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SHS Summer Learning Program allows area students to continue learning in a fun style, even during the summer.

TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA – School is out for the second time this year at Sequoyah. Students just wrapped up a month of activities as part of the Sequoyah High School Summer Learning Program.

“The summer learning program is designed to keep students learning while school is out,” said Gina Stanley, SHS superintendent. “Students participated in field trips, classroom activities and had guest speakers that taught them more about Cherokee culture.”

“The kids had a lot of fun,” said Tera Shows, summer learning program coordinator. “These kids were so eager to be here that they made coming to school during the summer a cool thing to do.”

The summer learning program classes were open to area youth in grades 6 and up. Students got to choose from classes in Cherokee culture, fiber arts, local geography, reading, computer applications, and indigenous science.

Another group of SHS students who are not ready to take a break from learning, is the SHS athletes who are always eager to learn more about their sport. Many are participating in daily training programs to be ready for the field, court or track when their season rolls around.

“These guys have worked really hard this summer,” said Brent Scott, head football coach.

Scott’s team has traveled to camps in Arkansas and Nebraska with Junior Nathan Stanley earning a try-out for the Elite II Quarter Back camp in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“This is a big honor for Nathan,” Scott said. “Not many juniors get the chance to compete at this level. We’re proud of him and supporting him all the way.”

The football team isn’t the only team who has traveled out of state to attend a camp. The girls basketball team traveled to Tennessee to participate in the Lady Volunteers Invitational Basketball Camp and the boys basketball team is competing in their annual summer league. The softball and baseball team are both playing in competitive leagues and the track and cross-country runners are staying in shape by attending a running camp and participating in daily runs. The wrestling team hosted the annual Shane Roller Wrestling Camp and the cheerleading squad will attend cheerleading camp in late July at the University of Oklahoma.

“I’m glad to see these facilities being used year round,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. “We have so much here to offer, it’s just great that these students are able to take advantage of it.”

Sequoyah High School, a boarding school for Native American students, originated in 1871 as an orphan asylum to take care of many orphans who came out of the Civil War. It has since served as the Sequoyah Orphan Training School and the Sequoyah Vocational School. Now, it is known as Sequoyah High School, named for Sequoyah, a scholar who developed the Cherokee syllabary. In November 1985, the Cherokee Nation resumed the operation of SHS. It is regionally and state accredited for grades 9-12 and has become the school of choice for more than 350 high school students every year. From its humble beginning as a school with one building and 40 acres of land, SHS has grown into a modern institution covering more than 90 acres with a dozen major buildings nested on a beautiful campus five miles southwest of Tahlequah, Okla.

For more information about Sequoyah High School or any of its summer programs call, phone: 918-453-5168.

Sequoyah High School "Home of the Indians!" P.O. Box 520, Tahlequah, OK 74465             Sequoyah High School Alumni P.O. Box 187, Park Hill, OK 74451-0187 Sequoyah High School, an Indian boarding school, originated in 1871, when the Cherokee National Council passed an act setting up an orphan asylum to take care of many orphans that came out of the Civil War. Sequoyah High School's approximate 300 enrollment represents 42 tribes and 14 different states. Students are eligible to attend if they are members of federally recognized Indian tribes or one-fourth blood descendants of such members.