Northern Ozaukee School District to Open New Online High School for Wisconsin Students

December 19, 2006
The new charter school--Honors High Online of Wisconsin--will serve students in grades nine and ten; school will offer courses provided by K12 Inc.

Fredonia, WI – On December 18, 2006, the Northern Ozaukee School Board approved a new online high school that will be open to students across Wisconsin beginning next school year. The new charter school will serve kids in grades nine and ten, and use online high school courses developed by K12 Inc.--a leading national provider of high quality curriculum and school services.

The high school course list covers subjects in math, science, English, history, foreign language, and health. Among the K12-developed courses include: pre-algebra, algebra I and II, geometry, biology, earth science, physical science, modern world studies, Literary Analysis and Composition I and II.

Northern Ozaukee hosts the Wisconsin Virtual Academy (WIVA), the state's largest and highest performing public online school program for elementary and middle school students. The school currently serves 685 students across the state and employs 19 Wisconsin-certified school teachers. The certified teachers assign lessons and provide instruction to students who work outside the traditional classroom. WIVA uses the K12 curriculum.

"Online education is growing at a rapid pace across the country. Our new online high school is a response to the increased demand by students for public online learning options in Wisconsin," said Bill Harbron, Superintendent of the Northern Ozaukee School District. "With the success and growth of the Wisconsin Virtual Academy, we knew this was the right time for our district to open an online high school."

The principal of Honors High Online of Wisconsin will be Dr. Leslye Moraski Erickson. Over the past 4 years, Erickson was serving as a consultant to the Wisconsin Virtual Academy. She received her Master's degree in Educational Administration and Ph. D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2001 and 2002 she served as the Principal of the Denmark High School in Denmark, WI. She holds both the Wisconsin School Superintendent and Wisconsin Principal licenses.

Honors High Online of Wisconsin will begin its first year in September 2007. Interested students from across the state can apply to enroll in the new charter school during the state's open enrollment period, which runs from February 5-23.