FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. —
Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County Schools named the new principal of the district's Virtual Academy. Dr. Benika Thompson has been with the district for 21 years. The Virtual Academy serves K-8th grade students. Thompson said she's excited to cultivate this new style of learning.
“I wanted an opportunity to work with young people in a flexible learning environment because I believe that we are moving to a day and time where we have to be flexible with our offerings and I wanted to be a part of the district's push to grow this program and also reach young people and families who want that non-traditional setting, but also putting those highly qualified educators in front of those young people to see how they learn,” Thompson said.
The academy first launched in the Fall of 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic caused schools to temporally close. Thompson said thousands of students took advantage of the remote learning option when the program first started. Now she says, the academy is expecting less than 500 students in the Fall. It’s a number she said is manageable for a rigorous and innovative education.
“Personalization of learning, the children have reported that they like the opportunity of just engaging with their teachers without the noise of what happens typically during a normal school day,” Thompson said. “The efficacy of our young people to advocate for themselves academically because they have everything in front of them and access to resources that will help them learn. So, I'm really proud to hear how the children have found value."
The application to the Virtual Academy is open to all students who are eligible to enroll in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools in grades K- 8. Homeschool and private school students in Forsyth County who would like to take advantage of the virtual opportunity are also welcome to apply.
Guilford County Schools recently voted to combine the district's two virtual schools into one K-8 school. The Board of Education made the decision in late June.
Launched in the fall of 2020 during the early months of the pandemic, the Guilford E-Learning Virtual Academy (K-5) and the Guilford E-Learning University Prep (6-8) once served a total of more than 4,000 students. Since then many of those students have returned to in-person learning and enrollment has dropped to around 1,200 combined.
According to GCS, high school students can still take virtual courses while remaining enrolled at their current school through North Carolina Virtual (NCVPS) or Apex Learning Virtual School (ALVS).