Meet Bailie, a rising 9th grader at West Virginia Virtual Academy who’s already made her mark in middle school. What started as a family decision to move to virtual learning soon led to one of the state’s highest honors—earning the Golden Horseshoe!
Online Success
The Golden Horseshoe is an honor that celebrates West Virginia students who excel in knowledge of the state’s history, culture, and government, and Bailie won the prize for WVVA.
“I’m proud of myself,” Bailie said, reflecting on the moment. “My West Virginia history teacher, Angela Allen, taught me most of the stuff I know. She made learning fun.”
Mrs. Allen quickly became Bailie’s favorite teacher at WVVA because of her engaging and hands-on teaching style, “We would make booklets, and we would play CryptoHack, which is like a competition,” she said.
Finding what Fits
Outside of class, Bailie joined clubs like Minecraft Club, where she and her peers collaborated and built together in-game.
She also stepped out of her comfort zone and gave Crochet Club a try, though she admitted, “I didn’t like it so much, so I just quit going because it made me mad.”
Looking ahead, Bailie is ready for a new chapter and is already thinking about her future. She’s enrolled in Honors English and is excited to take health sciences courses as she starts high school. Her long-term goal? To pursue college and become an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapist helping those who are facing developmental or behavioral challenges.
“I’m mainly excited for just being in high school,” she said. “But I want to go to college and get a degree so I can help people.”
Why Online Works
Virtual learning has been a perfect fit for Bailie’s lifestyle and goals. “You don’t have to walk to your classes,” she said with a smile. “I get to sleep late and sit down all day.”
Bailie also appreciates the support WVVA gives her and feels like she has more flexibility and opportunity.
“It’s easier to get better grades because they give us a lot of chances. If we don’t learn something, they make sure we learn it,” Bailie said.
Learn More
Interested in learning more about WVVA? Learn more and enroll at wvva.k12.com!
