The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) district has established a new Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) for high-school students who want an alternative to in-person learning.
“The CHCCS VLA is a stand-alone virtual school that is intended to support learners who are committed to learning online for the long term and prefer a virtual learning experience to a physical school building experience,” according to a district presentation.
Principal Kadeidra Smoots, who has over two decades of experience in public education as a teacher, counselor and administrator, said there are many reasons why students have opted to attend the VLA.
“Some students are just experiencing anxiety, some don’t feel safe going back to school and some students say that they’ve done better with remote learning,” Smoots said.
The academy originally attracted 34 students, but, after the district extended the enrollment deadline from June 18 to August 25, the number rose to 67.
“I think initially some students thought they were ready to go back to school, but after hearing a lot of news on the delta variant, a lot of parents reconsidered if in-person school is the right thing,” Smoots said.
Students who have opted to attend the VLA must remain enrolled for the entirety of the 2021-2022 school year. While students learn at home, the VLA is housed on the campus of East Chapel Hill High School.
Senior Peter Chtcheprov, who previously attended Chapel Hill High School, chose to finish high school in the district’s new academy.
“I decided to attend VLA mainly due to the pandemic,” Chtcheprov said. “I have a high-risk family, and we didn’t want to risk getting the virus.”
The VLA follows a traditional school calendar and offers all required courses students need in order to graduate. The school operates on a hybrid bell schedule in which core classes run on a block semester schedule and Advanced Placement and sequential elective courses follow a year-long schedule.
The academy also offers electives such as visual arts, music and dance classes, in addition to Career & Technical Education and world language classes.
Chtcheprov said that his experience at the VLA is largely similar to last year’s remote learning.
“Classes are pretty much the same as last year: you log in through a Google Meet with your teacher,” he said. “What’s different is that we are on a block schedule, meaning we have four classes a semester, but they are longer—around 90 minutes.”
Like students attending school in person, VLA students must also take the end-of-the-year exams given by the state of North Carolina. Students can also still engage in athletics or other extracurricular activities at the school where they are districted.
VLA currently has six staff members—five teachers and the administrator Smoots, who performs a number of duties.
“I only have five teachers, and I am the principal, the assistant principal, the counselor and the secretary,” she said, noting that the relatively small number of students means the VLA does not have the allotment for more employees.
While CHCCS currently does not offer a virtual learning option for younger students, the district plans to create a similar academy to support students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade.
