Last Upated: May 18, 2021
Students at GOAL Academy in Colorado attend proms, participate in student councils, and go on field trips.
There is one difference: GOAL Academy is a virtual school. More than 4,000 students from across Colorado attend the free public high school, and they pursue their coursework online.
Even with this innovative online setting, GOAL Academy’s leaders are doing everything possible to make sure that students have the same positive, memorable experiences as students in traditional, brick-and-mortar schools.
While students can complete their coursework online, the school also has “drop-in centers” strategically plotted throughout Colorado, which means students can choose to work on-site and receive personal support from academic coaches.
The drop-in centers are also the headquarters for “pod activities,” in which groups of 30-35 students are led by coaches in community projects. These projects have included planting gardens, conducting STEM experiments, and even canvassing local neighborhoods to help install smoke detectors in people’s homes.
All these activities create an environment at GOAL where students feel inspired and encouraged to engage with their peers.
“There’s a huge team of support,” said Janelle Quick, director of human relations for GOAL.
“We still want to have student councils, and student advisory committees, and proms, and field trips,” Quick said. “ We do all of those things because we know that’s important to students in their high school years to engage. Just because it’s online doesn’t mean we don’t try to provide those things.”
“The ability to move around and keep going to the same school, just being able to go to a different site… has really helped my education,” said Emory.
Emory, who will be joining the Coast Guard after graduation in June, described the school’s drop-in centers as a “safe place” he always feels comfortable going to if he can’t focus at home.
The personalized support at GOAL also means that students from a variety of learning styles are finding success at the school.
“We run the gamut of serving at-risk students, students with special learning needs, all the way up to gifted and talented students,” said Quick. “The students can learn at their own pace. For some, that takes a little bit longer. For some, it takes less time, and they can advance through the curriculum a lot faster.”
GOAL’s blended model is a great example of how a school can harness the benefits of online learning while also providing the activities and support associated with brick-and-mortar schools. Students at GOAL get to have their prom, and virtual education too!