New Online High School from Wisconsin Connections Academy Available for 2011-2012 School Year

Appelton, WI (Vocus/PRWEB) February 17, 2011

Wisconsin families looking to switch schools have a new option for virtual high school -- Wisconsin Connections Academy (WCA), the states high-quality, highly accountable virtual public school, is now offering online learning for grades K-12 starting in the 2011-2012 school year. This years public school open enrollment period started February 7th and will run through February 25th, 2011.

We have received numerous requests from satisfied parents who want their children to continue with the Connections Academy program beyond eighth grade, said Michelle Mueller, principal of WCA. I encourage families to learn about WCAs new online high school and our well-established K-8 program at one of the upcoming parent information sessions planned throughout the state. This next year is going to be very exciting for all of us.

In addition to providing a seamless K-12 school experience, WCAs comprehensive new high school program will be a challenging, standards-based curriculum offering high-schoolers a wide variety of rigorous courses that provide a solid foundation for whatever path they choose upon graduation attending college or starting a career. Each high school student will be loaned a laptop for the year. Core courses cover subjects in math, science, language arts and social studies; electives range from foreign languages to digital technology, journalism and art history. Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses will also available, along with comprehensive, academic, college and career-planning guidance services.

WCA, Wisconsins first virtual school, meets the needs of students who, for a variety of reasons, learn better outside of the traditional classroom, but who can still benefit from the resources a public school provides like a high-quality curriculum, textbooks and lesson plans. Students learn at home under the direction of state-certified teachers from the Appleton Area School District. Learning Coaches, typically a parent or guardian, assist the students by monitoring their progress in the home.

Mueller added that virtual schooling continues to grow in popularity in the state of Wisconsin. In fact, according to a new study by iNACOL, Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning, Wisconsin had 3,927 students enrolled in full-time online charter schools in the 2009-2010 school year, and that number is expected to grow in future years.

Wisconsin Connections Academy continues to be a popular choice for families not only because of the flexibility it provides, but also because of its commitment to meeting rigorous state, regional and national standards for academic excellence, said Mueller.

WCAs successful and proven track record is widely known and a driver of parent and student interest in the online school. WCA consistently meets Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, a measurement defined by the U.S. No Child Left Behind Act that allows the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and district is performing academically according to results on standardized tests. Once again, in the 2009-2010 school year, WCA received successful AYP marks across all objectives. Also in a 2009 Connections Academy survey of parents with students enrolled in WCA, 95 percent of families in WCA gave the program an A or B when it came to grading the school. More than 96 percent of families said theyd recommend WCA to families with children attending other schools.

These favorable results help demonstrate our commitment to student success and serve as useful measures for parents comparing the public school options available in our state, especially during this open enrollment season, Mueller added.

WCA is a public school chartered through the Appleton Area School District, and there is no tuition or fee to enroll. Through Wisconsins open enrollment law, students who live outside of the district can apply for admission to WCA during Wisconsins open enrollment period. To learn more about WCA visit our website, Facebook page, or call 1.800.382-6010.

VIDEO: A Day-in-the-Life of a Connections Academy Family

About Connections Academy

Connections Academy is a leading, fully accredited provider of high-quality, highly accountable virtual schooling for students in grades K through 12. Through tuition-free public schools, full-time and part-time private school programs, and turnkey online programs for bricks and mortar schools, Connections Academy delivers superior, personalized education for students, with the freedom and flexibility to experience our online learning community from anywhere. The combination of certified teachers, a proven curriculum, technology tools, and community experiences creates a supportive and successful online learning opportunity for families and children who want an individualized approach to education. In the 201011 school year, Connections Academy will serve students in Arizona, California (Southern and Central), Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming through its public school programs. It serves students worldwide through the online private school, National Connections Academy. Connections Academy offers grades K through 12, though some public school programs do not offer all grades. For more information, call 800-382-6010 or visit http://www.ConnectionsAcademy.com

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Guy Beatty, One of the Nations Leading Philanthropists, to be Honored at Fork Union Military Academy

Fork Union, VA (PRWEB) June 11, 2006

Guy Beatty, one of the nations leading educational philanthropists, will be honored at Fork Union Military Academy on the evening of Thursday, June 15, 2006 when the Academy will present him with the Colonel R. L. Pulliam Leadership Award, the schools highest honor. This special presentation, to be held during FUMAs Sports Hall of Fame banquet, will recognize Guy Beatty and his wife Betty for their decades of support for the Academy and their leadership in providing scholarship funding for students. Mr. Beatty has served on the Academys Board of Trustees since 1976.

