9th-grader Jaxon Jerico, from Jeanette, Pennsylvania, enrolled at PA Distance Learning Charter School this school year. After looking into cyber school as an option to begin 9th grade, Jaxon and his family researched and decided on PA Distance.
“It was a strange transition at first. But, it is a lot more structured than I thought it would be,” Jaxon explained. “The view that people get when it comes to cyber school, is that you're doing online work and just going to classes occasionally. I didn’t know I would be going to class as often as I am.”
“It was a big change but I am liking it,” Jaxon added. “This school has the best communication over any other school that I’ve been to. However, It takes a lot of time management and organization. I have a visual calendar set up so I know when I need to focus on certain assignments and it works well for me.”
As someone who values friendships and socialization, Jaxon immediately joined a variety of extracurricular activities that PA Distance offers. From the eSports Team to Dungeons & Dragons Club to attending the weekly High School Hangouts, Jaxon has taken advantage of opportunities to meet new people and make strong connections outside of class.
“For a while, my whole friend group at PA Distance was from Philadelphia and it was great to be able to communicate and be friends across the state,” Jaxon explained. “Now, I am friends with people from all over.”
He has even been identified as an emerging student leader and invited to be a part of the PA Distance Core 4 Committee where students come up with ways to motivate their peers.
“It’s a good mix of students and teachers and we have a lot of fun while also being productive,” Jaxon said. “I like being involved in something important that impacts students. We have a great time socializing when we get together to brainstorm ideas.”
This year, the Core 4 Committee hosted a virtual “Chopped Challenge” event where students watched a teacher compete against a student in a timed cooking challenge. Jaxon helped emcee the event alongside staff sponsor, Mr. Mysels, as the participants scrambled around their kitchens.
“Jaxon is a student that I can always rely on,” high school social studies teacher, D&D Club sponsor, and Core 4 Committee sponsor, Mr. Mysels said. “I can always rely on him to help out another student get acclimated into clubs, lead a student-centered assembly at school, or speak at a school-wide event like a board meeting.”
Jaxon also recently emceed another virtual Core 4 hosted event where teachers competed against students in a game of Jeopardy. Jaxon took his role to another level and did an amazing job playing the iconic jeopardy theme song on his guitar at home.
.png?width=1600&name=Jeopardy%20(1).png)
Jaxon also joined the new PA Distance eSports Team where he competes in Rocket League and Valorant against players from across the country (and sometimes the world). He also serves as the team’s Production Manager where he records game streams and edits videos to showcase highlights of each match.
“There is a lot of teamwork involved,” Jaxon explained. “Everyone is supportive even if you’re not that great at competing yet.”
“Jaxon has been a great addition to the eSports team. His enthusiasm and assistance have been a real asset and helped us take the team as a whole to another level,” eSports staff sponsor Mr. Dayka said. “I look forward to seeing what ideas he has for the group next year.”
Last but not least, Jaxon is a member of the PA Distance Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) club where he role played through their ongoing fantasy adventure campaign.
“It’s amazing,” Jaxon explained. “I’ve always wanted to play but never had enough people to play with. I signed up for it immediately.”
Recently, Jaxon attended an in-person PA Distance Game Night, in Monroeville, PA where he and his D&D Club members met to play out the last part of their campaign together before the end of the school year.
“Game Night was awesome,” Jaxon noted. “It shattered my expectations for the night.”
Club attendees collaborate as a team through role-playing the adventure game: Dungeons & Dragons. Players create their characters, delve into dungeons, solve riddles to gain treasure, and defeat the most mythical of foes. The possibilities go as far as their imagination does. At PA Distance, the club meets once a week and the year’s “campaign” ended at Game Night.
“It was so amazing to be able to meet everyone in person. It just took our game to another level,” he explained. “They’re all great people and I’m so lucky to have such great friends. They're such a supportive group and I can be myself around them.”
“Some of the members drove from as far as Philadelphia to come to Game Night,” Jaxon added.
This summer, Jaxon is organizing a D&D-themed birthday party and will be inviting his fellow club members to attend.
Overall, Jaxon believes his experience at PA Distance so far has been a great choice for him and his learning style. He also believes that his teachers play a large role in what makes it work.
“I am a strong believer in the teacher's influence on how a person likes a class,” he explained. “I never really liked math or algebra but I’m in algebra with Mr. Mayle and now I have a different point of view.”
“School choice is important to me because I’ve always found that brick-and-mortar school is great for some people but for me, it’s not as great as it is for other kids,” Jaxon added. “It’s nice to be able to choose between options.”
Although Jaxon is only in 9th-grade, he is thinking about becoming a therapist one day in part due to the support system he’s had throughout his life and here at PA Distance.
“I’ve always been labeled as the ‘therapist’ of my friend group,” he noted. “And my counselor, Mrs. Mihoerck is really great and super friendly. She is really easy to talk to and is a support for me. I never expected the support system to be this great at PA Distance.”
_________
About PA Distance Learning Charter School
Since 2004, PA Distance has been providing a welcoming virtual learning environment for students in grades K-12 across Pennsylvania. Students at PA Distance engage in a blended environment that combines “synchronous” and “asynchronous” learning.