Giving Impact
Your generosity fuels growth and innovation.
I am pleased to report, this past school year, 2023-24, the Sequoyah community raised a total of $1,798,584. Remarkably, $991,000 of that total came from the Annual Campaign, Jogathon, and Auction—each effort surpassing its budget goal and previous year’s result. Beyond the amount contributed to current operations, an additional $807,006 was donated to support ongoing strategic initiatives including, The Faculty Compensation Endowment, high school program development, and pending K-8 Campus purchase.
Sequoyah School’s mission to challenge the mind, nurture the heart, and celebrate human dignity has helped generations of students thrive since the school’s establishment in 1958. This mission was forward-thinking from the start, is imperative today, and continues to be aspirational and inspirational within our school community and beyond.
Your generosity supports:
- outstanding faculty and innovative academic curricula;
- diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning environments where students feel known and accepted;
- the ownership and stewardship of Sequoyah’s campuses and investment in state-of-the-art technology and systems; and
- a bold Indexed Tuition Program for an intentionally diverse school community.
Our collective generosity is an expression of responsibility for the school’s success—and each student’s success.
Thank you!
Elena Phleger
Director of Advancement
Program Development
Major Gifts Invest in High School Growth
dFab Hub
The Design and Fabrication (dFab) Hub is a high school program integrated into the recently renovated high school building, co-located in the new art studio. A generous $100,000 gift in support of this program and maker space enabled the school to hire its first dFab coordinator, who quickly launched a multiplicity of workshops and trainings for both students and faculty who were eager to understand how to realize their ideas and apply their changemaking skills. Four years into program development, The dFab Hub has become an interdisciplinary tinkering space where students can explore high-tech or low-tech tools, materials, and equipment. An additional gift towards its support accelerated the success of the H2 Grand Prix driving team.
Performing Arts
Thanks to thoughtful gifts from several Sequoyah families totaling more than $140,000, high school performing arts programs have been substantially funded and equipped beyond what the growing high school budget could have otherwise afforded. These gifts have laid the foundation for a powerful music and arts-focused environment which advances artistic collaboration, ensemble-building, and truly authentic storytelling. Our programs are designed to draw upon our student’s own experiences and develop their knowledge, skill, and performance practice.
College Counseling Fund: Sequoyah Values in Action
In 2022, a graduating senior’s Sequoyah family established a fund to address inequities in the college admissions process by giving $10,000 to Sequoyah’s college counseling program. They did so because their child had raised questions at home about his own socioeconomic advantages.
As a result, the College Counseling Fund is designed to directly support those Sequoyah students and their families who face the challenge of various college application processes, admissions, travel and college entry expenses which they otherwise cannot afford. Tax-deductible contributions to the fund provide direct financial support not otherwise available from the prospective college or a student’s family resources. The college counseling fund is administered by the Director of College Counseling and with the approval of the High School Director.
The fund is sustained each year through the collective stewardship and generosity of our community, making it an ongoing act of collaboration and care. Contributions to replenish this fund ensures it continues to embody the values the Sequoyah community holds dear—equity, dignity, and mutual support.
Debate
Generous financial support pledged over several years from three Sequoyah families has fueled the growth and continuing success of Sequoyah’s high school debate program while fostering stronger connections and mentorship opportunities for a K-12 program. As the debate program continues to grow we envision:
- Expanding opportunities for K-12 collaboration, strengthening cross-campus interaction and culture
- Demonstrating Sequoyah’s commitment to academic skill building and intellectual engagement – enhancing school profile and student recruitment
- Intersection with the high school Social Innovation Program – expanding students’ knowledge base, fostering discussion of real-world scenarios and current events