The Sequoia Breeze

Rebecca: Hello and welcome to the Sequoia Breeze Podcast, a breath of fresh air for your home school. I am Rebecca La Savio, your host. Today as we visit the student showcases that took place in mid May.

Rebecca: Our.

Rebecca: It, I was able to go and visit some of those special events and interview some kids and their parents and I hope you will enjoy today all that we are going to hear. I will also ask you to bear with me, as this was my first attempt to record outside of a studio or a controlled environment, I thought it would be fun to have the buzz of the crowd behind us as you listen into what students brought and some of their really cool creations and things that they were trying to sell. Unfortunately, between my editing program and the fancy microphone, a lot of that background sound was edited out and so it really just sounds like the kids and I shouting at each other at times. So I hope that you will pardon that little bit of messiness and still enjoy all that the kids had to share about their experiences at the showcases and homeschooling. If you're listening in to hear yourself after I interviewed you and you can't find that, I'm really sorry. There were a couple of interviews that just didn't work, so I even left in some that were not very good quality because I know that you are wanting to hear it and it was really special to hear from you. So if you weren't on there and you thought you would be and you ever catch me at another event, please tell me and I will be sure to interview you again. There are a couple of interviews that were conducted by my friend and fellow family liaison Morgan Stout, whose voice you've heard before on this podcast. So if all of a sudden Rebecca sounds a little funny, it's because it's not Rebecca, it's Morgan. And don't worry, I have already made a note to myself to find a new adjective besides awesome. It was a little painful to listen to me say that quite so many times. So also sprinkled throughout, you will get to hear from our executive director Janelle Sherman. I always enjoy hearing from her and her love for our students and our schools. Also, showcase directors Danielle and Jenna are in there telling us a little bit about the background and the bigger picture of the student showcases. Thank you for joining us for this special episode and I hope that you are encouraged and delighted as you listen to the kids share and gather ideas so that you can join us at a student showcase next year.

Rebecca: My name is janelle sherman. I'm the executive director for clarksville, feather, river and lakeview charter schools.

Jenell: And Janelle, you went to all seven showcases, right?

Rebecca: I did. We did the traveling showcase circuit and it was very fun.

Jenell: Some of them were far.

Rebecca: Yes, we were out in Uka in Fort Bragg, which is just a beautiful area of California. So although it was a long drive, it was worth it. And it was super fun to see our teachers and staff and families out there who we don't get to see all the time.

Jenell: And then up to Chico and over to Tahoe.

Rebecca: Yeah, Chico, Tahoe, and then the three local roseville, Folsom and Elk Grove, which were closer to home. But yeah, they were all so fun because they were all different, even though they kind of were planned in the same way and had the same features. Each one just kind of had its own personality and it was really special to see how the different communities came together and just the different creativity in the different areas. So it was really fun.

Jenell: What were a couple of the memorable displays or students that you got to see or talk to?

Rebecca: Oh my gosh, there are so many. Okay, well, in UK, it was really cute. It was out at a park, it was an outside one. And Melissa, one of our family liaison, her daughter had her polywog there and that was very fun and all the kids loved it. And then she actually also brought it out to the Casper showcase in Fort Bragg. So he was like the traveling polywog and she had her full display with all of the information about it. So that was really cute. Let's see, at the roseville one, we had the darling family entrepreneur with their lemonade with multiple generations. So that was really fun that they had grandma and great grandma there helping out and had their lemonade and what do you call it? They were like homemade flavorings that you get to put in the lemonade and the sparkling and their lemon. So it was really cute.

Jenell: Lots of art.

Rebecca: So much amazing art. Like in Chico, there was a lot of art there. Jenny Johnston's daughter had a beautiful display of her artwork and then lots of entrepreneurs who made cool things to sell. There were the beads, there were Owen UK. They had jewelry like bracelets, earrings, trying to think there were even like pet rocks you could buy. I think that might have been in Tahoe. They are starting to blend together a little bit. So many creative things. It was really impressive and loved seeing how the kids were so proud of the things they made and being able to sell their items was really a cool thing.

Jenell: What was the overall impression? I know you live and breathe Sequoia Grove, but you don't necessarily always get to dive into exactly what the students are doing. And so after visiting all of those different areas and talking and seeing all of those different families, what was an overall sort of thought or impression that you had by the time that was done?

