Sequoia Academy

History of Sequoia Academy

The history of Sequoia School began with development of the neighborhood it received students from. By 1957, Westminster had incorporated the area to its west, known as Barber City. The district had already constructed one school in the area in 1953 Barber City, later renamed Virginia K. Boos. In 1957, a new community was being built north of Barber City, referred to as “Indian Village” This name stemmed from archeological evidence that groups of Tongva lived in the area due to the remains shell piles near Huntington Beach’s coastal bluffs and ancient burial sites in Westminster. As the new community expanded, it soon became evident that an additional school would be needed to alleviate Barber City School. The Westminster School District would eventually address this in February 1960, purchasing a 10-acre plot of land from American Savings and Loan for $122,000.

Issues would immediately be raised, however, as gas and water lines had not been laid in that area, despite many of the neighborhood homes already having these necessities. Sequoia’s construction would therefore be delayed and Anderson built first to avoid an overflow of students, something that Curtis Bluemke, Assistant Superintendent of Business, said, “would avoid a critical situation ”

The new school would use the same blueprint as H.B. Anderson School, both being designed by the same firm, with one notable feature being their open spaces that acted as assembly areas. Construction of the site took two years before it was completed by 1962 and opened with twenty classrooms under the former Barber City principal Dr. Norman Cahn, with the Vice Principal Glen Stice also teaching the only sixth grade class on campus, currently where the teacher’s lounge is. The school’s dedication kept with the Native American theme of the area as a tribute to Sequoyah and the planting of two Sequoia trees.

Over the next couple decades, the school’s enrollment changed as some schools were closed. District budget cuts and low enrollment meant that some schools were closed such as Finley in 1979. As a result, many of its student would attend Sequoia until Finley reopened in 1991. Additionally, additional Special Education classes for the SUCCESS program were added by the year 2000, eventually requiring an additional permanent brick building to be built in the empty area of the school.