Virtual High School Graduates From Across the State Gather for an In-Person Ceremony
GREENVILLE, S.C. , June 01 /Businesswire/ - The Class of 2023 – the largest senior class ever at Cyber Academy of South Carolina (CASC) – will don their caps and gowns this Saturday, June 3, and receive their high school diplomas, officially crossing an age-old milestone. Most of these 320 cyber-students will celebrate during an in-person ceremony in Columbia, S.C.’s, Koger Center for the Arts on the University of South Carolina campus. Others will follow up with a virtual celebration – true to their education format – on June 6.
One of those virtual seniors is Emily Willis from Enoree S.C., who transferred to CASC her sophomore year when the family found the virtual school offered a more accommodating approach than her traditional school. She credits CASC for her focus and excitement about college and a career.
"Thanks to CASC’s college career prep program, I was inspired to try STEM classes, and now I want to work in coding and cybersecurity. I'm excited to start college at USC Upstate this fall knowing exactly what career path I'm on," she says.
CASC graduation at-a-glance
“We are so proud of our graduates and very excited to see our school grow year over year,” says Nicki Batson, CASC executive director. “Our students are virtual learners, but they are very involved in traditional school activities and milestones. They participate in state and national competitions, committees, clubs, and community service and learn valuable in-person skills with special events and opportunities. For example, our 2023 graduates attended an in-person prom in April.”
This was certainly true for Emily, who in addition to dual-enrollment classes, community service, Beta Club, National Honor Society and student council, was recently celebrated for her commitment to pursuing a STEM career path by the likes of Boeing and BMW during a STEM Signing DAY.
“I have a 4-year mentorship with Boeing as I pursue my degree at USC Upstate,” she explains. “They will continue to check in and support me in my studies, with the possibility of an internship. This happened because I was given an advantage at CASC. My milestones were higher and they encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and dream big.”
Her mother Karen Willis agrees. “When we made the decision to pull her out of a traditional public school and put her in CASC, we weren’t sure what to expect. But after a brief transition, it was clear we found the right program for Emily. She was pushed and encouraged, and pretty soon she opened up and was trying all sorts of new things. It was very exciting to watch,” she says.
About Cyber Academy of South Carolina
Cyber Academy of South Carolina (CASC) is an online public-school program of The Charter Institute at Erskine, serving students across the state of South Carolina. CASC is tuition-free, giving parents and families the choice to access the engaging curriculum and tools provided by Stride, Inc. (NYSE: LRN), the nation’s leading provider of proprietary K-12 curriculum and online education programs. For more information about CASC, visit casc.k12.com.
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