S equoia Pathway Academy’s sprawling campus is anything but your average charter school. Its new football field is blanketed in bright green astroturf. The elementary school’s hallways are lined with colorful student artwork. Inside a fourth-grade classroom, kids break down math problems like scholars. Just down the hall, a kindergarten class full of bright-eyed 5-year-olds breaks into song to their teacher’s tune as a fun way to count to 10. It’s clear there’s a lot of passion for learning going around. The academy recently hired two veteran educators to head up administration at Sequoia Pathway’s primary and secondary schools. They are Michael Hernandez, the seventh-through- 12th-grade principal, and Julianne Toepfer, the elementary school principal. Hernandez was in his third week as the middle- and high-school principal at Sequoia Pathway when InMaricopa met him in late November. It is Toepfer’s first year at the elementary school’s helm. ENERGY Puma The charter school ‘where every child is known’ BY JEFF CHEW
The private education outfit says a new 12-classroom building will replace all but one portable and add space for future growth. Hernandez said Sequoia’s relatively small class of seniors is “ahead of the curve” in getting involved in programs like career and technical education. He said they are finding employment opportunities and transitioning to adulthood with confidence. He said he sees a “good spectrum” of seniors across the graduating class who are prepared for the future. “There are seniors who are college bound. There are seniors who have already earned college credit,” Hernandez said. “There are those who are looking to join the military and those who have gotten very involved with their current employers for future employment.”
The high school has 340 students while the elementary school has 440. Sequoia Pathway Academy opened in Maricopa in 2009 with 300 K-8 students. Each year, the student population has grown. Pathway is now a K-12 school that has since tripled its enrollment. Over the past 12 years, Sequoia Pathway solidified its place in the community as an educational institution that celebrates each student’s creativity and individuality, according to Edkey, the Mesa nonprofit in charge of the charter school. Pathway has developed academic partnerships with community colleges, offered a more rigorous curriculum and developed an award-winning athletic program with multiple state championship titles, Edkey leaders said.
Both principals are eager to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere for student learning. “I hope that we can create some pretty amazing experiences for our kids,” said Hernandez, who taught special education before becoming an administrator. “We hope to increase their access to quality education opportunities.” Both principals support Sequoia Pathway’s slogan: “Where every child is known.” “We definitely know our kids, know their families,” Toepfer said. “And that from the get- go is what made our school different.” Toepfer said Sequoia Pathway Elementary is a community school. “We are working very hard post-covid to get our parents back,” said the principal with more than 20 years of experience, six in administration. She oversees a teaching staff of 27.
62 New Resident & Visitor Guide 2024 • InMaricopa.com/NewResidentGuide
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