Remembering Sean Hamidi

For years, Sean was a familiar presence at Sequoyah. Whether he was teaching freshman humanities classes, talking with students about their lives, advising students, or working behind the scenes to shape the school's academics, his influence could be felt across the campus.

Known by many titles—Dean of Academics, Shamidid, Second Favorite Teacher, Parmesean—or, most commonly, just Sean, he became a foundational member of the Sequoyah community. After speaking with students and faculty about their memories of him, it became clear that Sean’s impact on the school could not be explained simply.

During his time at Sequoyah, he was a founding member of our community, creating and shaping the ways many of us experience our academics. He worked to cultivate a culture of mastery-based assessment at Sequoyah, developed student-centered assessment practices and approaches, and facilitated collaboration among faculty to better support students.  He was also a founding member of the Humanities Department as a teacher, while designing and implementing Sequoyah's core English/ELA and History curriculum.

All of these accomplishments completely changed students’ day-to-day academic lives, even if many of us never realized how much of that work Sean was doing. He shaped and refined how students are assessed, how humanities classes are structured, and how teachers support students.

Yet when walking around campus asking his former students about Sean, you won't hear anyone talk about these things. What made Sean truly special to his students was his ability to build relationships that felt natural and genuine. 

When I asked Ben Cox ’28 about his favorite memory with Sean, he said, “Probably just, like, talking about basketball with him, the NBA, about life … just normal conversations about life with him.” Ben’s favorite memory wasn't a single moment but the many ordinary conversations they shared, showing just how naturally Sean connected with his students.

 When asked what her favorite Sean memory was, Dahlia Gutierrez ’28 responded with: “At the end of our class he made a ‘most likely to’ slide show with each and every one of his students on it, and they were hilariously spot on.” While this may seem like just a funny moment, it reflects how important it was to Sean to get to know each and every one of his students. 

Quinn O’Malley ’27, a former advisee, immediately said, “There was this one couple at school who were very touchy and very annoying, and a few of my friends complained about it to Sean, and Sean made pda cards that say ‘Don't Do PDA’ with a huge red light on it to hand out, and it was really nice of him.” This story captures Sean's playful sense of humor and his ability to turn even a minor incident into something memorable. More importantly, it shows how seriously he listened to his students and how willing he was to make their school experience even better.

8/17/2017 - 6/28/2026

Sean's impact on Sequoyah went far beyond his accomplishments as an educator. Through his humor, kindness, and genuine connection with students, he created memories that will remain with the community for years to come. He will be deeply missed… but never forgotten.