SCVCS Achievement Newsletter - MAY 2012

Jonathan Wessel loves go kart racing and has been a fan of it ever since he started watching the sport on television and going to NASCAR races. Not only does he love the sport, but he also en-joys fixing go karts with his dad in their garage. Jonathan says, “We spend a lot of time working on the tires and trying to get the best gear combina-tions to make the kart go faster!” Jonathan regularly races on the

track where he has won 1st place or near the top many times. Jonathan says, “I’ve won trophies and a fast time award. What I like best is win-ning!” In addition to loving the sport you also have to be mindful of rules and safety. “ Racers must have a helmet, neck brace and gloves to race. Racers are grouped according to their weight and/or age.” If you think you’d like a 1st place prize like Jonathan, take his

Jonathan Wessel

Go-Kart Racer

Kelli Blankenship has

been selected to be a

part of the upcoming

Bio-Inspired Science

and Engineering Re-

search Program at

Virginia Tech this summer! This competi-

tive program is one in

which students who as-

pire to work in the

fields of science or engi-

neering are given the

opportunity to conduct

research in a host labo-

ratory on the college

campus. “ For six weeks

I will spend five days a

week, four hours daily,

doing research at Vir-

ginia Tech. The best part is I not only gain

the knowledge and

skills, but I will be paid a

stipend as well. I will

also return to Virginia

Tech throughout the

year to continue to be

a part of the research

process.” What advice

does Kelli have to anyone

desiring to achieve more,

“Believe in yourself and

apply for any and all op-

portunities that allow you to expand your horizons, it

doesn’t have to be at Vir-

ginia Tech.”

SCVCS HIGH SCHOOL

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

NEWSLETTER May 2012

Volume 1, Issue 4

Jonathan Wessel 1

Kelli Blankenship 1

Caitlin McWhirter

Smith 2-3

Katherine Lattman 4-5

Annalise Morelli

6

Jonathan Edwards 6

EOC ACHIEVERS

SCVCS NEWS

7

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

advice and , “Be commit-ted, watch the races, ask lots of questions, then get out there and drive hard!”

Kelli Blankenship

Research Intern

SCVCS has two stu-

dents in the race for vale-

dictorian of the 2012

graduating class. One will

earn valedictorian hon-

ors, and the other one

will earn the salutatorian seat. We interviewed

both students to be fea-

tured in this final 2011-

2012 issue of the Student

Achievement Newsletter.

What are your favorite

subjects and why?

It's funny, as an "artistic" kid,

most people expect me to pre-

fer classes like English and His-

tory. Historically, these have

been my better classes, but I

actually find that I prefer my

science classes.

I tend to prefer subjects that

have a solid right or wrong an-

swer. I feel that in English, His-

tory, and even some Math

courses (Geometry, for exam-

ple), it can be difficult to know

for sure what answer is correct.

Courses like algebra, chemistry,

physics all have solid answers

that can be proven. So I'd have

to say my favorite subject is Sci-

ence.

Tell us about any aca-

demic honors or awards that you have earned in

the past few years.

Not many actually. I have had A

honor roll every year and

earned both the SC Life and the

Palmetto scholarships this year,

but beyond that I can't think of

anything super individual.

Tell us what community

or extracurricular activi-ties you have been in-

volved with during these

last few years.

After joining SCVCS, I was able

to be much more active in my

community. I took up aerial

dance and have trained in that

for about two and a half years

now. I have weekly voice and

dance lessons. I have performed

in over 10 shows since joining

SCVCS and am currently in re-

hearsal for another show in

Charlotte, NC. I have performed with a volunteer theater troop in

Fort Mill, SC (near Carowinds)

and perform in a children's min-

istry with my family at Hickory

Grove Baptist Church every Sun-

day morning. This spring I was

able to travel all over the coun-

try auditioning for various Musi-

cal Theater programs

(something I never would have

been able to do otherwise) and earned my certification in Core

Barre Fitness.

