Back to the top 

Back to the top 

Seventh-grader Sarah Howells from Vandalia, Ohio takes 1st place in our Hour-of-Code contest which concluded Fri., Dec. 12th! Sarah earned 9 certificates and wrote over 20 lines of code! Way to go Sarah!  Your $25 gift card will be on its way to you soon. Other participants were:  Bradley Lear, Allison Ramsey, Samantha Wyler, Ashley Harbour, Cianna Maiolini  CLICK HERE to see the game Sarah created!

Here are some other games/tutorials to have fun and learn more...

Back to the top

Back to the top

Introducing Bennett (Ben)Daniels, a freshman, who lives with his mother and siblings in Columbus' Hilltop neighbor- hood.  Ben attended Mound Street Elem- entary and Hilltonia Middle School before he and his mother made the decision last summer to enroll him in VCS. When I made my decision to be home-schooled, it was a big thing, but it was for the best," Ben shares.  "When I was in my old school, I was always falling asleep in my classes.  I got Bs, Cs and Ds, but now I am getting As and Bs!"     Ben says he attributes a good bit of his

Ben is currently completing his VCS courses in a    log cabin in the heart of the Smokey mountains, as he   travels with Ms. Becky Foreman, his learning coach.

home-schooling success to the guidance and help from his long-time friend and tutor, Ms. Becky Foreman.  Ms. Foreman is a former neighbor of the family who stayed in touch even after moving from Ohio for her job in Finance.  She now lives in Washington D.C. and travels all over the United States.   Ben, Becky, and his mother quickly realized that Ben would need the assistance of a tutor if he was to succeed at VCS.  So, he joined Ms. Foreman in North Carolina at her current assignment.  

Each morning before going off to her office, Ms. Foreman reviews Ben's class assign- ments and helps him set his goals for the day.  She checks in with him over their lunch together, and at the end of her work day, he proudly shows off his accomplishments for the day.  It's a strategy that, after some trial and error, has proven effective and has helped Ben become successful. 

Ms. Foreman and Bennett check his daily progress at the end of the school day.

Adjusting to having a teenager around full time has taken a little getting used to," laughs Ms. Foreman; "it has certainly made my business travel much less lonely and a whole lot more fun.  I'd never have rented a red Jeep before Benny!"   When home, Ben is a busy young man with a passion for community service.  He volunteers weekly at a 'Feed the Homeless' program sponsored by The Greater Hilltop Shalom Zone.  Ben assists in the preparation of the food at a church near his home and then helps transport and deliver it to those in need at the old K-Mart building on West Broad Street

in Columbus. The program offers a prayer service, followed by a hot meal and then offers a care package of toiletries, socks and sometimes propane for cooking to each individual when departing.

Ben looks forward to finishing high school with VCS.  Ms. Foreman's assignment in North Carolina will soon conclude and her next assignment could put her anywhere in the U.S.  Ben looks forward to new experiences as he and Ms. Foreman travel the country and look for unique and creative ways to incorporate wherever they are into the lesson plans of his classes.  "The best part about home schooling is it's flexibility," observes Be.  "I went zip-lining in the mountains on a weekday this fall but was still able to get my school work done!"  Ben adds that he hopes to coordinate his schedule to be at home in Ohio for some of the events offered by VCS so that he can meet his teachers and some of his fellow students face-to-face.

We're happy to have you as part of the wolfpack, Ben!  Keep up the great work and please keep us tuned into your travels across the U.S.!

Back to the top