Sequoia Union High School District

Earlier this month, the students and staff who make up the Sequoia Health Careers Academy received some exciting news: they had been selected this year as a California Distinguished Academy.  Partnership Academies exist up and down the state -- approximately 340 in total.  The SUHSD schools currently have four academies, with two or three more incubating.  

Academies exist as small schools within a larger school, offering access to career-focused electives, reduced class sizes, and cohort or small learning community approaches to general ed (i.e., English, Social Studies, Science) instruction.  Depending on what part of the state you visit, you might find academies focusing on green technology, hospitality, early childhood development, or teaching.  At Sequoia, we have academies in health careers and digital arts (our DAA is the oldest academy in California).  

Out of the 340 California academies, only eight were selected for this distinction.  Continuity and quality are the main areas under which the award is assessed.  Once a program is nominated, a visiting committee looks at the program over a period of three years to ensure the program requirements are being met and the needs of the students are being addressed.  From there, the breadth and depth of the academy's community partnerships and impact are measured.  This is where our HCA truly stands out.

A sample of how the Sequoia HCA has become a vital part of our school and broader community in recent years:

This newsletter would be much longer were I to list all the ways in which our HCA strengthens this community.  I can't resist, however, describing the active student role in the school's evacuation procedures and how it has dramatically improved the way in which all students and staff are accounted for.  Foremost, communication is more efficient between central command and the different campus zones.  When the announcement is made to evacuate, approximately 50 HCA students spring into action, donning emergency vests, reporting to positions, and implementing their protocols.  It's inspiring and exciting to see how different an evacuation looks when students take on a leadership role.  Empowerment matters.

It also bears mention that all HCA 11th and 12th graders complete coursework in IB English.  Since the HCA's inception in 2009, teacher Nick Muys's belief that heterogeneous groupings of students (at least half the students admitted to academies are required to fall into two or more "at-risk" categories as defined by the state) means higher achievement and socio-emotional growth for all students has been a core value of the program.  With Mr. Muys's proof of concept playing a big part, this value has become intrinsic to the school and helped shape the work done with IB Equity, going back to 2014.

We are so proud of our Health Careers Academy at Sequoia.  This recognition as one of only eight distinguished academies around the state is truly a mark of excellence.  Hats off!