I would never have been able to

do all this if it were not for

SCVCS, it has opened doors of

opportunity for me that never

would have opened otherwise.

You are one of the aca-

demic superlatives of

your graduating class.

What skills, traits, or in-

fluences do you have that

led you to this point?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

No, I'm totally kidding. But

there are elements of truth to

that. I can't bear to see myself

receive poor grades and when I

do, I find ways to fix them. No

excuses.

I also have a visual disorder

which makes it difficult for me

to finish my schoolwork at the

same pace as the average kid.

While it has made things

tougher over the years, it has

also instilled a sense of determi-

nation in me that has only

made me an all-around better student. When I have trouble

understanding what I'm reading,

I find other ways to instill it into

Caitlin McWhirter Smith

Valedictorian Candidate

SCVCS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT NEWSLETTER

Page 2

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4

my body. Sometimes I memo-

rize the words and say them in

my head while running or

stretching until my brain com-

prehends their meaning, other

times I read out loud so I learn

both by reading and hearing the material, it really depends.

My parents have also been very

influential in my success. My

dad is great at helping me with

my math and science courses

and mom keeps me from going

beserk when I get a bad grade

or start getting close to dead-

lines.

Oh and my planner is my life-

line. I write down and organize

deadlines and assignments so

that I don't have any nasty sur-

prises.

How did SCVCS contrib-

ute to your success?

Of course, the classes are bril-

liant and the teachers are great,

but the main advantage of

SCVCS has been the ease of

time. It has provided me with

opportunities both in the per-

formance realm and academi-

cally that I would not have had

otherwise. I have been able to

take dual credit classes and I

was able to travel this spring

without falling behind. SCVCS

has been pivotal. I also appreciate the work of

the teachers. I feel that the

teachers at SCVCS are much

more interested in the success

of every individual student than

teachers I've had other places.

Their commitment is astound-

ing.

coming freshmen, what

message would you give

them?

Turn off Facebook while you are

doing schoolwork. It's like a

black hole of pictures, conversa-

tions, snide remarks, Wall Posts, and just all around distraction.

There isn't anything wrong with

social networking, but it won't

do you good to answer an IM if

it means a weekend of catch

up.

What are your plans for

next year? For the next

ten years? If you could do

anything, what would you

do?

Next year I will be attending the

University of Northern Colorado

for Musical Theater. In the next

ten years I hope to be working

professionally on a stage some-

where. Be it Broadway, great.

Be it a Disney stage, even bet-

ter. I really just want to make a

living doing what I love to do. :)

Teachers are looking to

the next generation to

help bring peace, pros-

perity, and advancement

to our nation. If you could

give advice to our govern-

ment, what would it be?

Oh goodness. Quite a loaded question. I think I'd ask them to

stop giving charter schools such

a hard time. We learn just as

much (if not more) than the

kids in the public school, receive

less funding, and have abso-

lutely brilliant teachers.

Yours is one of the first

graduating classes to have

had the opportunity to at-

tend SCVCS all four years.

What suggestions for im-

provement do you have

for SCVCS? Honestly, anything I can think of

are things that any school would

struggle with. It's obvious that

they work their hardest to pro-

vide students with any and all

opportunities they may want or

need. No suggestions-- keep up

the good work.

If you could change educa-

tion as a whole, what sug-

gestions would you make?

I feel that sometimes (especially

in classes that have to do with

Government) certain opinions of

the writer are presented as fact.

Of course, it's up to the students

to determine what is fact and

what is opinion, but it's difficult

to have opposing voices in your

head. Sometimes you don't know

what to believe.

I also think that it would be

beneficial to students to learn

more life lessons while still in

high school. Things like how to

balance a checkbook, how to

manage various accounts, or deal

with college applications. Things

that we'll need to know someday, but probably won't ever learn in

a class.

