Sequoyah Middle School (Washington)
Sequoyah Middle School is a public middle school in Auburn, Washington, USA, and is part of the Federal Way School District. The school is named after Sequoyah, a noted 19th Century Cherokee who created the Cherokee syllabary to write the Cherokee language, the only recorded instance of an individual creating a new system of writing.
Academic
Pre-Advanced Placement (“Pre-AP”) is offered to students in the subject areas of math and language arts. This model, as designed by the College Board, is intended to “prepare every student for higher intellectual engagement by starting the development of skills and acquisition of knowledge as early as possible.” This program is open to any Sequoyah student. The school offers "looping", which involves students having the same teachers for two consecutive years to foster relationships with fellow students and teachers.
Music
Each student must select a music program from orchestra, band/jazz band, or choir. Their selection determines which “pod” they are placed in (see below).
Athletics
Sequoyah’s athletic programs include:
- Football
- Girls Fastpitch
- Cross Country
- Wrestling
- Girls Varsity and Junior Varsity Basketball
- Girls Non-Cut Basketball
- Boys Varsity and Junior Varsity Basketball
- Boys Non-Cut Basketball
- Varsity Gymnastics
- 6th Grade / Junior Varsity Gymnastics
- Varsity Baseball / Junior Varsity Baseball
- Varsity and Junior Varsity Volleyball
- Track and Field
Facilities
The new facility was completed in 2005. The architecture was structured to support small schools, including flexibility for conversion to a K-8, K-12, or high school. The only permanent walls in the two-story structure are stairwells and toilet/service rooms. Sequoyah is designed to house about 700 students. Architects for the school were Bassetti Architects. The facility is located on 43 acres of forest and wetland, offering a large natural environment for student learning and exploration. Three, two-story classroom wings radiate from a central commons area, known as "The Forest".
Houses and Pods
The school is organized into six “pods”. Two pods make up a “house”, one pod on the 1st floor and one on the 2nd. Each pod has four teachers and approximately 120 students. Each student is assigned to a pod within a house, with house placement based on grade level and music choice.
Classrooms are organized into three main wings which are referred to as longhouses, or "houses", each with a Native American name:
- Klahanie, meaning "the great outdoors."
- Mesika, from local Chinook Jargon meaning "yours" (plural).
- Tahoma, meaning "great snowy peak" or "Mother of the Waters", what the local Native Americans called Mount Rainier. To some, the name Tahoma means "Home Away from Home."