Rebecca: I was really impressed with what our students do. Like out of the box thinking out of the box projects, all of the talent, the talent shows with the piano playing and singing and dancing and magic show at one of them. It's just really cool to see how families teach their students in different ways and how students are thriving in different areas and just to see them proud of their work and their passion, their areas of passion that they want to share. So it was really just a positive experience to be able to celebrate our students and celebrate our parents too, as they're supporting their students through their schooling and being able to share that with other people, I think was just a really positive way to end the year and to showcase what they have been learning and doing throughout the year. So I just loved seeing the kids, talking with them and even staff members coming together who aren't always together was just a really great experience and I feel like a really fun way to end the year.

Jenell: Was it worth all the driving?

Rebecca: Totally. I would do it again. It was so fun to just get off the zoom screen and out of the meeting and talking to people in real life. Even some of the teachers that we've hired in the last year or so who live far out, being able to see them, meet them in person and give them a hug and meet families who we see their name on pathways and on these reports. But actually meeting them as real people is just such a great experience. And the kids are just so darling and so full of just energy and wanting to learn and being together. So yeah, it is totally worth the drive and I hope that we do that again and we get to even expand on it if there's other areas where people want to gather and do that as well.

Jenell: Well, thank you Janelle, and thank you so much for setting the tone for our schools, for setting a tone of celebration and striving to be all that each family and each student is able to be and for valuing that. And I really appreciate your home school heart.

Rebecca: Thanks Rebecca. The pleasure really is mine. It's just life giving to see kids learning and enjoying what they're doing and being excited about learning and growing. So it is definitely my pleasure.

Rebecca: Let's go to the showcases.

Rebecca: So what's your name and how old are you? I'm Kylie and I'm turning twelve this October. And what did you bring to the showcase today? I brought art that my mom made me do. And what other kinds of things do you do in your home school that you enjoy? I enjoy science with my dad and baking.

Speaker E: Cool.

Rebecca: And do you have any advice for new homeschooling parents? Let them have a break every 30 minutes. Like if they have an exam, let them have a break for like about ten minutes. Awesome. Thank you. And what is your name? And how old are you? I'm Kaylin and I'm 13 years old. And what did you bring to the showcase today? I brought my two drawings and my paintings along the showcase. Do you enjoy painting or drawing more? Personally I enjoy painting because it's very nice and colorful with all the textures. And do you have any advice for new homeschooling parents? I say that every home school should have these good showcases where they could express all that they do in school. Like painting. Awesome. Thank you. You're welcome.

Speaker F: I am Alex and I am 15.

Rebecca: And what did you bring to the showcase today?

Speaker F: Well, me and my family brought a cotton candy machine in hopes of selling a cotton candy.

Rebecca: And what is your favorite part about home school?

Speaker F: I love the flexible schedule. It makes it a lot easier to do what you want when you want it.

Rebecca: And if you had any advice for parents who are just starting to homeschool, what would you tell them?

Speaker F: It is definitely fun to do a lot of hands on.

Rebecca: Awesome. Thank you Alex. What is your name and how old are you?

Speaker F: I'm Luke and I just turned 17.

Rebecca: And how long have you been homeschooling?

Speaker F: I've been homeschooling since fifth grade.

Rebecca: And tell me more about this cotton candy stand that you guys have.

Speaker F: We home spin the cotton candy and we have a lot of fun different flavors that we like to try out.

Rebecca: What is your favorite part about homeschooling?

Speaker F: I really like as well the flexible schedule and I like being able to learn what is important.

Rebecca: Did you have a favorite field trip this year?

Speaker F: I don't know, I like all the field trips because I like going everywhere. I love traveling.

Rebecca: Awesome, thank you.

Speaker E: My name is Jake and I'm eleven.

Rebecca: And are you helping with all of this cotton candy?

Speaker E: Yes I am. So go ahead. Today we have the gold rush. And the gold rush is how they got this where they got their gold. When John James Marshall I think somewhere other found gold in the American river trying to make a mill and then he went to John Sutter and then John Sutter believe it. But then he did the test. And then that's how they found out real hold. And then they went to President Polk. And then that's how and then President Polk started the gold rush. And then everything flocked to California to get the gold. And then they started off with using pans. Then they went to a sluice and then they went to a long tongue and then a hydraulic canyon. And then they used dynamite blowing the caverns to get the rusty press supports. No resting press, you don't get the gold out. Then they use a stamp mill with 500 pound hammer things each and they would smash the quartz and make it into a powder to where they would and then they would go down and then with the mercury. It would like be a magnet, the gold and selective with the gold and that's how they got out.

Rebecca: Gold as prince.