You will have the opportu-

nity to address your

graduating class next

month, but if you had the

opportunity to address in-


Page 3

SCVCS has two stu-

dents in the race for vale-

dictorian of the 2012

graduating class. One will

earn valedictorian hon-

ors, and the other one

will earn the salutatorian seat. We interviewed

both students to be fea-

tured in this final 2011-

2012 issue of the Student

Achievement Newsletter.

What are your favorite

subjects and why?

My all-time favorite subjects

would have to be any math

class, Mandarin Chinese, and

physics. I have always loved

math growing up and physics

gives me the ability to use a lot

of my knowledge in class- plus I

always feel like the girl from the

Disney movie Ice Princess. Chi-

nese, because it is a language

class, may not seem to have

anything to do with math but to

me it is like a huge equation

with words instead of numbers

and I am never bored because

there is always a new phrase to

learn!

Tell us about any aca-

demic honors or awards

that you have earned in

the past few years. I have been on both the honor

school in High School and the

Dean’s List at the local college I

was dual enrolled in. Also I have

been nominated for Student of

the Month five times during my

one and half years at SCVCS. I

am not one for science fairs

(coming up with a project idea

is so hard!) but in 9th grade I won third place in the Regional

Science Fair for my project that

tested the success rate of

aquatic phytoremediation using

Duckweed.

Tell us what community

or extracurricular activi-

ties you have been in-

volved with during these

last few years.

I am big on community service

having volunteered with the

Outreach Club, Coastal Clean Water Beach Sweep and Festi-

val, Relay for Life, and serving

as a tutor for local students in

all grades and as an English

tutor in Taiwan. I use to partici-

pate in Varsity Cheerleading,

Gymnastics, and Crew as a Cox-

swain but then I studied abroad

as an exchange student in Tai-

wan. Currently I am focusing my efforts on local acting roles- I

have worked for projects like

Teen Wolf and Clint Eastwood/

Justin Timberlake’s new film

Trouble with the Curve. I have

never been an artsy person but

I do find that I love acting!

You are one of the aca-

demic superlatives of

your graduating class.

What skills, traits, or in-

fluences do you have that

led you to this point?

I honestly believe that my inter-

nal drive to succeed has lead

me to this point, I have never

needed my parents or teachers

to remind me to do something I

have always just done it on my

own. One important piece of

advice I have held true through

the years is to never worry

about grades! I used to be ob-

sessed with always keeping an

“A” until a teacher told me to

not worry about the grade, just

focus on the knowledge gained

and I will be fine.

How did SCVCS contrib-

ute to your success?

SCVCS not only allowed me to

Katherine Lattman

Valedictorian Candidate


Page 4

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4

study abroad in Taiwan my Sen-

ior Year but originally I came to

the school to keep up with my

academics as I was very ill at

the time. I’m all better now and

definitely well travelled, I could-

n’t have done it without SCVCS.

Yours is one of the first

graduating classes to have

had the opportunity to

attend SCVCS all four

years. What suggestions

for improvement do you

have for SCVCS?

I don’t have any suggestions

really, maybe more AP classes?

If you could change edu-

cation as a whole, what

suggestions would you

make?

For sure I would get rid of

grades entirely! They add so

much unneeded stress to chil-

dren who have to be compared

to each other with a “uniform”

grading scale. Everyone has dif-

ferent learning styles so trying to

put students under one grading

roof is ridiculous- students would

be so much more focused if

they were just asked to learn

and use the material put in

front of them. I guess you can

say that I am a big supporter of

the Montessori Method.

You will have the oppor-

tunity to address your

graduating class next

month, but if you had the

opportunity to address

incoming freshmen, what

the CIA and hopefully work in

their Clandestine Services- no

one would ever guess that I am

a spy!

Teachers are looking to

the next generation to help bring peace, pros-

perity, and advancement

to our nation. If you could

give advice to our govern-

ment, what would it be?

