Eliandra E., from Reading, PA, enrolled at PA Distance as an eighth-
grader. Now a senior, Eliandra will be graduating this June. After spending her entire high school career at PA Distance, she’s taken a moment to reflect on her experience.
"I chose to enroll at PA Distance because it was tough to concentrate at my old school. But, in cyber school, you have your own workstation and can concentrate a lot better," she explained.
"My parents also love PA Distance because they know that the teachers care about their students," she said. They loved PA Distance so much that they decided to enroll her sister, Alejandra, who is in seventh grade.
She also noted that she appreciates the communication between her and her teachers at PA Distance. With Google chat, email, and live learning sessions during the school day, she has a variety of ways to talk to her teachers and reach out for help when she needs it.
"My teachers are the best because when I ask them for help, they are willing to help when an assignment is difficult for me," she said. "We work on assignments together," she added.
Eliandra enjoys having a variety of elective classes available to her in addition to her core classes required for graduation. Last semester, she took Criminology but had since changed with the new spring semester. She enjoyed her required Health & Wellness class last semester, too.
"I liked my physical education class a lot. We learned how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and how to exercise," she said. "I loved Criminology because I got to learn more about how crimes happen and how we can control crime in our society," she said.
Eliandra had Ms. Azzaro for Criminology and Ms. Hedderman for Health & Wellness. "They were both helpful. They encouraged me in every way possible; they always had patience, never rushed me, and always had a great attitude!"
This semester, she has opted to take Child Development, taught by Ms. Marisa Petraglia and Photography, taught by Ms. Sorce, and has been enjoying both so far.
Eliandra is also involved in a variety of after-school clubs at PA Distance. This year, she is a member of Student Leadership, hosted by School Counselor Mrs. Katie Mihoerck, and Stress-Free Students Club, hosted by Mrs. Katie Devlin and Ms. Susannah Azzaro.
"In Student Leadership, we plan activities for the school like pep rallies and other activities for the elementary, middle school, and high school students. We try to make positive changes to make PA Distance a better place for everyone," Eliandra explained.
Take a look at the other things she had to say about Student Leadership, in this video:
After High School, Eliandra would like to attend college to pursue a career as a veterinarian assistant and, one day, a veterinarian. To aid in that journey, she took a Veterinarian Science elective class when she was in 11th grade.
Similar to her classmates, she gets a lot of questions from her friends and family about life at PA Distance. "I explain that as a cyber school, we aren't alone, it's an online community," she said.
"I will miss PA Distance. But I am very excited to graduate because I can't wait to see what life will bring me after high school. I am excited to attend college, get a job, and be independent in the future." she explained.