Speaker E: Can you tell us your first name? I'm Luca. And what's your favorite thing about homeschooling? Has more freedom to it. Hi, can you tell us about what you brought today? I brought candles, a few sheets of stickers, some pendants for necklaces and some snacks. Do you like to bake into craft? Yes. What's your favorite thing to bake? Cakes and cookies. I love it. What's your favorite thing about homeschooling? I get to have online classes and it's so much fun. What class are you loving? English language art. Thank you.

Rebecca: My name is Karen. And why is homeschooling important to you?

Speaker E: So it's important for me because my children, they get to have more experiences with different walks of life. They could interact with adults a lot. They could go with their peers, which we think are going to be good fit for them and we could influence them the best way we can rather than other people thinking what is best for our kids. And also my daughter has special health care needs, so we went with school, home school, so that we could give her a lot of time. She could go on her own pace and get the academic knowledge. And also she could just experience the life with us as a family.

Rebecca: And are there things that you are able to do because you are part of the sequoia grow family that you wouldn't be able to otherwise?

Speaker E: Yes, I'm able to pick the curriculum. I like. I'm able to take my time and let the kids go with the speed they want to study. For example, my son, he is a very fast paced learner. So he is going to skip the grade, not because I want him to. He's that advanced so that he could move on to the next grade. And my daughter, she has other needs which he goes with a slow pace, so she is going at her own pace. And also we could use the school funds to do extracurricular activities, which are awesome. They learn ASL coding and horseback riding and so many different yeah, I can't remember on top of my head. But they are able to experience so much as a homeschooler rather than lots.

Rebecca: Of enrichment activities and more richness to their education.

Speaker E: Yes.

Rebecca: Thank you, Karen.

Speaker E: Thank you. I'm Kylie. And I'm Twelve.

Rebecca: And what did you bring with you today to the showcase?

Speaker E: I brought bracelets that I made.

Rebecca: And do you spend a lot of time making jewelry?

Speaker E: Sometimes it takes for the quantity that I made today like a couple of weeks, but it just depends on what my sell is and where I'm going.

Rebecca: And you're selling these?

Speaker E: Yeah.

Rebecca: What's your favorite part of homeschooling?

Speaker E: Probably the classes that I get to take. I go places at a young entrepreneur class, mock trial class, so you get.

Rebecca: To take lots of things that you're interested in. Yeah. Awesome. Thank you, Kylie.

Speaker E: My name is Scout and I am eleven years old.

Rebecca: And if you had some advice for brand new homeschooling parents, what would you tell them?

Speaker E: Well, I would tell them not to stress too much about trying to teach their children about aging, because if you stress too much, it's just going to.

Rebecca: Be all over the place. Perfect. Thank you. My name is Joseph and I'm twelve years old. What did you bring to the showcase today? I brought a bunch of Lego guns and some art. And it looks like you've made some pretty big Lego creations. Did these come with a kit or did you invent them yourself? I made them myself. So I see a sword with a sheath that it fits inside. Yes. Yeah. And a couple of very complicated guns.

Speaker E: Yeah.

Rebecca: I'm pretty impressed. You did a great job. Joe, what's your favorite part about homeschooling? Probably being able to take breaks whenever you want. And what would you tell parents who are just starting to homeschool? Do you have any advice for a new homeschooling parent? Well, I'm not really homeschooling parents, so not really. Thank you.

Speaker E: I'm Remy and I am nine years old.

Rebecca: And Remy, you brought some pretty incredible stuff today to the showcase. Can you tell me about it?

Speaker E: Yes, I can. So let's go. For the trees, for instance, I made this. You just have to cut the size that you want it, then how you want it. And then I made these out of glass. All you have to do is cut the circles and then fuse them. You glue them on and then you fuse it. Then you glue this stem on. You just cut it the length that you want. And all you have to do is cut this wood to the length that you want it.

Rebecca: So what we're looking at is a really beautiful glass tree that's got some swirls of color and some pretty dot decorations on it. And it's all been anchored into a piece of wood to hold it up and it's super cute. And we also have some other there's a birdhouse and some other things that are very cool. How long have you been doing this, Ronnie?

Speaker E: About a year.

Rebecca: Super cool. What's your favorite part about homeschooling?

Speaker E: I get more opportunities to do things.

Rebecca: And how did you learn how to do all of this?

Speaker E: My grandparents showed me.

Rebecca: Thank you, Remy.

Speaker E: James and I'm ten.

Rebecca: And James, what did you bring today to the showcase?

Speaker E: Plants.

Rebecca: Just plants you found somewhere?

Speaker E: I grew them myself.