One of the Nations Leading Education Philanthropists

Mr. and Mrs. Beatty made one of the largest charitable gifts in the nation in recent years when they established a $ 60 million charitable lead trust to provide need-based scholarships for students at the Academy. This trust is expected to provide the Academy $ 2 million in scholarship aid each year for 30 years from the Beattys' estate. In addition to this gift made through estate planning, the Beattys have funded current scholarships that have aided dozens of students in recent years. They have also underwritten multiple building projects on campus.

The Beattys' philanthropy has not been limited just to Fork Union Military Academy, either. In 2002, the Beattys established a $ 40 million charitable trust to aid the Virginia College Fund. Their generosity places them in the forefront of the nations philanthropists supporting education.

For Guy Beatty, however, his interest is in creating educational opportunities, not in attracting attention. He will use his money and prominence when it will aid a public cause, as in 1987 when he helped Jeannie Baliles (then the First Lady of Virginia, wife of Governor Gerald Baliles) create the Virginia Literacy Foundation; but he is just as likely to work quietly and personally to help others, when it will attract little attention.

Many years ago, he happened to notice one of his employees in the painting company he owned cashing a check, observing that he signed his check with an X making his mark because he did not know how to sign his name. The employee saw Beatty near by and appeared to be very embarrassed. Thats the problem with illiteracy, Beatty explains. People dont want you to know that they cant read or write so its very difficult to get their attention. Beatty told the man to come by his house and see him before he cashed his next check. Beatty spent three hours that next week teaching him how to write his name, telling him Tomorrow when you get in that line to cash your check, I want you to sign your name.

It felt wonderful to do that, Beatty explains. He went on and married a schoolteacher, and he became very literate. It was a turning point in his life.

Leading By Example

Guy Beatty came to visit the Fork Union campus for the first time in 1976, at the request of his friend Jack Jones, who was then the Chairman of FUMAs Board of Trustees. Beatty so loved what he saw at Fork Union Military Academy that he became a member of the Board of Trustees. Soon, he was identifying ways he could make the Academy an even better place.

Beattys first project was building a new infirmary in 1978. As Beatty matter-of-factly described it, We needed a new infirmary, so I helped to create it. In keeping, with Beattys unassuming manner, the infirmary was named after the Academys longtime physician, Dr. Yeatman.

In the fall of 1983, Beatty told Colonel Kenneth Whitescarver, then school president, I dont know whether you realize this or not, but we need a new library. Col. Whitescarver told Beatty that hed known that for years, and Beatty replied, Well, Im going to give you one. The new library, which the Academy named to honor Beatty, was completed in only ninety-three days.

A new addition to the library, funded by the Beattys, was completed this year, nearly doubling its size. On May 5, 2006, Guy and Betty Beatty helped cut the ribbon at the dedication ceremony for the new addition that provides more space for Middle School book stacks, state-of-the-art multimedia classrooms, a computer lab, and conference room facilities.

The wonderful thing about having Guy Beatty as a Trustee, school President Lt. General John E. Jackson, Jr. says, is that he doesnt just point out the things that need to be done, he steps forward to do it, leading by example.

A New Century, and a New Benefactor Arises

Schools ranging from Fork Union Military Academy to the nations major universities could not exist without the support of benefactors who give donations, both large and small.

In 1898, ten families in the small village of Fork Union pledged $ 50 each to hire a teacher for their children, and a school for 19 students was founded in a rented house. At the turn of the twentieth century, Fork Union Military Academy received an unexpected gift from the estate of a wealthy benefactor named Thomas Bowles. Mr. Bowles had grown up in Fluvanna County and went on to make a fortune in successful business ventures. The remarkable thing was that Bowles only connection to the Academy was that his cousin, Julia Seay Snead, was one of the original sponsors who had pledged $ 50 to start the school. Mr. Bowles sizable bequest to the school was instrumental in helping the school survive those early lean years.

Now, at the turn of the twenty-first century, another benefactor has stepped forward to help underwrite the schools future. His only connection to the Academy was the invitation of a friend and the desire to help educate young people; but Guy Beattys legacy of leadership by example and generosity of spirit will live on through the young men he has helped achieve to their own educational success.

My grandfather had a great philosophy, says Beatty, with characteristic modesty. Take a little, and leave a little.

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