At the IGI Chicago Style Gymnastic Invitational, which bills itself as ‘The Largest Women’s Gymnastic Meet in the World,’ Jacobs won the Level 9 all-around title against some of the finest talent in the country.

While winning a national title is important, for her father Mike Jacobs, what his daughter did is sort of mind-blowing.

“I really don’t know where her ability comes from, I know it’s not from me,” Jacobs said. “Doing this is something she really loves to do.”

Jacobs 101

Jacobs began her gymnastics career when she was 4 years old when she got a packet from the school for getting straight As.

“She had made the honor roll in school when they sent home a package of coupons and in it was a free lesson at a gymnastics class,” said Mr. Jacobs. “She went and fell in love with it and has been doing it ever since.”

Jacqueline’s normal day starts with classes at Powell Middle School that end at 1:30 p.m. Then she goes to Suncoast Gymnastics Academy where she trains five days a week with Coach Arnold Gwynn and his wife Cindy.

“Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday she trains from 2-7:30 p.m. and then on Tuesdays and Thursdays she trains from 3:30-7:30 p.m.,” said Mr. Jacobs.

Besides going to Powell and working at gymnastics, Jacobs also takes classes on-line with the Florida Virtual School and she gets straight As.

“Gymnastics is something she really wants to do and the amount of work she puts into it really amazes me,” Mr. Jacobs said.

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http://www2.hernandotoday.com/content/2010/feb/27/local-gymnast-nabs-national-all-around-crown/

AJ, at just 12 years old, was selected by Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Camp to audition for a chance to perform at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday. He nailed it, earning one of the 60 spots available from 427 applications.

Konnie Kittrell, production director at Stagedoor Manor, spoke highly of AJ:

“AJ has great discipline for his age, a strong voice, and strong comic timing … He’s fearless,” Kittrell said in a statement.

AJ, who lives in Lakeland, started acting in first grade when his father signed him and his two brothers up for Saturday acting workshops at Pied Piper Players (now Lakeland Community Theatre).

AJ’s father, Mike Achinger, selected the workshops as a less demanding alternative to sports as he adjusted to being away from his wife, who was serving in the Air Force at the time, and taking care of his three boys alone.

For the rest of the article, click here.

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12-Year-Old Lakeland Actor Will Add His Voice to Macy’s Festivities by Mycah Pleasant

From TheLedger.com

They are not homebound students, but the first students in a new fulltime learning option from Florida Virtual School (FLVS).

Since it was founded in 1997, Florida Virtual School’s enrollment has steadily increased and, since the start of the 2009-10 school year, now includes a fulltime online program.

The Highlands County School District has one or two students, learning fulltime online, in most grades from grade one through 11.

“We started out with about 21, but I think that some have found that it in some ways it is more difficult because, although you have access to a teacher and interact with a teacher, it is still not to the extent that one has when you are in a classroom all day with the teacher right there,” Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Rebecca Fleck said Monday.

Also, the district’s fulltime FLVS enrollment dropped because a few of the students moved from the district.

Some students enrolled fulltime in the virtual school because it gives them a more flexible schedule, Fleck said.

For the rest of the article, click here.

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Students learn fulltime online by Marc Valero

From Highlands Today

High school students can stop the evil plans — and earn an American history credit — in Conspiracy Code, a new online course that takes place as a game.

The course is available through Florida Virtual School, an Internet-based public school that offers more than 90 courses.

Teacher David Wilson, who describes his role as “an underground handler,” said the game appeals to many students who wouldn’t normally enjoy the subject.

The course, new this year, is project-based instead of test-heavy, although there are mid-term and final exams.

Students start off with an introduction to a woman at Collusion Café. She’s a persuasive conspiracy theorist who enlists help to stop the bad guys.

The characters representing the student — Eddie Flash and Libby Whitetree — go through missions in which they gain powers and collect clues. Students keep notes in a “conspiracy log” and play mini games to reinforce what they’ve learned. The clues contain the lessons in the form of videos, maps, interactive timelines and personal stories from history.

Wilson said students tend to be drawn to ideas of conspiracy, codes and secrecy, especially in an era of Dan Brown thrillers and movies like National Treasure.

For the rest of the article, click here.

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Like a game, but worth high school credits by Hannah Sampson

From the Miami Herald

Offering online summer-school classes instead of face-to-face teaching has been a popular way for school districts facing budget cuts to save this year. But Andrea’s state has long been racking up savings through its year-round Florida Virtual School (FLVS), often cited as a model of efficiency.

Based in Orlando, it serves everyone from home-schoolers to traditional school students who need an extra course for catch-up or enrichment. The state treats it as a school district of sorts, but funds it at a significant savings over its bricks-and-mortar counterparts.