Rebecca: So you've planted a whole bunch of seeds and taken care of them and grown them and now they're ready to go home with somebody and be planted?

Speaker E: Yes.

Rebecca: That's awesome. Tell me a couple of the things that you have.

Speaker E: California poppies, sweet teas or sugar daddy peas and mints.

Rebecca: Awesome. How did you decide to do this?

Speaker E: I just like watching them grow.

Rebecca: Watching plants grow is really rewarding, isn't it? What's your favorite part of homeschooling, James?

Speaker E: Planting and reading.

Rebecca: Awesome. Thank you.

Speaker E: I'm Max and I'm nine years old.

Rebecca: And what did you bring to the Showcase today?

Speaker E: Cookies.

Rebecca: What kind of cookies?

Speaker E: Eminem.

Rebecca: They look pretty delicious. Have you sold quite a few?

Speaker E: Yeah.

Rebecca: Awesome. What's your favorite part about homeschooling?

Speaker E: That we get to stay home and we have lots of field tricks.

Danielle: My name is Danielle Holiday, and I am one of the community program coordinators for the school, and I just finished my second year in this role.

Jenell: Tell me, what is your role with the Showcase?

Danielle: So myself and our other community programs coordinator, Jenna Clifton, and I worked really closely together this last year to create our Showcase, really to be a place where students and families can one show off all the amazing things that they've done. And if you were there, you definitely saw how creative and innovative our students are and also give other families an opportunity who maybe didn't showcase something that they had that they had worked on this year, a chance to be inspired to try and think of new ideas and new things that they can try next year. And also, I know this year we added our kindergarten parade and our student performances, so we allowed students to kind of show off in that way too, which was so fun. It was a really great new addition that we had this year. I loved being part of it.

Jenell: So this is our second year having the showcases within Sequoia Grove, but this year it grew tremendously, right?

Danielle: Yeah, it was so cool to watch. Last year, we started off pretty small. We were still wanting to make sure that we gave students that opportunity, but also knew that there were some people that were a little nervous about getting together because of COVID So last year was a pretty smaller showing of what our families had worked on, and we just wanted to add to it. Actually, Rebecca, you were one of the people who had the great suggestion of making sure that our 8th graders were recognized at Showcase last year. And so we took that and kind of ran with it and we said, well, why not 8th graders, 12th graders and kindergartners. So it was really cool watching how those events all grew with watching the kindergarten parade, if you didn't see it, oh, my goodness, it was the sweetest thing ever. I don't think that there was a place to sit in any of the facilities that we were at because there were parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins cheering on their kindergartners. It was so awesome.

Jenell: Pretty cute.

Danielle: It really was. And they played the graduation song and some of them just came dressed up so adorable. They got to take their little picture altogether and then some students shared a little bit about what they wanted to be when they grew up or their favorite memory of the year and that was 100%. That was my favorite part was listening to these sweet little kids and seeing the excitement from parents to be able to celebrate their kids because let's be honest, that's a huge celebration.

Jenell: It was pretty fun. My own little one got to be a part of that. And he was a little bit confused I think, going on, but he thoroughly.

Danielle: Enjoyed it totally, I remember totally. It's so sweet. And then we had stickers, water bottle stickers for 8th graders and our seniors to take that said that they were graduating too. We added a gratitude wall or table, depending on what showcase you were at, where people could write down different things that they were thankful for throughout the year. We had so many programs and departments from our school attend this year, which was I feel also a really great addition. We had our El department came our National Junior Honor Society. Junior Honors Society, high school, CTE. You name the program. And they were there at one of our and they brought activities for the kids. It was just a really cool way for students and families to see all the great things that I feel like things that we do as a school in one place.

Jenell: I think that in addition to showcasing the kids and the families, those events showcase who Sequoia Grove is and give families a chance to understand what is this bigger community that they're a part of when they might not often have contact with staff beyond their own teacher. And that here. Our executive director, janelle was at every single showcase. You guys were at every single showcase. There's a family liaison at every single one and so many different teachers and like you said, representatives from each of these different programs within the school. And I think it's such a cool opportunity for families to have a chance to get a better, bigger picture of what Sequoia Grove is.

Danielle: Absolutely. And everyone was there and accessible.

Rebecca: To.

Danielle: Answer questions or to give some direction, which I feel like it's one thing to see a name on an email from a teacher or from one of our programs, it's another thing to be able to meet these people in person and say, oh okay, I loved that. I'm referring to our El teachers because I stood by them at one of our showcases and there was so sweet student after student after student who these El teachers are teaching regularly. We're so excited to see their teachers in person at the showcase and their sweet excitement was honestly, it was super infectious.

