More high school grads earning degrees online
KENT, Wash. - When it comes to graduating from high school, our state's rate is improving. More than seven out of 10 get diplomas.
The three out of 10 who don't graduate, however, often don’t make it because they have children, full-time jobs, health problems or other complications that hold them back.
That is - until now.
This year, some 230 students celebrated their graduation after receiving their diplomas from Insight High School.
If you've never heard of Insight High School, you might be familiar with its location - cyberspace.
Yes, these graduates are connected on the Web.
"We're very techy here," says Tommy Kraft, an Insight High School graduate.
And disciplined. Each one of these students completed their class work without seeing their teachers or classmates face to face. So was it like meeting for the first time - at their graduation at the Showare Center.
"A little bit nerve-wracking, definitely," says graduate Cassie Odell.
Alysha Davis says, "You know you can read the discussion posts that we have so now you can kind of put names to faces, faces to names."
Another grad, Ryan Abrahamson, says, "I was surprised I could even do it."
Circumstances kept Ryan Abrahamson from graduating with his peers two years ago. He lives on a reservation in Eastern Washington. He said he's glad he found Insight.
Abrahamson says, "The program was, everything in there, I could learn, and it was absolutely easy."
Abrahamson told me he completed the program while working full time to support his girlfriend and 9-month-old baby. Now he’s headed to the Seattle Art Institute to study film-making.
And he's not the only student graduating with a baby or young child at home. A number of young ladies explained that getting their diploma through an online high school is the only way they could do it.
Tommy Kraft chose Insight for very different reasons. He says he wasn't challenged enough by the courses offered his freshman year at a traditional brick-and-mortar school.
But at Insight High School he was able to take advanced placement courses in physics, calculus and U.S. government.
That is another benefit that online schools tout - they offer highly qualified teachers with exceptional credentials who may be hundreds of miles away from their students.
Kraft is headed to the University of Washington to study aeronautics and astronautics. He graduated from Insight as valedictorian.
Kraft says, "Graduating from what I believe is the wave of the future."
Even their keynote speaker appeared virtually.
Keith Oelrich, Insight Schools CEO and founder, said, "You are a pioneer. You did something creative - you showed courage. You’re able to think outside the box."
Oelrich said these students learned 21st Century skills while getting high school diplomas. He said most people don’t develop those skills - like networking and mastering virtual meetings - until they’re in college or in business.
After the graduation ceremony – it was time for the prom.
The teachers say it was a great experience because the students haven't really met each other before, so there are no cliques going on. Everyone just has a fun time.
Online high schools are growing by leaps and bounds - with enrollments up six times over just a decade ago, according to the Association for K-12 Online Learning.
The three out of 10 who don't graduate, however, often don’t make it because they have children, full-time jobs, health problems or other complications that hold them back.
That is - until now.
This year, some 230 students celebrated their graduation after receiving their diplomas from Insight High School.
If you've never heard of Insight High School, you might be familiar with its location - cyberspace.
Yes, these graduates are connected on the Web.
"We're very techy here," says Tommy Kraft, an Insight High School graduate.
And disciplined. Each one of these students completed their class work without seeing their teachers or classmates face to face. So was it like meeting for the first time - at their graduation at the Showare Center.
"A little bit nerve-wracking, definitely," says graduate Cassie Odell.
Alysha Davis says, "You know you can read the discussion posts that we have so now you can kind of put names to faces, faces to names."
Another grad, Ryan Abrahamson, says, "I was surprised I could even do it."
Circumstances kept Ryan Abrahamson from graduating with his peers two years ago. He lives on a reservation in Eastern Washington. He said he's glad he found Insight.
Abrahamson says, "The program was, everything in there, I could learn, and it was absolutely easy."
Abrahamson told me he completed the program while working full time to support his girlfriend and 9-month-old baby. Now he’s headed to the Seattle Art Institute to study film-making.
And he's not the only student graduating with a baby or young child at home. A number of young ladies explained that getting their diploma through an online high school is the only way they could do it.
Tommy Kraft chose Insight for very different reasons. He says he wasn't challenged enough by the courses offered his freshman year at a traditional brick-and-mortar school.
But at Insight High School he was able to take advanced placement courses in physics, calculus and U.S. government.
That is another benefit that online schools tout - they offer highly qualified teachers with exceptional credentials who may be hundreds of miles away from their students.
Kraft is headed to the University of Washington to study aeronautics and astronautics. He graduated from Insight as valedictorian.
Kraft says, "Graduating from what I believe is the wave of the future."
Even their keynote speaker appeared virtually.
Keith Oelrich, Insight Schools CEO and founder, said, "You are a pioneer. You did something creative - you showed courage. You’re able to think outside the box."
Oelrich said these students learned 21st Century skills while getting high school diplomas. He said most people don’t develop those skills - like networking and mastering virtual meetings - until they’re in college or in business.
After the graduation ceremony – it was time for the prom.
The teachers say it was a great experience because the students haven't really met each other before, so there are no cliques going on. Everyone just has a fun time.
Online high schools are growing by leaps and bounds - with enrollments up six times over just a decade ago, according to the Association for K-12 Online Learning.
