Each year our schools have a collective theme that is used to unify and encourage one another. In 2022-2023 the theme was Joy in Journey and we embraced this theme by journeying together through the ups and downs of homeschooling. We hope that you experienced true moments of joy and created memories to cherish forever.

The three Sequoia Grove Charter Alliance Schools proudly boast a collective enrollment of nearly 5000 total students. While our families are geographically spread, we are all bound by the common thread of homeschooling. We are all connected in that we have chosen homeschooling at this season of time. To further this connection, we are excited to announce that the theme for the 2023-2024 school year is "Share Your Story."

At this time, we invite you to continue reading below to learn the backstory that inspired this theme. We hope that you will join us by embracing and celebrating each other's unique journeys so that together we will forge an even stronger and more supportive school community.

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Share Your Story (speech given by Carrie Carlson at the May 2023 staff meeting)

Since the pandemic shut the world down in March of 2020 we have witnessed an increase in the amount of anger and hate, a lack of tolerance and inability to listen to others which has caused a polarization of society that hasn’t existed decades. Mental health challenges, especially amongst young people are on the rise, and every other day it seems like another mass shooting shuts down a school or city. Like most of you I am confused and saddened. I wonder how we got here, but also wonder what can we do?

So this past fall, in an effort to find answers or just understand, I joined several colleagues in reading “A Place to Belong,” by Amber O’Neal Johnston. Amber is a homeschooling mom who wrote this book to give parents a tool to use to empower children to embrace and celebrate their uniqueness.

Through the weekly readings and follow up sessions it became very clear that one of the ways for us as humans to grow in empathy, compassion, and understanding of others is by sharing stories. There is power in storytelling. And, when we humbly listen to the stories of others, we start to understand that we are not alone, that we are more alike than different. When personal stories start to matter, so do the people who are telling them.

But who is telling our stories? What’s controlling the narrative? More often than not, social media, twenty-four hour news channels, online articles, and most TV shows focus on the negative. They lead with intense click bait headlines, highlighting crises, wars, chaos…all the things that aren’t going well. Schools are failing, kids are behind, nationwide math scores are at a 30 year low and burnt out teachers are quitting most within the first few years of their career.

It was at this time my mind started racing. I knew there was something here but I just couldn’t quite put my finger on it yet. During a breakout session at our annual school professional development conference I heard this quote, “There are 5,000 students in our school. That’s 5,000 different stories” and it hit me right there. At that moment it all came together.

What if we as a school community turned this around? What if we started to tell our own stories. Stories not about failing students or low test scores, but stories about young people who are thriving because they are given the opportunity to learn at their own pace? Stories about kids who are pursuing their passions through art, drama, sports, academics...diving in deep because they are given the extra time and space to do so. Stories about teachers who make lasting and personal connections with families. Teachers that walk side by side with students, offering support and not judgment as they battle crippling anxiety and depression. Those that go out of their way to find that one perfect curriculum or class that is the magic key unlocking potential that would have been wasted in a one size fits all, brick and mortar classroom.

Stories about parents, grandparents or guardians who sacrifice so much of their own lives and time to educate their children in their homes - trusting a frightening process that until recently has been ridiculed or seen as an “easy way out,” and not the legitimate educational option that truly is the best for many kids.

With the success of Rebecca Lasavio’s Sequoia Breeze Podcast and Jenna Clifton’s Sequoia Grove News, Senior Spotlights, social media shoutouts and weekly highlights in Sequoia Scoop we have just started to scratch the storytelling surface. There are so many stories out there and so many people in our schools to celebrate.

So at this time, I’m honored to announce that the theme for 2023/2024 is Share Your Story. Remember, we have 5,000 students in our schools, which means 5,000 stories just waiting to be told.