Gilleard is taking the class with the hopes of going on to be a marine biologist. She doesn’t live near the ocean, as she is a senior at St. Ignatius High School. Her teacher actually lives in New Jersey, and the majority of the kids in her class are from the east coast.
Yet through a “Virtual High School” program run in Mission, Gilleard is one of nine high school students that take advantage of an expanded curriculum on the Internet.
“One of the things you want to do is broaden the horizons for students with different educational experiences and the sky is the limit,” St. Ignatius Superintendent Gerry Nolan said. “Not too many kids in Montana are taking oceanography.”
Ranging from Latin to Constitutional law, the classes offered are wide-ranging and varied, giving students options far beyond what the St. Ignatius school district can offer.
“We do a really good job of what we do,” Nolan said. “We have great teachers, we have really fine courses, and all this does is expand opportunities which I think is what every school tries to do.”
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