The Virtual High School(VHS, Inc.), a non-profit empowering schools with the industry’s most comprehensive online learning programs, today announced the winners of their 11th annual college scholarship program. Two thousand dollars in scholarship funds were awarded to three VHS seniors in Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey to use toward college expenses.
Graduating senior Corey Campbell, from Wiscasset High School in Wiscasset, Maine, won the $1000 first place award from the VHS 2018 scholarship program with her original song submission. Two other high school seniors –– Nicholas DeCastro of Maynard High School (MA) and Esther Vergel of Paramus High School (NJ) –– placed second and third, respectively, each winning $500 in scholarships for their original video submissions.
The three winners answered this year’s scholarship question How did your VHS teacher or site coordinator impact your online learning experience? creatively, and stood out to the judges.The scholarship review committee included VHS staff members who evaluated the submissions based on their content, quality, creativity and relevance.
“Our 2018 winners really showed their creative talents in their submissions,” said Carol Ribeiro, President & CEO of VHS. “One common theme this year was students finding and showcasing their passion through VHS courses. Students shared their valuable experiences and the goals they were encouraged to pursue by the amazing educators they honored in their submissions. We are so pleased that The Virtual High School helped these students develop important life skills, in addition to the practical content knowledge they received from their courses.”
First place winner Corey Campbell described her experiences with VHS online courses and the support given to her by her site coordinator, in the audio file and original song she entered in the scholarship program. In her song, she sings about her experience taking VHS courses and how her site coordinator helped her to find her passion. Campbell’s favorite online course was Creative Writing. “When I started high school, I knew that writing kind of interested me,” Campbell said. “I wanted to discover it more, but our school curriculum didn’t really have any class options for creative writing. That’s when Mrs. Pooler, my site coordinator, introduced me to VHS.” Campbell also described how
Mrs. Pooler helped her through her struggles after heart surgery by not only being an amazing site coordinator, but also a mentor and friend.
Second place winner Nicholas DeCastro submitted a video detailing his experience with his VHS Entrepreneurship course taught by his exemplary teacher, Judith Hoffman. DeCastro wanted to pursue business from a young age and said that his VHS course gave him a glimpse of what he could expect if he started his own business in the future. He also talked about his teacher’s support for his entrepreneurship goals, even after he was done with her VHS course and his teacher was retired!
In third place, Esther Vergel used a video to describe her VHS experience taking Pre-Veterinary Medicine. Vergel credits her successful learning experience to her teacher, Ms. Kurzius, who pushed her to reach out to local veterinarians and taught her what she needs to do to stand out to get into veterinarian school. Vergel said that Ms. Kurzius’ help led her to volunteer at a local animal hospital, and she will attend the University of Maryland on the Pre-Vet track next year.
For the last 22 years, VHS has provided middle and high school students with access to high-quality online and blended learning experiences while supporting educators with the professional development and services they need to provide effective education for every student. Schools that partner with VHS have access to a wide range of over 200 core, elective, credit recovery and AP® courses that inspire, ignite and deepen learning. VHS helps students develop independent learning skills, prepare for college and careers, earn credit, and engage with their peers in global classrooms.
For more information, visit www.VHSLearning.orgor call (978) 897-1900.
About The Virtual High School
The Virtual High School (VHS, Inc.) is an online learning pioneer. Since 1996, the nonprofit organization has set the standard for quality online education. VHS provides courses taught in global online classrooms for secondary school students and online professional development for educators. The organization also meets the unique educational needs of schools through custom course development and individualized course offerings. VHS design and delivery standards are the model used by the National Education Association in their recommended standards for online learning. The organization has won numerous awards, including the Stockholm Challenge Award for Global Excellence in Information Technology, and is a three-time winner of the United States Distance Learning Association’s (USDLA) award for Excellence in Programming and Excellence in Best Practices.
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