Principal's Message

Text from 2019 Graduation Remarks  

 

Congratulations to the Class of 2019!

 

It is tradition at our graduation to acknowledge groups within this graduating class who, through their character, grit, confidence, curiosity, discipline, hard-work, and passion have embodied the best of what Sequoia High School does.  Please join me in applauding their accomplishments.

Seniors:

• If you have enlisted in a branch of the United States Military, stand tall and be recognized.
• If you are enrolling in college this fall, stand tall and be recognized.
• If you have played a sport while at Sequoia, stand tall and be recognized.
• If you danced or participated in a performing art while at Sequoia, stand tall, shake it one time, and be recognized.
• If you have held a job to help support yourself or your family during high school, stand tall and be recognized.
• If you are the first member of your family to graduate from high school, stand tall and be recognized.
• If you are the first member of your family to attend college, stand tall and be recognized.
• If you showed Sequoia Pride by wearing purple on Fridays, if you know how to defend your claims with evidence or test a hypothesis, if you can show an inequality by using mathematical reasoning or by citing a primary historical source, if you can run these straights-and-curves with your eyes closed, if you stood up tall for something or someone you believe in, if you pledge to carry Unaliyi in your hearts with you, and if you have EARNED the right to receive a diploma from Sequoia High School, stand tall and be recognized!

The words, "Thank you" cost nothing, yet are more powerful than vibranium.  Stopping to look around and counting all that you have to be grateful for leads to higher self-esteem, stronger relationships and ultimately, empowerment.  You make someone feel appreciated when you use these words -- you also make yourself stronger - emotionally and physically.  Gratitude is a two-way street.

Pause for a moment, take a deep breath in, look to your left and right, at your friends and loved ones, at the trees and the sky.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Not bad.  And it gets better.

Recognizing the things for which we are grateful allows us to recognize the ways in which we, through the advantages in our lives, are called to confront injustice and inequity we see around us.  Likewise, gratitude provides us with the courage to confront and transcend our own struggles.  Thank you... next.

I'm impressed with how much gratitude I've felt from you over the past few weeks at awards' nights, AVID and Academy celebrations, and from our Senior speakers.  That you have proven yourselves to be so adept at gratitude assures me that you are well-prepared to take on the challenges in your life.

They say if you can express gratitude just six times a day, you can take on any challenge.  Let me give it a try:

Class of 2019:

• Thank you for all the times you cleaned up after yourself at lunch.
• Thank you to the students of the BSU, who recognized that vaping is toxic, addictive, and endemic among their peers and decided to do something about it this year.
• Thank you for being positive in support of your peers when they performed at rallies, plays, athletic events, or other performances.
• Thank you for being patient when your band room, your library, your tea garden, and every other part of campus was under construction over these last four years.  I hope it was worth it.
• Thank you for fighting for the rights of others: whether it be for those with disabilities, the undocumented, those struggling with mental health issues, the LGBTQ community, or any other marginalized group.
• Finally, thank you for always looking for the good in those around you.  Your optimism and empathy have inspired me every day.

I do feel stronger.  Which is good because...

Class of 2019 (whew... I'm going to need some strength to get through this next part), we've had an amazing four years together.

But...

and I think you know this...

It's time for us to break up...    

Listen, it's not you, it's us.  We've been growing apart for a while now.  You've got your whole lives in front of you and, well, we're a 127 year old school.  I know you thought Sequoia was, like, "the one", but there are new adventures, new friends, new places awaiting you.  Before you know it, you'll be off learning a new language and we'll still be here, trying to keep a new batch of ninth graders from walking on the seal.       -sigh-

Breaking up is hard - I get it.  Promise we'll stay friends forever?  Unaliyi, after all.  Man, this is tougher than I thought.  I'm going to have to pull out all the stops... Let us look to the words of Ariana Grande thinking about our four years - four MAGICAL years, together.  Remember, it's all about gratitude.

