 or visit www.sequoyahschool.org for more information.

 

 

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