Jenell: That's so cool.

Danielle: That was awesome.

Jenell: So what's something you saw at the showcases that just made you feel more proud of Sequoia Grove or not Sequoia Grove, but the students.

Danielle: I feel like the bravery that our students had was so inspiring to come. There were students that came with a cultural heritage display and coming to bring food that they had made from their heritage. There were students who brought art projects, bracelets, food plants from their garden to come and have a display and to talk to the teachers that were talking to them, the parents, the administration that was there talking to them. They're so brave. Not only are they inspiring other people who are going to want to do the same thing next year, but the bravery of the students to be able to do that, I just kept thinking, I don't know that I would have been able to do that at their age. It was so inspiring to see that. The other thing that I thought was really cool was for teachers and also for parents. Watching them interact with each other again, there's so many times that we're separated by a screen and having that in person interaction with each other, it really was inspiring. And I love being in person with people, it's for sure one of my fills my bucket up the most, I guess. And so watching other people do that, it just made me honestly more excited for what our events are going to be next year.

Jenell: Do you have plans to change for next year?

Rebecca: Tell us about that.

Danielle: Yeah, well, we're still in the planning process. We are working on a literature festival which will be at sometime at the end of September. So this last year our community programs team brought to our different areas the math festival which we had heard really great things about. And so next year we're going to be changing it to a literature festival. Obviously the focus will be literature based instead of math based this next year. But our plan is to have teachers presenting at it and having different departments there as well, really being a resource for a lot of families who are looking to grow in that area. So we have that in the works. We're actually working and meeting about it next week. It's crazy to think that we're already planning it, but we are. And then for our showcase next year, we met with each showcase, had an HST who was incredible and stepped up to lead that showcase. And they were amazing to be able to come in and take the direction that we had kind of helped them with and for them to just take it and run. And so we met with them yesterday about what went well and what changes that they would like to see next year. So we're definitely in the planning stages for showcase next year. But just like this year was bigger and better than last year, you can assume that next year will be bigger and better than this year as well.

Jenell: And how many showcases were there? Seven.

Danielle: There was seven? Yeah, there were seven showcases and I actually went on our attendance forms yesterday, I wanted a little bit of a headcount of students and parents who came, and in total of all seven, I think we had over 430 students and families attend our showcase events, which was oh, my goodness. It was so exciting. It was so exciting. And every year it grows, right? The more people hear about what it is, my hope is the more that they're going to want to attend and be a part next year as well.

Jenell: That's great.

Rebecca: Yeah.

Jenell: I really would encourage families to check out the showcases because it really is a great chance for your kids to display what they've been learning, practice some social and even public speaking skills, as well as if they want to do something for the talent show. And then just to be a part of the community is really I'm encouraged every time I participate in something with the broader Sequoia group community. Every time.

Danielle: Every time same. It's the same for me, too.

Rebecca: Every time.

Danielle: I'm just amazed at the talent of our students, of their innovation. I mean, we had one student that was doing henna tattoos, and I thought, I'm like, Are you tracing something? She's like, no, this is freehand. I wish I was that talented again. Like some students that brought the most delicious cookies, I brought some home for my kids, and my kids were like, mom, can you get the recipe?

Speaker E: That's so good.

Danielle: Did the mom help with that? And I said, I actually talked to this little boy's mom and she said she didn't help, but he did it on their own. And then my kids were inspired. We want to make cookies like this, so it's kind of that trickle effect. Right. I didn't know it was going to be that. We want to do that next year.

Jenell: That's awesome.

Rebecca: That's awesome.

Jenell: Well, Danielle, thank you for all the hard work that you put into these awesome events, and I can't wait to see what you guys come up with for next year.

Danielle: Thank you so much for letting us talk about it, for coming, for supporting us. It really was amazing.

Rebecca: Okay, so what's your name and how old are you?

Speaker E: I'm Rachel and I'm 14.

Rebecca: What did you bring to the showcase today?

Speaker E: A book I wrote. It's called degree, Dalton. And the miracle that my daddy illustrated that's so cool.

Rebecca: How long did it take you to write it?

Speaker E: About a week. I wrote it as a research paper.

Rebecca: And Rachel, what's your favorite part about homeschooling?

Speaker E: Being able to be at home and do things I like to do.

Danielle: Thank you.

Rebecca: And mom, what's your favorite part about homeschooling?

Jenna: Being with her all day and getting to learn all the time about everything together.