The state doesn’t have to pay for busing, food, or building maintenance for this “district.” Its per-pupil costs are lower as well. About 54,000 Florida students completed a total of 116,000 semester-long courses through FLVS in 2007-08. That translates into just over 9,600 “full-time equivalent” students – and for each of those the state saves about $1,000, according to a study by the nonprofit group Florida TaxWatch. Enrollment has been growing fast.

Schools save indirectly, too, because of this option. A small group of students might be able to take Latin or an advanced biology course through FLVS, for instance, rather than their school having to hire teachers with those specialties. And every time a student is promoted to the next grade because they pass a class through FLVS that they failed in the regular classroom, a year’s worth of costs are saved on that student.

For the rest of the article, click here.

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Online school is a cheaper way to educate by Stacy Teicher Khadaroo

From http://www.csmonitor.com

The state now requires all districts to have a virtual school available to students, according to Rebecca Fleck, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

Currently Florida Virtual School is used by students in the district who want to take one to three online courses. The students are still enrolled in one of the district’s schools.

Under the new requirement, a student can be enrolled full time in the virtual school.

Connections Academy, which has partnered with Florida Virtual School (FVS), will provide online classes from kindergarten through eighth-grade.

Also, K-12 virtual school will provide a full-time opportunity for K-8 schooling.

Florida Virtual School will provide grades nine through 12.

Those who are eligible for enrollment in the virtual school include: students who have been enrolled full time the previous year in a traditional (brick and mortar) school, students moving to the area whose parents are in the military and those who have been previously enrolled in a virtual school.
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From TMCnet.com

Cost was the determining factor in school district staff’s ranking of perspective virtual school providers for the next school year.

The recommendations are to contract with K12 Florida Virtual Academy, a Herndon, Va.-based K12 Inc., for grades K-5 and Arlington, Va.-based Educational Options for grades 6-12. The School Board is scheduled to vote on the recommendations June 16.

Starting with the 2009-10 school year, all 67 Florida school districts have to provide an online school, either using their own staff and curriculum or contracting with an outside company.

In total, five virtual school providers submitted bids for the Alachua County contract – two for grades K-5 and three for grades 6-12. Sandi Anusavice, the district’s director of secondary curriculum, said a staff committee concluded that the providers were evenly qualified when it came to academic curriculum and their teachers’ credentials. So, the staff recommendation came down primarily to money.

For grades K-5, cost quotes from state-run Florida Virtual School were, in one case, nearly $500 more than those submitted by K12 Inc.

Florida Virtual School submitted a per-student price of $4,200 for a student who did not require equipment and $4,950 for a student who would need to be provided equipment such as a computer and printer. The bid from K12 Inc., was $3,995 for a student who does not need equipment and $4,950 for a student needing equipment.

In grades 6-12, the largest discrepancy was nearly $2,000 per student. Advanced Academics, a subsidiary of DeVry Inc., submitted a quote of $3,804 for a student not requiring equipment while Educational Options’ per-student bid was $1,995.

Online courses are already commonplace in higher education and are growing in popularity at the K-12 level as well. Orlando-based Florida Virtual School (FLVS) has quickly become the nation’s largest virtual school, serving nearly 65,000 students in the 2007-08 school year.

“Policy makers and educators have proposed expanding learning time in elementary through high school grades as a way to improve students’ academic performance, but online coursework hasn’t been on their radar,” said Catherine Cavanaugh, associate professor at the University of Florida’s College of Education and author of the report, “Getting Students More Learning Time Online: Distance Education in Support of Expanded Learning Time in K-12 Schools.”

For the rest of the article, click here.

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Study: Virtual schools can help cut costs by Laura Devaney

From eSchoolNews.com

Six University of Central Florida (UCF) education majors are in the middle of a seven-week internship where they are working hand-in-hand with FLVS teachers. Interns were chosen because they expressed an interest in teaching online.

UCF student Katelyn Richardson, who is majoring in English language arts education, was chosen to participate in the internship program, but has not yet begun the virtual portion of the program at FLVS. She will begin her virtual internship in the second week of March.

“Being able to have this chance to intern with the Florida Virtual School opens a world of possibilities for the University of Central Florida, and me, personally,” she said. “It is truly encouraging to know that there is an organization that truly believes, and lives out, the philosophy of student-centered education. The Florida Virtual School not only puts forth these ideals, but supports and enables the teachers to give 100 percent of themselves to the students and their education.”

FLVS, founded in 1997, provides virtual K-12 education solutions to students throughout the country, offering more than 80 courses for middle and high school students.

After spending seven weeks at FLVS, interns will spend seven weeks in traditional classrooms in central Florida, said Brian Marchman, instructional leader with FLVS.

“I think that it’s the first of its kind of … internship to prepare students to teach not only online, but in the traditional classroom as well,” he said.

For the rest of the article, click here.

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Internships help prepare future online teachers by Maya T. Prabhu

From eSchoolNews