Student Experience
With the Flexibility to Dream Big, FLVS Graduate Aims for Harvard Law
By Florida Virtual School on May 13th, 2021
In an early May afternoon in Cambridge, Massachusetts, you can feel the cool, spring breeze and an electric buzz in the air as Harvard students prepare for graduation. And on the weathered stone steps of Harvard Law School, you can trace the invisible footsteps of some of the country’s most prominent figures—including past and present senators, business leaders, and even Presidents. It’s a place that might feel heavy with expectation. Or full of promise. And it’s exactly where FLVS student Abigail Muller plans to make history.
Continue readingSupporting Elementary Students Across the Country
By Florida Virtual School on October 29th, 2020
Florida Virtual School (FLVS) recently introduced its elementary offerings internationally, making FLVS Kindergarten-5th grade curriculum available through FLVS Global. Now students outside of Florida can enroll directly with FLVS Global Elementary School. Meet two elementary families from New Jersey and Pennsylvania who are glad they chose FLVS for their child’s online education!
Continue readingTwins Share Double Love for FLVS Global School
By Suzan Kurdak on October 28th, 2020
Twins share a special bond and connection with one another for life, and while each is a unique individual, there are often many similarities. We’re pleased to introduce you to Carmen and David Reisdorf, two amazing students who reside in Houston, Texas.
Continue readingOnline Elementary Teachers Bring Learning to Life
By Guest Blogger on August 24th, 2020
Welcome to the 2020-21 school year! Whether your family is new to Florida Virtual School (FLVS) Elementary or returning, we’re so glad you’re here.
If you are new to FLVS Elementary, you may be wondering what the upcoming school year has in store for your young learner. You can rest assured knowing your child’s education is at the center of every decision we make!
Continue readingMeet Emari, FLVS Alum & Dual Enrollment Grad
By Guest Blogger on July 16th, 2020
This post was written by Emari Craft, a Class of 2020 graduate who took online courses with FLVS Flex.
My name is Emari Craft. I was a Florida Virtual School (FLVS) student from 7th grade until 11th grade. Online school was the best option for me. I wanted flexibility without compromising my education. When I became a Florida Virtual School student, I was worried that I would not receive the same education as my peers. I did not receive the same education. I believe my education was even better than what I would have received in a traditional school. I was always prepared for End-of-Course exams. I did well on the ACT because of the rigorous courses I took when I was an FLVS student.
Continue readingStaying Connected Through Blended Learning
By April Fleetwood on June 23rd, 2020
Florida Virtual School supports Blended Learning Community (BLC) settings in schools across the state of Florida and beyond. In these blended environments, students learn through a combination of online and face-to-face learning. Over the past two years, the FLVS Analysis, Assessment, and Accountability Research Team has partnered with the University of Central Florida to study the unique environment that Blended Learning Communities offer FLVS students, teachers, and Florida schools.
Continue readingFLVS Class of 2020: Dive into the Next Chapter
By Guest Blogger on June 17th, 2020
This post was written by FLVS Full Time National Honor Society President, Maya Washburn.
To my fellow graduates of the Class of 2020, don’t let the midst of this pandemic dull your fires or sadden your passionate hearts and wise, academic minds. Our accomplishments and experiences over the past four years of our lives surpass in-person contact and any computer screen standing in our way, as we all particularly know very well.
Continue readingEmbracing Nostalgia: The Good and The Bad
By Guest Blogger on July 5th, 2017
This post was written by Charissa, a student in the FLVS Creative Writing Club.
Have you ever passed by a place you used to visit when you were young and a nostalgic feeling started to resonate in your chest?
The feeling blew you back in time a bit, and sparked that good memory concealed in your mind to come and revisit. It was probably a joyous occasion, and that feeling of ancient and special happiness surfaces again.
Well, what if something bad happened to you? Would the nostalgic feeling be the same? I highly doubt it would. If I visited a place that held a bad memory, I would feel suffocated by air tainted with unhappiness and regret. I wouldn’t have a happy and elated feeling in my chest. I would feel empty and alone.
Something I have realized in this society is this:
We all have our good places reminding us of the joy and happiness life can bring you, but we also have our bad places that are a reminder of how the world can be messed up sometimes. Some people have one more than the other. Continue reading
FLVS Attends GOES-R Satellite Launch
By Linda Childs on December 7th, 2016
On Saturday, November 19, I had the privilege of watching the GOES-R weather satellite launch from Kennedy Space Center.
Now you may be wondering what GOES-R stands for. It’s the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, a satellite system that orbits the earth and sends data back to National Weather Service computers. The R indicates what number or version the GOES satellite is on, so there have already been versions A-R. GOES-S is slated to launch next year and is the twin to GOES-R.
Of course, weather satellites get launched all the time, so why would this one be any more special than the others?
Well, right now we receive images of satellite scans every 30 minutes or so. The GOES-R satellite will provide data at least every five minutes, and in some circumstances every 30 seconds! So not only will it be five times faster than current weather satellites, but it will also gather three times more data and it will have four times better resolution. Continue reading
To Bennu and Back!
By Linda Childs on September 29th, 2016
Hello FLVS peeps!
I had the distinct honor of representing FLVS at the OSIRIS REx rocket launch a few weeks ago.
Now if you’re wondering what exactly that means, OSIRIS REx stands for NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer. That’s a mouthful, right?
In a nutshell, NASA is sending a spacecraft to an asteroid named Bennu. Once it reaches Bennu (after a trip lasting two years), the spacecraft will orbit the asteroid for about a year, find the perfect place to collect about 80 grams of the rock, and head back home, arriving back to Earth in 2023.
It won’t actually land on the asteroid, but instead hover over it – and with the help of Canada and their amazing knowledge of spacecraft arms – will grab a small sample. (To put this in perspective, 80 grams is about the equivalent of 80 Skittle candies.)
So why are we going to Bennu? Continue reading