Danielle: I love that.

Rebecca: That's so cool. Thank you.

Speaker E: I'm Sala and I'm 15 and a half years old.

Rebecca: And is this your sister?

Speaker E: Yeah, I'm senna. I'm also 15 and a half.

Rebecca: What did you guys. Bring to the showcase today?

Speaker E: I brought some crochet, baby slippers and headbands, and I brought some painting.

Rebecca: Nice. And how long did it take you to make the slippers and the headbands?

Speaker E: It took me about a week.

Rebecca: Okay, nice. Are you selling them? Yes. Okay.

Speaker E: I'm selling them.

Rebecca: Awesome. What's your favorite part about homeschooling?

Speaker E: Well, it allows me to travel, and I've been to different places and that's really nice.

Rebecca: Where's your favorite place you've gone?

Speaker E: Well, I used to live in Africa, and then I would come here and my parents are missionaries, so I travel to different churches and meet different people, so I don't really have a favorite place.

Rebecca: Too many to count?

Speaker E: Yeah.

Rebecca: How about you? Do you paint often?

Speaker E: Yeah, whenever I get supplies and stuff and I feel inspired to paint something.

Rebecca: Nice. And what's your favorite part about homeschooling?

Speaker E: I think the convenience of being able to work on stuff at my own pace because there are some subjects I.

Rebecca: Struggle with, so I just be able.

Speaker E: To take my time, work through it.

Danielle: Make sure I understand it.

Speaker E: Also, I can go out if I need to, stuff like that.

Rebecca: Thank you.

Speaker E: I am Chloe, and I am nine years old.

Rebecca: And what did you bring to the showcase today?

Speaker E: I brought my frog some tacklers, and my sister brought her sister brought her frog.

Rebecca: And does your frog have a name?

Speaker E: Yes, my frog is Toadsol.

Rebecca: Do you know what kind of frog he is?

Speaker E: She is a Pacific chorus tree frog, and it's the only frog that actually says ribbon.

Rebecca: And did you find her or did you buy her outside? Okay. And where did you find the tadpoles?

Speaker E: We have a pond in our backyard and we scooped up the eggs and we put them in that drum.

Rebecca: So you got to hatch the tadpoles?

Speaker E: Yes.

Rebecca: That's very cool. How long does it take them to hatch?

Speaker E: Like, six days. I have that written on my draw. Okay.

Rebecca: What's your name?

Speaker E: Rosie.

Rebecca: How old are you, Rosie?

Speaker E: Six.

Rebecca: And what did you bring to the showcase?

Speaker E: My frog.

Rebecca: Your frog. Did you find your frog outside too?

Speaker E: Yeah.

Rebecca: And does your frog have a name?

Speaker E: Brownie.

Rebecca: Brownie? Is it a boy or a girl?

Speaker E: Boy.

Rebecca: It's a boy. Do you know that or are you guessing?

Speaker E: It's the boys only croak.

Rebecca: Oh, boys croak and girls say ribbon.

Speaker E: Yeah, the girls don't croak or ribbon at all.

Rebecca: Oh, that's interesting.

Speaker E: The boys only ribbon, so the boys.

Rebecca: Make all the noise.

Speaker E: Yeah.

Rebecca: Rosie, what is your favorite part about homeschooling?

Speaker E: I don't know.

Rebecca: Sounds like you like to spend a lot of time outside.

Speaker E: Yeah.

Rebecca: Do you do your school outside sometimes, too?

Speaker E: Sometimes, yeah.

Rebecca: How about mom? What's your favorite part about homeschooling? I like that they can learn whatever they want to learn and they can kind of lead us to what we're going to learn next. And I like that we get to go on lots of field trips and spend a bunch of time outside. Do you have a favorite field trip so far? We went and saw the California mission. That was fun because we were learning the overnight trip. No, we just went on our own. Okay. And yeah, we've been studying California history, so we've done a lot of things for Gold Rush and history this year.

Speaker E: Cool.

Rebecca: Thank you so much. My name is Blake and I'm eleven years old and I like homeschooling because you can learn at your own pace.

Jenna: Hi, I'm Alexis Spivea. My favorite thing about homeschooling is definitely the ability to explore the world with my kids, go on wonderful field trips, do hands on learning, and to just.

Rebecca: Go at our own pace and to do what interests us. What would your kids say is their favorite part about homeschooling? Wearing pajamas, sleeping in, taking breaks whenever we want to. Hi, this is Leah Homer with the field trip department and I'm here to.

