Dear Mrs. Shigas,

This semester in psychology with you has been great. I was interested before, but I never would have thought all of the work for such an intimidating subject would have run so smoothly. You did a very good job at balancing serious assignments with the less-complicated ones, which made the class more fun on a daily basis. The concepts were presented with enough background reading that they were never hard to grasp, and we could always ask if we had questions. I also liked that we could choose how to present some assignments, whether it be on paper, in a powerpoint, in a video, etc. You encouraged us to learn without being overbearing about deadlines like most face-to-face teachers.

Thank you for a great semester in a great class!

-NCVPS Psychology Student

Moving into our first summer, we have been challenged with students who wanted to advance in a subject area as well as those who needed specific classes to meet graduation requirements.  NCVPS has provided us opportunities to do both. 

I really like the fact that our students are being taught the North Carolina Standard Course of Study by a North Carolina certified teacher.  The skills each student develops by taking an on-line class will only help them be better prepared for further studies after graduating from Pine Lake.  The support of the Regional contacts the Help Desk, and all others involved in NCVPS is beyond comparison.  

We will continue to utilize the North Carolina Virtual Public School as much as possible to enable our students the opportunity to develop 21st Century skills and further their education needs and wants.

Chris Scholl
Head of Upper School
Pine Lake Preparator

Learn and Earn Online Student Testimonial 1

LEO was a great program that I began during my second semester of my junior year. It has helped my family so much. We have saved a bunch of money. I have completed two years of college for free. I mainly did this for myself. I wanted to be different from everyone. I might not be the first in my class but I have two years of college done. That is a pretty good accomplishment for me. I also did it to show people that it is possible. You can get some college out of the way when you are in high school. I would recommend this to everyone. You save money. It might not be a big deal to students, but students need to think about their parents and need to save money to help them out. I hope that since I have done this more people will see that it is possible to do it. I am not saying that it was a breeze to do because, of course, it was not. The last classes that I had to take were sophomore level college courses. They were difficult but not something that can’t be done. This program takes self motivation and responsibility. It was not the easiest thing in the world but well worth it.

Thanks
-- Darci B. (East Rutherford HS)

Although I am tremendously disappointed at the possibility of a pay cut, this is far better than not having the job at all. I have been teaching for 17 years and I think NCVPS is the best thing that has happened in North Carolina in my career. I thrive on the relationship I have developed with my colleagues in the English department. I appreciate the opportunity I was given to co-write the AP Language Course. These relationships and writing opportunities are experiences I have not had in the county I teach in these extraordinary teachers are  student driven and curriculum focused. I do hope, however, that these will not be permanent cuts. We have never in this state been able to claim Number 1 in teacher pay until now.
--Kendra L. Gallos, English III, SAT Prep, North Carolina Virtual Public School

Dexter S. (class of '08) made a presentation to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee yesterday in Raleigh. He spoke about earning 32 college credits through CVCC and Learn and Earn Online. Dexter earned these credits for free after taking NCVPS courses online.

We had one student last year who had no other way of graduating than taking the course second semester. She is the first of her family to graduate from high school. She was heartbroken in January when I told her she could not graduate. Then the online opportunity came along
-- Teresa H., Counselor, Shelby High School

Jesse Stollings, Watauga County DLA has 100% Passing Rate!

For the fall, Stollings had 16 students enrolled in NCVPS/LEO courses and all passed the courses. For the spring, Stollings has 58 students registered in NCVPS/LEO courses and all are currently passing.

This is my twelfth year working with distance learning. It has been a very rewarding experience for me. I think the more you enjoy your job the better you are at it. The students are also intelligent enough that they will recognize this.

It has been my personal experience that if the student has a problem or a question it is my job to help them to find an answer or a solution. This is what I do when I am contacting the instructors or tech support. It might be NCVPS, AMDG, FLVS or OSU. I have always had a good line of communication with all of them and can usually find out what I need to know in a reasonable amount of time.
--Phyllis Bass, DLA, Charles B. Aycock High, Wayne County

I have been teaching at Union Pines High School in Moore County for seven years. I have often used my skills as an English teacher to help students with essays.

I took DATOC 1 and Blackboard training so that I could also teach with NCVPS, a job position that I did take during the first summer of NCVPS operation.. Having taken these courses has enabled me as the facilitator to know a lot about what the students in their courses are going through and to help them to be successful.

My general knowledge of teaching has helped me to help students to understand the requirements and expectations of online teachers.
-- Lisa Ragland, DLA , Moore County

My experience with the Virtual Public Schools my senior year of high school has been unique, challenging, and metamorphosing. Every student knows what it is like to be in a class with 25 other students-be it academic, artistic, or otherwise. With the closing of this school year, many more now know what it is like to take a virtual course online.

My online courses: English, Spanish, US History and others have given me an opportunity to learn a language and literary history in a spirit of creativity and individual development. It is very clear from my time spent working on these courses that I have grown in my academic and artistic independence. I have been renewed with a sense of self that is often lost in a normal classroom setting. My teachers are all very kind, diligent and intelligent, and I know that his is not an experience I will soon forget.
--Isaiah Simpson, 12th grader Union Pines HS, Moore County

The benefits I have received from the NCVPS AP Psychology class are numerous. I was able to experience a new form of learning that I had not experienced in a formal setting before this year. The AP class prepared me even further for the workload that I can expect in college, especially since it was not my only AP class. I benefited from being able to work my own schedule within the guidelines set forth by my teacher. If I was really busy one day and didn’t have enough time in 50 minutes to complete my work, I could access it at home and finish it there. Also, being able to participate in online discussion forums increased my understanding of the material and offered new ideas on the subjects discussed. Overall, the benefit will become evident in college, especially if I test out of beginning psychology. I was able to experience something new, hopefully gain credit for all of my hard work, and diffuse some of the stress of senior year by working at my own pace.

This experience was a very positive one for me. I am an independent learner and I enjoyed being able to fluctuate within the boundaries of the class on my own. Basically I would read the chapter(s) of the module assigned and then proceed to do the work at my own pace, depending upon my schedule, and it was all due by Saturday night at 8 PM. This is more realistic for a college level class because homework is not usually due the next day in college. Having time management skills and perseverance allowed me to flourish in the class because I am a self-starter. I learned a lot more in this class than I ever thought I would and, at the same time, it was one of my favorite classes.
--Caitlin W., AP Psychology, Tuscola High School, Haywood County Schools