In the words of Leo Tolstoy, “Spring is a time of plans and projects.” The same can be said for our online high school scholars who are working hard as Semester 2 is well underway. Many of our scholars are busy preparing for CAASPP testing, SAT, and AP exams. I know they will do fantastic and look forward to hearing about their results.

I encourage scholars to revisit their goals for this past year and reflect on how they are reaching these goals. Will you reach them by June? Who do you need to help you with those goals? Make sure to share that progress with your learning coach and homeroom teacher so they can continue to support your efforts.

I know each of our online high school scholars will continue to spend time making plans and engage in completing their creative projects throughout the Spring, so they continue to be successful at CCS.

March has been a busy month for the online high school team and scholars! The entire CCS staff attended a mini-conference at the end of January that focused on various instructional tools and strategies to increase scholar engagement and achievement. The team was excited to return and share those tools and strategies with the scholars during learning labs. Starting in March, scholars have been able to check their understanding and standard mastery through using Quizizz, Socratic digital note-taking, virtual notebooks, and collaboration tools to maximize learning. They are excited to learn and attend their learning labs and know that each session will be fun and engaging.

To kick off the month, scholars participated in our March Madness attendance competition. During this competition, the learning lab with the highest percentage of attendance was recognized each week. The last day for this competition will be March 27, and the winner will be announced in the MMU on March 30. The class with the highest attendance average will win a special prize from that content teacher. This is an excellent opportunity for our entire team to participate in a friendly competition and also enjoy engaging in learning labs. Stay tuned for the winner!

Lastly, in March, learning coaches, scholars, and homeroom teachers met during parent/teacher conferences (PTCs). This two-week meeting window allowed for teachers to discuss scholar growth by sharing Edgenuity diagnostic information, review scholar goals, help families with re-enrollment, sign up for CAASPP testing, and discuss all of the great things our scholars are achieving. This was also a perfect time to set new goals and motivate scholars to finish the school year strong.

I never saw myself as an at-home or virtual student. When I was younger, I was that kid who loved going to school. I had lots of friends and loved learning. I kept busy with extracurriculars, such as playing soccer for seven years and girl scouts. Then things started getting unreasonably difficult. I was eleven when I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. By eighth grade, my Lyme symptoms had gotten so bad I was barely able to leave my room, and when I did, I was in a wheelchair. I left traditional school and entered CCS’s online program.

At first, I was devastated, but it turned out that I loved studying online. I had more time to dive deeper into the topics that interested me and develop the hobby of writing novels. As my health improved, I resumed outdoor activities and volunteered in theatre. Then, I got the incredible opportunity to help with costume design for the Voices of Hope Children’s Choir. In 2018, we received the Golden Buzzer on America’s Got Talent(AGT), making it to the semi-finals, and we were invited back to perform in AGT Champions. Since then, we have performed at several events such as WE Day, performing with Pentatonix in front of 17,000 people, at the Forum Red Nose Day with Josh Grobin, and at Disney’s California Adventure. We perform almost weekly on television programs and community and corporate events. We recently released a single and music video with Capitol Records!

Being in the online program has also let me spend more time with animals. I love caring for animals. At home, I have had pet dogs, horses, pigs, goats, hamsters, rats, guinea pigs, and geckos! I helped deliver, nurse, and care for two litters of golden retriever puppies, more than twenty total! My family spends a lot of holidays at zoos and aquariums, and often at animal encounter programs and backstage tours. One of my favorite zoos is the West Coast Safari Park in Bandon, Oregon. Over the years, I have held and interacted with tigers, bears, foxes, raccoons, dolphins, and other wild animals.

While battling Lyme disease, I spent countless hours researching the disease and treatments. As a result, I fell in love with medicine. Gradually my late-night study sessions shifted to investigate the medical field as a profession. My online schedule has allowed me to take externships with internationally renowned specialists Dr.Steven Harris and Dr. Wane Cheng. Getting to observe their practices was the experience that I needed. Combining my love of animals with my love of medicine, I have decided that veterinary medicine will be the perfect fit for me. I have been accepted into the NAVTA certified veterinary assistant program with the Animal Behaviour College (ABC) and will begin my program in February 2020. I plan to work as a veterinary assistant while attending pre-med and medical school.

If you had asked me when I was twelve, if I ever would want to be in a virtual school, I would have thought that it was the last thing I would want to do. Now, so much of what I have planned for my future could only have flourished with my online education at Compass. I am grateful for the opportunities have been given, and CCS was a big part of that.

Our very own online high school Spanish teacher, Mr. Vazquez, is being honored and recognized at the San Diego Latino Film festival for his short film titled: Volvere: El Dia De Muertos. To learn more about this honored recognition and Mr. Vazquez, please read his press release.