"One taught me love"

She says,

"One taught me patience

And one taught me pain

Now, I'm so amazing

Say I've loved and I've lost

But that's not what I see

So, look what I got

Look what you taught me

And for that, we say"

Thank You... NEXT!

Seniors, you made it.  I am proud of you.  Take one more deep purple breath!

 

Best,

 

Sean 

 

 

~ Education and cultural exchanges create prospects and open new horizons.

German exchange students cooking up some treats to share.

In 2009, Sequoia High School and Kopernikus School in Freigericht, Germany, agreed on a German-American partnership for students of both countries following ten prior German-American encounters.  This fall, a group of motivated German students and their two teachers from Kopernikus School will be visiting the Bay Area once again.  While their first week will mostly include seeing the famous sights in and around the Bay Area, the second week is focused on attending pre-arranged visits with a variety of companies and organizations on the SF Peninsula, while living with Sequoia's host families ( September 29th to October 7th).  These German students range in age between 16 and 17 years and are carefully screened by the German school staff.  They are interviewed, and must submit a teacher recommendation to be awarded a spot on the program.

The main objective of the partnership is the integration of students into the everyday life of host families in order to provide a coherent intercultural experience for each of them.  We are looking for Sequoia High School students and their families who will give these European high school students a true cultural experience that only a home-stay can provide.  Hosting and being hosted is an enriching opportunity for both the student and the family!

The first step toward becoming a host family is to email German teacher Thorsten Weitzel for more information.

Welcome to all our 2019-20 incoming students and families.  The PTSA would like to invite all incoming families for an informal meet and greet on Monday, August 12, 2019.  Please join us on the front lawn of the school between 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Whether this is your first time at Sequoia, a returning family, or a current one, this ice cream social is a wonderful opportunity to meet other Sequoia families and catch up with each other before the start of the new school year.

We look forward to meeting you on August 12, 2019!

 

Be sure to save the date for the 13th Annual Sequoia High School Alumni Association's " Celebrate Sequoia" picnic, catered by Emergency BBQ.  The event will be held on Saturday, August 17, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the beautiful Sequoia campus.

Activities include: campus tours, Sequoia Choir, and cheer performances; a Purple Patriot award recognition for Sequoia parent volunteer Lisa Hane and aquatic program volunteers Dave Knochenhauer, Larry and Jeff Rice, all individuals who have significantly benefited Sequoia High School; a vintage car display.

All Sequoians are welcome (alumni, students, parents, staff, PTSA, Boosters, Education Foundation, and community members).  Tickets are $35 per person.  A limited number of tickets will be available at the door at $40 per person.  Reservations are due by August 14 and may be made online, by calling (650) 592-5822, or by e-mail.

 

Parent volunteers serving delicious homemade food at the Teacher and Staff Appreciation Luncheon.

 

Grand Grad Week Celebrations!  

Seniors enjoying brunch in the MPR.

 

	Seniors chilling on the front lawn during the Grad BBQ.

Sequoia seniors enjoyed three PTSA-sponsored events last week: a BBQ on Wednesday, a brunch on Thursday, and a Grad Night cruise on the SF Bay on Friday night.  A huge thanks to everyone who helped with the week's events as well as all the fundraising activities over the past four years!

 

Thanks to Jenn Bulka and Julia Horak for heading up the BBQ on Wednesday.  The Seniors enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by parents and played games on Sequoia's front lawn.  Special thanks to Tricia Loveland and Karen Laing for their seamless organization of a festive spread at the Senior Brunch on Thursday.  Many thanks to Sam Ike and Heather Azari for their unwavering optimism organizing the grad night boat cruise.

 

More thanks than I could ever say to our communications lead Grace Schulz for keeping us all organized and me laughing!  Lastly, thanks to the many parents who helped by donating items and their time for all the events.  Shout-outs also go to those parents who helped with student checking for Grad Night after a busy graduation day, and double shout-outs to parents who chaperoned the Grad Night Cruise!  We could not have done it without all of you.  

 

~ Siân Davies, Grad Week Activities Coordinator