Georgia Cyber Academy (GCA), which offers a high-quality, tuition-free public education for students in Georgia, recently hosted its “Back to School” event at Stone Mountain Park on September 22, 2016. With more than 3,000 students, parents, and staff members in attendance, it was one of the largest turnouts yet. Families were encouraged to bring a picnic and blanket to the park and enjoy a day of fun while meeting other currently enrolled families, teachers, and staff.

Laura Majewski (center) pictured on Acceptance Day at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

Laura Majewski is three months into four years of hard work at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA.) Out of 2,000 applications, Laura was one of 250 students from around the world selected this year to attend USMMA.

This K12-powered student attended Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA) for middle school and Insight School of Washington (ISWA) for high school. She graduated from ISWA and Everett Community College this past spring.

USMMA is one of the five U.S. Service Academies, but it is unique in some key ways. “As of August 5, the Class of 2020 were sworn in to the Naval Reserve,” Laura’s mother, Jean Majewski said. “This makes USMMA the only service academy whose members could be called in to service at a time of war. They are all Naval Reserve midshipmen.”

September 15, 2016, marked the inaugural National Online Learning Day, which recognized the benefits of online learning and showcased the accomplishments of virtual students and teachers.

Kathryn Berkhimer, K12’s Director of Marketing and Content Strategy, was delighted with the success of the day.

“I was very pleased with how it turned out and I’m excited about what we can build on for next year,” she said.

K12 thrived on social media during National Online Learning Day; an initial review of social participation showed a reach of over 11 million users, including many new followers.

Founded over a century ago, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was created to fight for social justice on behalf of African-Americans whose liberties and freedoms were long oppressed. Advancement of African-Americans was and is central to the organization's mission. It is embedded in its name.

The NAACP has done immeasurably good things for people of color and its legacy is widely respected. Yet the organization is now under fire after its delegates approved a resolution harshly criticizing public charter schools and calling for a national moratorium on these public schools of choice.

Blowback has been swift and strong. The resolution was condemned by numerous education organizations. Media outlets jumped in, too. The Washington Post called the NAACP's opposition to charter schools "ill-conceived." Former Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools Howard Fuller said the NAACP's undermining of charter schools that are making a difference in the lives of black children "puts the organization on the wrong side of history for our people." Several other prominent leaders in the African-American community are distancing themselves from the NAACP's action and pushing back hard.

Happy Constitution Day! On September 17^th, we celebrate the 42 Founding Fathers of the United States who gathered in Philadelphia to write and sign the Constitution over the steamy summer of 1787. Constitution Day celebrates the last day of the convention, where 39 of the delegates signed the Constitution and created the government that we have today.

The delegates traveled hundreds of miles to get to one another in May 1787, something that is unfamiliar to K12-powered virtual students, who can connect with their classmates and teachers with just a click of a button. The delegates chose to meet in Philadelphia, the largest city at the time, with just over 40,000 people.

Today is National Online Learning Day!

National Online Learning Day showcases how students of all ages are thriving thanks to the ability to learn online – anywhere, anytime. National Online Learning Day will cultivate awareness of and support for the ever-growing community of online learners and celebrate the future of online education in all forms – wherever technology and imagination take us!

Just because Tennessee Virtual Academy (TNVA) students learn via computers doesn't mean class can't be hands-on.

Last week, Jenny Weatherford's sixth grade science class built solar cars during a lesson about energy.

“We were learning about energy and energy transformations,” said Ms. Weatherford. “I knew the students had gotten the solar car kit in their materials from K12 this year and I thought that it would be a perfect activity to go along with our lesson.”

When the students heard that they were going to be making cars, they were thrilled!

“Oh my goodness, the students absolutely loved the activity!” Ms. Weatherford said. "They are still talking about it. They were so excited all week about getting to make the solar cars in class. I typically reserve Wednesdays for 'Lab Day,' and so Monday and Tuesday in class, they were asking all kinds of questions."

Head Of School Miriam Rube with iCademy Student Caroline Morton and Chris Evert.

Seven students from K12-powered schools were recently honored with “Chrissie Awards” from the Evert Tennis Academy, with one student winning “Evert Scholar-Athlete of the Year”. The students were selected from among 80 students for their dedication to academics and athletics. Twenty K12-powered students attend the Academy, a fully- accredited, NCAA-approved college preparatory high school that partners with K12 in meeting the unique challenges student-athletes face.

Ryan (left) and Sammy (right) pose for a picture.

First-year K12 International Academy (iCademy) students Sammy and Ryan Buggle never stop chasing their dreams, no matter what life throws at them.  While 6-year-old Ryan is building his acting resume, his 12-year-old sister, Sammy, is making vlogs for her YouTube channel.

Janine Buggle, the children’s mother, decided to enroll Sammy and Ryan in iCademy after Ryan’s acting career took off. “The online school provides us with the flexibility we need as a family to travel to both coasts for him to work as an actor without missing school days,” she said.

Sammy is just like other seventh grader, although at just three years old, she was diagnosed with generalized absence epilepsy.  As she has gotten older, her seizures have increased to over 100 a day, and her family is still trying to find the right medication to control them.

Janine explains that iCademy has been amazing for Sammy.  “In brick and mortar schools she couldn’t keep up because of her seizures,” she said. “The school put her in pull-out classes and she encountered tons of bullying. We love that she can work at her own pace, and if she is ever having a day that she isn’t feeling well, she can communicate with her teachers and adjust her lessons.”

Sammy was also diagnosed with Sunflower Syndrome, which means she has extreme sensitivity to the light and sun. “It is very rare and has little research - we are hoping to change that,” Janine said. “She has been on over 10 different medications and still we haven’t found the answer.”

This began the “Overcoming Epilepsy with Sammy” campaign, and since then, Sammy has been on TV and featured in articles, and she is an activist on the Epilepsy Foundation of America website. 

Sammy turned to making videos as a way to share her story with others. “Sammy decided herself at

 Dylan and Shepard Smith pose with their little sister for a Back To School photo. 

Military families often are relocated around the globe, forced to adapt to new places and people.  This K12-powered family made their transition experience easier by joining the virtual school community this summer.