Samantha Edwards had what some would call the opportunity of a lifetime – the chance to travel the globe as a teenage model. But that would have made another goal that she and her parents had much more difficult – earning her high school degree.
Enter BAVEL, the Barren Academy of Virtual and Expanded Learning, Kentucky’s first fully accredited, diploma-granting high school with no walls but plenty of classrooms, demanding course expectations but with flexibility, and the opportunity for Samantha to learn by seeing the world … while sitting at a computer.
“I will be the first to admit that I was skeptical when the subject of online schooling came up as an option for Samantha,” said her father, Rick Edwards. “However, my attitude quickly adjusted after reviewing the course offerings and the challenging materials contained in them.”
Already accepted with scholarship opportunities by three universities, Samantha, a Lyon County student, is one of the success stories that led judges to select the Barren County Schools’ BAVEL program for the KSBA PEAK (Public Education Achieves in Kentucky) Award.
“Barren County has hit on a program that meets the needs of students who cannot attend the regular classroom,” said Durward Narramore, a PEAK judge and Jenkins Independent school board member who sits on the KSBA Board of Directors.
For the rest of the article, click here.
By Brad Hughes