Danielle: Say I'm so excited to build field.

Rebecca: Trips for all of our lovely families.

Danielle: And I love to see the aftermath.

Rebecca: Of the enjoyment and the learning experiences that happen and it comes full circle. So yay, more field trips. So what is your Nate, Jessica? And how old are you?

Speaker E: Nine.

Rebecca: Nine. And what did you bring here to the showcase today?

Speaker E: Paintings.

Rebecca: Are you selling them?

Speaker E: Yes.

Rebecca: They're beautiful. Which one is your favorite?

Speaker E: Rivera is the one with the doves.

Rebecca: The one with the doves flying in the night. Is that a night sky?

Speaker E: Yes.

Rebecca: It's really pretty. What's your favorite thing about homeschooling?

Speaker E: You could do whatever you want most of the time.

Rebecca: That you have a lot of freedom. Yeah, that's pretty nice. Do you like being able to stay home with mom?

Speaker E: Yes.

Rebecca: That's awesome. Thank you for talking to me, Jessica.

Speaker E: You're welcome.

Rebecca: Okay, so what's your name?

Speaker E: I'm Lily Anna. But everybody calls me Lily.

Rebecca: And how old are you?

Speaker E: I am twelve years old.

Rebecca: And you're here with your brother? And what's your name?

Speaker E: My name is Gideon.

Rebecca: How old are you?

Speaker E: Seven.

Rebecca: And you guys brought something interesting today. Not just to show but you're selling as well? Yes. Can you tell me about it?

Speaker E: Well, we have beeswax candles, they purify air.

Rebecca: Where did you get the beeswax?

Speaker E: From a local bee store in Sacramento.

Rebecca: Do you burn these at home?

Speaker E: Not yet, but we're going to.

Rebecca: Sounds good. What is your favorite part about homeschooling, you guys?

Speaker E: I get to take days off whenever I can.

Rebecca: How about you, mom? What's your favorite part about homeschooling? I love being able to watch my children learn new things every single day. That's like my favorite part. And seeing how we could do things at home that they wouldn't get to do normally in a public school system setting. So things like this where they get to do their own crafts and make it to sell and bring it and talk about it. That's highlights for me. I just love that. Thank you, guys.

Speaker I: I'm Micah, and I'm 14.

Rebecca: You're a part of the cadet program?

Speaker I: Yes, ma'am.

Rebecca: Can you tell me a little bit about how that works?

Speaker I: So we're a youth paramilitary development program, meaning we use a military structure and use military ranks. Our main purpose is just to develop prominent leaders that are skilled in multiple areas, which is first aid. We learned a lot of land navigation. We use weapons for training. We do a lot of military drill. These are all great leadership teachers that we use to just develop some of the best leaders in the state.

Rebecca: And how many years have you been a part of this?

Speaker I: This is my second year right now.

Rebecca: What made you want to be in this program?

Speaker I: So I'm hoping to attend the US. Naval Academy in a few years, so I'm using this to prepare to hopefully join the military.

Rebecca: Awesome. Thank you. And what do you love about homeschooling.

Speaker I: Being able to do this? Honestly, a lot of places don't do this, especially where I live. So being homeschooled, I'm able to do this and have a lot of amazing opportunities.

Rebecca: Thank you.

Speaker E: I'm Scarlett, and I'm ten years old.

Rebecca: And what did you bring to the showcase today?

Speaker E: I brought lots of things, but we have plants, art, jewelry, and some sugary snacks over there.

Rebecca: Are you selling things or just showing them?

Speaker E: Selling bags.

Rebecca: What's your favorite part about homeschool?

Danielle: AIDS.

Speaker E: That I get to spend time with my mom.

Rebecca: That's pretty good part. Thank you. What is your name? My name Valentina. And you have three kids you're homeschooling? No, four. And what did they bring to the showcase today?

Jenell: The drawing.

Rebecca: What did they bring today? My daughter do a swap he's construction.

Speaker E: Okay. And Tim is playing pictures.

Rebecca: You brought some very detailed pictures.

Speaker E: Yeah, he's a door.

Rebecca: He came up with all of those things in his head. He's very talented.

Speaker E: Yeah.

Rebecca: Why do you like to home school? Because it gives more talent, gives an opportunity to develop their talents.

Speaker E: Yeah.

Rebecca: Yes. Thank you so much.

Jenna: I'm Jenna Clifton. I'm an HST and a community programs coordinator with our school, which means I get to help plan our school wide events, so I got to help plan our showcase. I'm also the host of Sequoia Grove News, and I help manage our school YouTube channel.

