Leadership
Staying Positive In Spite of Illness
By Guest Blogger on March 18th, 2016
This post was written by FLVS student Aislinn and originally published on her blog offering support for individuals with chronic pain.
Without a doubt, pain changes people.
However, that does not require it to be a negative change. Chronic pain can be defined as a pain that persists or progresses over a long period of time and is often resistant to medical treatments. Pain can be a brutal teacher, but it has the ability to teach life lessons that will go unforgotten.
Chronic pain teaches you how life changes in a moment; we truly have to live each day like it is our last, because life can change any second.
When a chronic condition hits, it can lead you into a world of frustration and uncertainty. Helplessness and hopelessness are incredibly common with chronic pain and various chronic conditions. Continue reading
Congrats to our 2015 Photo Contest Winners
By Florida Virtual School on September 26th, 2015
This year, we saw all kinds of inspiring and amazing student stories in our fall photo contest.
Over the last two months, students have been sharing images on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook showing how they have succeeded with the help of Florida Virtual School. In the photo caption, students were asked to explain how FLVS has allowed them to do great things using the hashtag #SuccessAtFLVS.
Three winners were chosen – one at random, one by popular vote, and one selected by FLVS judges. We received images from hospitalized and homebound students, students entering the ROTC, community service volunteers, musicians, artists, athletes, and aspiring entrepreneurs – all of which made us wish we could have chosen more of you!
Continue reading
Preparing for College: Start Early, Be Consistent, Finish Strong
By Amy LaGrasta on July 3rd, 2015
Many students fall into the trap of thinking college is something they need to start considering their senior year.
Students who wait until then, however, will be much more than a day late and a dollar short (more like four years too late and thousands of dollars short).
The fact is the time to start thinking about college is when you are selecting your freshman courses. It can be argued that it begins much earlier than this even – through the development of soft skills like time management, study habits, and a growth mindset for example, but that is a different post. Continue reading
Service Learning
By Dr. Jeanne Giardino on June 24th, 2015
“Volunteers are not paid—not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.”
Do you volunteer or did you when you were young?
Do you remember who Candy Stripers were? They were hospital volunteers. Working as a Candy Striper was my first experience volunteering and it taught me real-world experiences that helped shape my future.
I volunteered each Sunday from 12 – 4 p.m. at Pembroke Pines Hospital in South Florida. There were many rules and the expectations for the teen volunteers were high, dauntingly so. We received intensive training that resembled that of a NASA Astronaut. Continue reading
Don’t Procrastinate, Motivate!
By Amy LaGrasta on May 26th, 2015
Motivation is literally a desire to do things.
It is crucial to attaining goals.
Motivation is the difference between getting up and doing something or being a couch potato all day.
Whether you want to motivate yourself, colleagues, classmates, or children…here are some proven methods to improve your motivation and to motivate those around you. From setting goals to persevering through difficult challenges, these tips will help you accomplish all kinds of great things!
Blended School Receives Teens for Jeans Grant
By Guest Blogger on May 6th, 2015
Western Eagle Bilingual School is a private blended school in Mayagüez, PR that has been using FlexPoint Education Cloud curriculum since 2010. They recently participated in a national campaign to collect jeans for homeless teenagers sponsored by Aeropostale and DoSomething.org called Teens for Jeans. Read their story here:
As I was reading “Leadership for Students,” published by the National Association of Secondary School Principals for NJHS and NHS Members, I came across a short article about a school in the United States that participated in DoSomething.org’s Teen for Jeans campaign by donating 500 jeans. I thought to myself, we can collect even more than that at our school!
The challenge was on. Continue reading
Meet FLVS Student Samantha Morris
By Guest Blogger on December 5th, 2014
FLVS students are quite amazing, as we all know, but some of them absolutely excel in multiple areas. Samantha Morris, FLVS veteran, is a superstar journalist, scientist, researcher, and leader.
Looking at Samantha’s impressive resume will easily exhaust anyone. She has achieved awards for her academic talents, writing, and interest in science. Samantha was recently named an AP Scholar with Distinction by the College Board and was named a National Gold Key Winner by the Quill and Scroll International Journalism Honor Society for her opinion writing.
At FLVS, she was named “2013 Student of the Year” and “2014 Shining Star.” Continue reading
“Clash Man” Becomes a Leader
By Guest Blogger on December 2nd, 2014
I sometimes wonder if my three years in middle school were harder than my three years in a refugee camp.
On the fashion front, I wore the same shirt to school three times a week and earned the name “Clash Man.” In 8th grade, I got kicked off my basketball team and my family was forced to move into low-income housing. At my new school, I got my first D in math, and Cs in some of my other classes.
If you would have asked me if I was a leader, I would have laughed. I was trying to survive each day of school and hoping that life would get better.
Life did get better, but not because I got better housing or a new wardrobe. Continue reading
What Went Wrong?
By Guest Blogger on November 14th, 2014
Katie had never imagined she’d be living month to month, in constant fear that she wouldn’t have enough to pay her rent. After all, Katie had a college degree and a job.
When I met Katie, she was 23 years old and working her dream job at a non-profit. She didn’t have any credit card debt. What had gone wrong?
Katie had massive student loans from college, totaling more than $128,000. Katie’s salary was $32,000 and more than $12,000 of that went to pay the debt and interest. Continue reading
Premier Events Sponsored by The Foundation for FLVS
By Guest Blogger on November 12th, 2014
This fall, The Foundation for Florida Virtual School (The Foundation), the philanthropic organization of FLVS, “Unmasked the Future of Education” by hosting two premier events: the third annual Opening Doors to the World Awards Celebration and the inaugural users conference, Momentum: FLVS World Symposium. Both of these events shined a spotlight on education leaders who are helping to shape the future of online learning in the United States.
Momentum: FLVS World Symposium, presented by Mawi Learning, was a three-day users conference that provided more than 2,000 industry professionals the opportunity to network and collaborate with education experts, exhibitors, and innovators from all over the country. Conference keynotes featured the best of the best with Mawi Asgedom of Mawi Learning, Ian Jukes of 21st Century Project, and Dan Heath, New York Times Best Selling author. Continue reading