Review - Sequoia Choice Charter School - Mesa, AZ

All photos by Scott Bolka

There are so many choices today when seeking a quality educational experience for your children. However, there is only one Sequoia Choice Charter School in Mesa, and it should be your choice for a tuition-free education for your students.

Principal LoMonaco in Front Office

Ryan LoMonaco, principal of the Sequoia Secondary part of this diversified campus, had this to say in an exclusive interview with this reporter: "There are six different schools... each school has its own individual focus. Secondary school is more of your traditional college preparatory school, and then the Sequoia Elementary operates as K-6 is more of your traditional elementary school. We have Sequoia Family Learning on this campus that's K-12 that has more of an Arts background. Sequoia School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is a small school of about 70-something students for students that are deaf and hard of hearing. We're one of the only schools in the country that integrates deaf students into the hearing classrooms. They call it a 'bi-, bi- model'; bi-language, bi-cultural. Then we have LCBA which is K-12 back to basics school. Then we have Sequoia Choice Arizona Distance Learning on this campus, as well. So the six schools coming together on one campus is pretty neat and gives our students opportunities."

Richard Harris - Sequoia Choice AZ - DL Dir. of Marketing

Also in an exclusive interview with this reporter, Richard Harris, Director of Marketing for Sequoia Choice Arizona Distance Learning, imparted the following with regard to the distance learning aspect of Sequoia: "There are a couple of things that stand out in my mind; why our program is so unique. For as many partners as we have, there are as many models of this 'distance learning environment'. For example, many people tend to think of distance learning as nothing more than a kid in front of a computer.Distance learning is no more just a kid in front of a computer than traditional classroom learning is just a kid in front of a book. The teacher dynamic is not absent in a distance learning environment, and something that Sequoia Choice Distance Learning requires of our online teachers is more than they be just electronically present with their students. Of course, in an electronic environment, there is the email and telephone conversations,... but our online teachers are required to have a face-to-face meeting with each of their students at least once every two weeks, and many of our online teachers maintain an even stricter schedule of more than just once every two weeks, whether that be meeting with that student in that student's lab environment (wherever that student might be) but that teacher can actually look over that student's shoulder, answer questions face-to-face, not just in a sterile environment, say an electronic environment, but... not just interfacing, facing, as well. And so that's quite unique."

Not only are the online teachers accessible, but there are two highly-trained lab advisors actually in the distance learning classroom who tutor, conference, mentor, and track student progress all day, everyday.

Also on the Sequoia campus is an impressive array of extra-curricular activities which are often non-existent at other charter schools in the area.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Sequoia is the adults' willingness to innovate, listen to new ideas, and to embrace constructive change. From the superintendent to the classroom teacher, all are dedicated to improving the educational environment of this campus with the goal being to supply the most stimulating, effective, and student-friendly education for its students. It creates quite a stimulating atmosphere.

The Sequoia Secondary School's athletic teams are known as "The Stallions." In this reporter's final analysis, the entire Sequioa Choice campus far and away "leads the herd" over the rest of the charter schools around.