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Ruthie Waters, of Washington, PA, graduated from PA Distance in 2019 after enrolling for her senior year. Along with her enrollment came that of her three younger siblings, Robert, Giovanni, and Samantha, who also found success in our cyber learning environment.
“I wish I had enrolled sooner,” Ruthie said. “My family and I tried to make it work at my local brick-and-mortar school but it didn’t work out, and wanted a better option for my final year of high school.”
“My mom found out about PA Distance through a friend and enrolled all four of us,” she added.
Prior to taking a chance within her local district’s classrooms, she was first enrolled at a few other cyber schools. Having past experience with an online learning environment, she notes that each experience is not created equal.
“PA Distance listened the best,” she said. “It was always easy to talk to my teachers, who listened and cared about me. You don't get answering machines when calling the school; you get real people.”
“Communication was always key,” she explained. “There was also a great balance between enjoying ourselves in class and learning everything we needed to know.”
Growing up, her favorite subjects were always history and financial literacy. During her senior year, she benefited from the hands-on and interactive experience her teachers provided for these subjects, and more, at PA Distance.
“The programs and courses were amazing,” she said. “The teachers made it fun to learn, and I now use some of the skills they taught me in my everyday life.”
Ruthie also looked back on the extracurricular activities and field trips she attended as a student alongside her family.
“It was a lot of fun,” she said. “I loved the Renaissance Fair that we all went to my senior year. And recently, my younger sister has been talking about all the trips coming up for this year.”
Since graduating, Ruthie has since become a paraprofessional at a local elementary school in Washington, PA, where she works one-on-one with special needs students.
“I work with an autistic student on learning life skills and some core subjects like math,” she explained. “I like helping my students live a life that I know they can live.”
Since Ruthie’s graduation in 2019, and that of her brothers Robert and Giovanni in 2021 and 2022, respectively, her family has been a positive advocate for PA Distance. They also remain actively involved due to their youngest daughter, Samantha, beginning her 10th-grade year this coming fall.
“We encouraged my little sister’s best friend to enroll at PA Distance,” Ruthie explained. “We tell everyone we can about how great the school is.”
“People think there’s no communication or socialization and that I was trapped in a box and on my computer all day,” she added. “That way of thinking isn't true. I had a healthy social life, and the learning environment worked well for me.”
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