Before the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual school was not in the limelight, but Hillsborough Virtual K-12 was around long beforehand.
Founded in 2003, HV K-12 is a public school choice option where highly qualified teachers offer a web-based curriculum. Students work from home and connect with their teachers online, but since HV K-12 instructors are local, they will be able to offer in-person academic and extracurricular events when it is safe to do so.
Although growing steadily, HV K-12 has recently seen its enrollment explode from around 300 full-time students to over 4,000. Teachers truly cannot wait to meet students in person.
In October, teachers invited elementary HV K-12 students to meet up for fun activities in the ‘Let’s Have a Blast’ web series.
Elementary teacher Ashley Moore exclaimed, “I am beyond excited. This yearlong series will allow students and families of all grade levels to get together virtually for an evening [of] fun enrichment programs. HV K-12 families will have the opportunity to connect with community heroes, get active with professional dance instructors, go on virtual scavenger hunts, be creative by crafting with special guests, cook up something delicious but nutritional with local chefs and broaden their minds doing experiments live with others. It is great to see the community come together to provide these special opportunities for our learners to grow and connect outside of the classroom, all from the comfort of their own home.”
HV K-12 parent Keri Strimpel has seen her boys, Ian, Jacob and Liam, go through HV K-12 since they were in middle school. Ian graduated in 2019, and Liam and Jacob are now in high school. Ian recently completed his AA degree in IT at Keiser University, where he made the Dean’s list with a 3.75-4.0 GPA for two semesters in a row. He plans to move into a bachelor’s program with a focus on cyber security.
Each of her children has found so much success in the virtual environment, but she thought back to a time when one faced academic challenges and said, “Hillsborough Virtual has given my child a chance to learn and see success when he was struggling at a brick and mortar school. The teachers truly care about my child and have been a key part of his successes in learning.”
HV K-12 offers both excellent college preparatory courses and vocational courses to set students on the path to success wherever life’s journey will take them.
The application period for new students who want to start in either the spring semester (start date: Monday, January 18, 2021) or the next school year (start date: August 2021) opened on November 2 and closes on Friday, December 11 at 11:45 p.m.
Visit https://bit.ly/HVK12APPLY to apply. For more information, visit online at www.mysdhc.org/Page/439 or call 983-7278.
