During 11th grade, Gabriel Ciancolo decided that he wanted to learn full-time with VTVLC. Ciancolo lived in Ukraine on and off from 2021 until the war broke out. Now, his parents have opened a home for Ukrainian refugees called Agape House of Mercy, and Ciancolo is a 12-grader taking Astronomy, Precalculus, African American History, Renewable Technologies, Digital Photography, and Journalism with VTVLC.

Ava Sargent, a 12th grader is currently taking four classes with VTVLC: AP Psychology, English IV, Geometry, and Forensic Science. However, Sargent has been studying with VTVLC for over three years.

“My favorite course I have taken with VTVLC is either this year’s Forensics or Marine Biology as a freshman,” Sargent said. “I think Biology was my favorite because of my amazing and supporting teacher and just learning about all the underwater life and what it really needs to survive in such harsh conditions.”

Jacob Wade is a 10th grader, currently taking two classes at VTVLC: Algebra I and World History. Wade first got his start taking classes at VTVLC with U.S. History last year.

“My favorite class I’ve taken was U.S History with Ashley Newton,” Wade said. “She was helpful and it was also fun to learn about the history of The United States.” Wade says his performance in his U.S. History class marks the class as his greatest success at VTVLC.

Kelsey Adams, a senior who takes classes with VTVLC, first tried online learning during the COVID-19 lockdown and found that she preferred it to her in-person classes. “It made sense to take some online classes this year,” Adams said. “I found that it offered academic opportunities beyond those found at my in-person school.”

Caleb Leonard decided to begin learning with VTVLC after his sophomore year at a brick-and-mortar school. “During my first two years, I got a glimpse of what online school might look like,” Leonard said. “I decided that online schooling was a better option for me because it gave me much more freedom and spare time than normal school.”

Eli Barlow began the full-time program with VTVLC in 2021 because of high-risk factors for COVID-19. “Continuing to learn from home was the best option for our family,” said Barlow’s dad.

Taybor Aldrich first began learning with VTVLC two years ago when he was asked to attend a hockey academy in New Hampshire.

“My days would be spent on the ice and my evenings would be dedicated to my studies,” Aldrich said. Attending the hockey academy will help him to earn recognition for his athletics which will possibly open doors for a college scholarship. “Since most kids my age attend school during the day and play sports after school hours, I needed to come up with a way to be able to make my dream of pursuing a hockey career beyond high school a reality.”

Lillian Quevedo is not new to online learning. In fact, she is entering her third year of being an online learner, and her second year of learning with VTVLC. Lillian’s flexible schedule has allowed her to pursue her passion for Fashion and Design. Her love for fashion started at a young age when she would proudly pick out her own outfits. This love grew with the assistance of her grandmother, Cynthia Stevens, who taught Lillian how to sew pajamas for her family during the holidays. Stevens will be a featured guest speaker at the Fashion and Design Club this spring.