Eighth graders Levi Foster and Sam Lawson are students in public virtual schools that use the K12 curriculum and learning program.
Washington, DC—On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, many of the nation's brightest young kids will gather in Washington, DC to compete in the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee competition. Among the spellers will be two eighth grade boys who are students in an exciting new education model that is gaining popularity with many families across the country—public virtual schools that use the high quality K12 curriculum and learning program.
Levi Foster of Fayetteville, AR, an eighth grade student in the Arkansas Virtual School (ARVS), and Sam Lawson of Naples, FL, an eighth grade student in the Florida Virtual Academy (FLVA), will both compete for the first time in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
K12 Inc. provides its high quality curriculum and learning program to many public virtual schools (also known as "online" or "cyber" schools) across the country, including the Arkansas Virtual School and the Florida Virtual Academy.
Public virtual schools that use the K12 program offer families an innovative education option that includes a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum in six traditional subjects. Students work at home with a parent or responsible adult and receive instruction and guidance from certified public school teachers who operate remotely. Students who enroll receive a computer, monitor, printer, access to the K12 Online School, lessons, assessments, books, materials, planning and progress tools, and much more.
More and more parents are choosing to enroll their children in public virtual schools that use K12 program because it provides them an opportunity to be active participants in their child's education. The K12 program provides every child the tools, attention, and resources needed to ensure they are receiving the highest quality education.
K12 Inc. is proud of Levi and Sam for their outstanding achievements. The entire K12 family extends our best wishes to both of them as they compete in this year's National Spelling Bee.
Levi Foster: Arkansas Virtual School eighth grade student
Levi Foster and his four siblings all use the K12 program as students in the Arkansas Virtual School. Levi has been enrolled in ARVS for the past two years.
Levi, who enjoys writing his own poetry, has been an avid reader since age three. He is fascinated with language, literature, and, along with his grandfather, shares a love for words.
Levi won the Arkansas State Championship for the Reader's Digest National Word Power Challenge the past three years. In his first year at the national level he finished fifth; this year he finished third in the nation and won a $10,000 college scholarship. Levi also won his county's spelling bee four years in a row. At the Arkansas State Spelling Bee he placed fifth as a fifth grader, was runner-up in both his sixth and seventh grade years, and won the competition this year. It has always been Levi's goal to make it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Sam Lawson: Florida Virtual Academy eighth grade student
Sam Lawson has been using the K12 program as a student in the Florida Virtual Academy for the past two years. His younger brother will be starting second grade in FLVA in the fall.
Sam qualified for the National Spelling Bee by recently coming in first place in the Collier County Scripps Howard Spelling Bee.
Sam's favorite subject in the K12 curriculum is history.
"I really like the text books by Joy Hakim and I find it interesting to read about the past, especially American history," he says. "Studying history is like reading a good story book that just keeps on going."
Sam is excited to compete for the first time in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. He is also excited to visit Washington D.C. because it will allow him to visit a lot of the places that he has learned about through the K12 program.
About K12 Inc.
K12 Inc. is an education company that has developed a comprehensive learning program including curriculum, tools, materials and an innovative lesson delivery system through the K12 Online School. The learning program was developed by a team of education experts who meticulously developed the curriculum by researching and identifying the best learning methods and material. The comprehensive K12 curriculum is based on traditional subjects and core skills.
More than 20,000 students nationwide are currently using the K12 curriculum and learning program in a variety of learning environments, including traditional schools and classrooms, virtual (online) schools, and private homeschools. More information on K12 can be found at
www.K12.com.
About the Arkansas Virtual School (ARVS):
The Arkansas Virtual School is a statewide public virtual school pilot program of the Arkansas Department of Education funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Voluntary Public School Choice Program. The school serves hundreds of students across Arkansas in grades K–8. ARVS uses the high quality K12 curriculum and learning program. More information on the Arkansas Virtual School can be found at
www.arvs.org.
About the Florida Virtual Academy (FLVA):
The Florida Virtual Academy is a statewide public virtual school pilot program through the Florida Department of Education. FLVA uses the nationally acclaimed K12 curriculum and learning program. The school serves hundreds of students across Florida in grades K–8. More information on the Florida Virtual Academy can be found at www.flva.org.