Jenell: And that stuff is all so cool. I love how we're growing all of the different ways that we try to connect with families, and one of those big ways is with the showcase. So tell us a little bit about the vision behind the student showcase.

Jenna: Yeah, the vision for student showcase was really just providing an open house style event for our families, but it really turned out to be so much more than that. When you go to a brick and mortar open house, you see the same projects that a classist student has worked on throughout the year. And Homeschooling provides our students the opportunity to really dig into their own areas of interest, which means our student showcases were just full of extremely diverse projects and projects that students were really passionate about. So the vision was really to recognize and to celebrate each unique student.

Jenell: What are some specific examples of those things that you saw at the showcases? Because you went to all seven, right?

Jenna: I didn't get to go to all seven, but I was able to go to four of them. I was able to be at Roseville Folsom, Elk Grove, and Chico. And yeah, we just saw these phenomenal student performances. They really wowed us with their talents that range from singing and dancing to karate and baton twirling. They had projects that covered a huge range of subjects and interests. They had multicultural heritage displays, marketplace displays where students could sell products that they had made themselves. We had students selling books that they had written themselves, some of them even signed copies. And kids selling jewelry, artwork and soaps, elaborate Lego creations and science projects. I mean, it's hard to even put into words. It was truly just such a beautiful display of student talents, creativity, and hard work.

Jenell: It was really pretty cool, all of the huge variety.

Jenna: And I mean, we had the kindergarten Parade this year and we had Sequoia Crove departments hosting their own tables with department led activities, so it just encompassed a lot this year. It was really cool.

Jenell: So what are you looking forward to for next year? Do you think that there will be any will there be any major changes or just refining what already has gone fairly well?

Jenna: I think definitely you will see a lot of refining. I mean, we saw tremendous growth in our showcases from last year to this year, both in terms of everything it encompassed as well as student participation and attendance. And I'm just really looking forward to seeing these showcases continue to grow and see the gifts and hard work of even more students. I'm hopeful that the word is getting out that these are just amazing events and they're like the event you want to go to throughout the school year. Like you mentioned, we did add a lot this year. We had new elements like the Kindergarten parade, which was adorable, by the way. So I'm definitely looking forward to continuing to grow what is being offered at the showcase, refining what we are already offering, and continuing to honor all of these amazing kiddos at these events by.

Jenell: The end of this sort of tour of showcases. And it was so interesting how different each one was between having this slightly different staff lead whose personality leaks into it, as well as just the regions are all just a little bit different. And so it really while they were all sort of organized under the same parameters, they each came out special in their own way. And by the time you've seen all of those different events and all of the different families and kiddos that were there, did you come away with any particular? Like, I am so proud of Sequoia Grove students and families.

Jenna: I mean, absolutely. Like you mentioned, each lead had their own spin and flair on the event and they really served their population extremely well. So you just saw each event have its own flavor and taste, right? And I'm just really proud of the growth that I had mentioned. We had seven separate showcases this year and over 430 students and family members in attendance, and I think it just wasn't the staff that was wowed by these showcases. The families had smiles on their faces the whole time. They were totally enjoying themselves. They were leaving saying they can't wait for the showcase next year. So, yeah, I'm just super proud of how they turned out.

Rebecca: That's awesome.

Jenell: Well, thank you so much for all of your hard work, Jenna. And if families that were there, thank you for coming and participating and seeing what it's like to really taste more above being part of our community. And for families who didn't come, put it on your calendar for next year. Just know what will happen in mid May and look for those announcements and think through the year as you're working with your kids. Families can be saving, like, oh, this would be a great thing for the showcase. You could be all the projects and things that you're working on. You don't have to scramble to put it together once it's announced. You can be preparing through the year.

Jenna: Absolutely. And take a look at the slideshow that was in the last episode of Sequoia Grove News because you see a lot of the amazing things that students brought to the table at Showcase, so you might even be inspired for some ideas for next year. But yes, think of those things throughout the year and we'd love to see you at the next one.

Rebecca: Parents, your students are delightful. They looked me in the eye, answered my questions fully. They are curious and industrious. Keep up the good work, rest well this summer and enjoy your kiddos. Even as I'm sure you're thinking and planning about next year, we can't wait to see you at one of the showcases next year. We'd love to celebrate with your kiddos.

Rebecca: O.

Rebecca: Thank you for listening today on this special bonus episode of the Sequoia Breeze podcast. I've been your host, Rebecca Lasavio. I hope that this has been a breath of fresh air for your home school.