Full Time Edition
Meet a New FLVS Instructor
By Dr. Jeanne Giardino on September 19th, 2016
We are celebrating the 2016-17 school year with a blog series featuring FLVS faculty and staff. Meet the creative and dedicated individuals who make every day a great day at FLVS!
Have you ever thought about how exciting it would be to be an FLVS instructor? Well, meet Kevin Kessler who just came on board this fall to join FLVS Full Time as a dynamic science teacher!
Kevin Kessler is someone who is very friendly and gregarious. I met Kevin last year as we are both enrolled in the doctoral program at Florida Southern College and attend the same cohort.
Kevin has a warm rapport with people and is very knowledgeable about education around the world. A born traveler, he brings a rich and unique perspective to his FLVS Full Time science classroom having had adventures all across the globe.
When he first approached me about joining FLVS, I was not only excited that he could possibly join our faculty, but thought of all of the world experiences he would bring into the lives of our students. Focused on helping each and every student achieve their very best in his classroom, Kevin believes that all students can be successful and reach their highest potential. Continue reading
FLVS Corkboard: August Highlights
By Florida Virtual School on August 31st, 2016
Whether you’re a student, teacher, parent, or administrator, heading back to school and starting a new school year can cause a flood of varying emotions.
How is it possible to feel excited, nervous, happy, sad, encouraged, jazzed, and anxious all at the same time?
A new school year brings new opportunities and we have some just for you!
First, welcome to reading a new segment on our blog named FLVS Corkboard. As part of our efforts to streamline school-wide communications, we decided to fold our previous stand-alone newsletter, The Pulse, into this new monthly series!
Here, we’ll offer highlights and news bits for all our students and parents on all things FLVS. Consider subscribing to The Virtual Voice to help keep you connected. Continue reading
FLVS Yearbook Club: Unbound
By Guest Blogger on August 22nd, 2016
Nearly five years ago, the first edition of the Florida Virtual School yearbook, Unbound, was published.
Many things have changed since then, but one thing has not – this is a yearbook created by and for “unbound” students. At FLVS, students are not bound to four walls of a classroom, nor are they bound to lectures that feel endless. Unbound was created to show off these exemplary students and our exemplary school.
My name is Scott Schneider and I am the Editor-in-Chief of this year’s Unbound yearbook. I am a Junior at FLVS Full Time, and I can testify to the unbound feeling that FLVS provides. Our goal is to provide that same feeling to students in the yearbook. We have created many ways to get involved this year without being bound to deadlines, countless hours of work, etc.
One of the ways to get involved is through the Summer Cover Challenge! Continue reading
Why Back to School is Better Online (Remix!)
By Dr. Jeanne Giardino on August 5th, 2016
A few years ago, I wrote a blog post sharing why going back to school is way easier online.
Now that it’s August and students are once again headed back into classrooms across the state of Florida, it seemed like a great opportunity to revisit our list of reasons why students at FLVS Flex and FLVS Full Time have it made!
We all know that there all kinds of benefits to virtual school…
From the value of learning how to study and succeed online in general to the fact that Driver Education meets the online high school course requirement for students in Florida, there are plenty of advantages. But the perks we’ve outlined below are much cooler than these!
Here is our new and improved top 15 list of reasons the first day of school at FLVS is infinitely better than the first day at “regular” school… Continue reading
FLVS Full Time Class of 2016: Emma Cahoon
By Guest Blogger on July 6th, 2016
This article was originally written and published in the FLVS student newspaper, News in a Click.
When Emma Cahoon first logged onto Florida Virtual School as a freshman, she was “amazed by the course opportunities.”
Now a graduate of FLVS Full Time, Cahoon clearly took advantage of the unique course offerings that FLVS provides with a schedule that consisted of five AP Classes and resulted in a diploma with 5 and ½ extra credits.
Cahoon plans to attend the University of Florida in the fall, and credits her success to the flexibility of FLVS. “I applied to 16 schools, which is a large time commitment,” said Cahoon. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that without FLVS.” Continue reading
FLVS Full Time Class of 2016: Bridget Forster
By Guest Blogger on June 28th, 2016
This article was originally written and published in the FLVS student newspaper, News in a Click.
FLVS Full Time Senior Class President, Bridget Forster, had a senior year that consisted of international tennis competitions and receiving the prestigious Wendy’s Heisman Scholarship Award, all while maintaining her 4.0 GPA.
Forster, an internationally ranked tennis player, said that she is thankful to FLVS for giving her the opportunity to live her dream of traveling as a competitive tennis player.
Because of the flexibility of FLVS, Bridget was able to follow an extensive training regimen while traveling around the world. “My favorite memory academically is definitely the teachers I got to work with,” said Forster. “I had a hectic schedule as a tennis player and I had the most understanding teachers who were so kind and helpful.” Continue reading
Celebrating our 2016 Grads
By Guest Blogger on June 9th, 2016
FLVS families from across Florida recently gathered to celebrate the Class of 2016.
This year, more than 620 seniors graduated from FLVS Full Time. It was our largest class to date, with more than 330 students in attendance for the traditional ceremonial march.
This year was also the first year that a live broadcast of the ceremony was available, allowing friends and families to tune in on Twitter and Facebook during the event.
If you missed it, find photos and videos from the day on the FLVS Full Time Facebook page or Periscope! Continue reading
Celebrating Summer — And You!
By Guest Blogger on June 1st, 2016
The end of the year is such an exciting time for our FLVS students!
Our students may continue to focus on educational goals over the summer or they may focus on other areas of growth within their lives.
Knowing your special gifts can add remarkable meaning and success to your life while helping you to become more willing to appreciate the uniqueness of others.
Many students don’t like the very thing about themselves that makes them one of a kind. Continue reading
Bye-Bye High School, Hello College
By Guest Blogger on May 31st, 2016
My four years of high school was without a doubt the longest four years of my life.
Can I get a “same here” in agreement—or was this just my experience?
While high school wasn’t horrible for me, my time there seemed to drag on like a never-ending prison sentence, with additional time added just for being an awkward teen. We moved five times between 8th and 12th grade; three of those times to different geographical regions in Florida.
It sure would have been wonderful to keep pace and consistency going from one school to the next… Continue reading
Become a Research Jedi using Google Search
By Florida Virtual School on May 11th, 2016
Become a research Jedi so you will never have to go to the Dark Side.
In a galaxy far, far away…all of Padawans turned in their research projects on time and received perfect scores every time…and…uh…wait a minute – this does sound like a fictional world!
Let’s land in the real world where a research project requires time and effort and especially some serious research skills. Cue the dramatic music and let’s begin your training! Continue reading