Dear Gov-

ernment,

please

watch your

money be-

cause even

though that

Chinese

dinner in

New York

City was

amazing I

feel like it

would have

been better spent on educa-

tional programs that motivate

students to not only learn math

and science skills but critical

languages as well. Through talk-

ing, not fighting, will then peace

be achieved.

Editorial comment: We

congratulate our two top students of the 2011-2012

graduating class and wish

them great success in

their future studies and

careers.

message would you give

them?

Work hard on your studies and

make the most out of every op-

portunity; SCVCS allows for flexi-

bility so why not take a local in-

ternship, study abroad, or take a fun class at a local community

college (its free for High School

Students!). High School is only

four years so make the most of

it, but don’t try to grow up too

fast!

What are

your

plans for

next

year? For

the next

ten years?

If you

could do

anything,

what

would

you do?

Next year I will be attending Uni-

versity of California- Los Angeles

while majoring in International

Business Economics and minoring

in Mandarin Chinese language

and linguistics. I hope to make

the UCLA Cheer team or Crew

team as a coxswain. And I am

planning on trying my luck at

acting since I have had such a positive experience with it lately.

In ten years I hope to be working

for a Fortune 500 company like

GM Motors, Berkshire Hatha-

way, or Google based out of

Hong Kong or London. But if I

could do anything I would be in

SCVCS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT NEWSLETTER Page 5

“Work hard on your studies and

make the most out of every

opportunity...High school is only

four years so make the most of it,

but don’t try to grow up too

fast!”

able about their racquets, and the

racquets of other manufacturers.

If you are not playing with a

Dunlop, you should switch.”

If any of you have a class with

Annalise Morelli, you might be

in the company of America’s

next country and western sing-

ing sensation. Annalise has just

been signed to Nashville’s OSM

Music Group©. “It’s the coolest feeling in the world,” Morelli

says. “We are currently work-

ing on getting more songs our

and making a full album. Nash-

ville is music everywhere you

go and for me that’s like Christ-

mas every day.”

Some of Annalise’s tracks were

recently played on a popular

radio station in Charleston. She

writes about more than just the

boy-meets-girl theme. “I like to

write a lot of my songs based

on life and things people can

relate to because the whole

relationship thing is overdone.

But I’m not saying I don’t write

about love because I go through

things and if I can get a great

song out of it I will!”

Annalise has opened for acts like

Grace Potter and is currently

writing with Steve Dean who

wrote “Southern Star” for Ala-

bama and “Watching You” for

Rodney Atkins. Her inspiration

comes from the Lord and her

family, and her favorite artists are

Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, and

Sara Bareilles. Just because An-

nalise is a rising star, it doesn’t

mean that she has lost touch with

her peers. “I would love for any-

one who wants to connect to reach out because I love to make

new friends, so don’t ever be

afraid to shoot me a message just

to say ‘hi’ because the majority of

the time, I answer. You can like

the fanpage on facebook or fol-

low my twitter for updates on

shows or things I’m doing and to

hear music my website and

itunes!”

Annalise hopes that she can be a

light for those who are in the

dark and that her music can

touch the heart of her listeners

and change their lives forever.

Annalise Morelli

Country Singer


Jonathan Edwards

Tennis Player

SCVCS’s own Jonathan Edwards

has crossed racquets with super-

star John McEnroe, former number

one tennis player in the United

States. Jonathan started playing

tennis at the age of six after tagging

along routinely to watch his father play tennis at the club. Now, Jona-

than competes in state and national

junior level tournaments and has

played all over the South including

Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas,

and Alabama. “So far, I have won

eight tournaments this year (singles

and doubles), and plan on adding

more throughout the year. Of

those eight, five wins have been

playing in the 18 and under divi-

sion. Last year, I won the state

hard-court championship in

doubles.”

Jonathan trains for three

hours each day, and either

teaches tennis or works on

court maintenance for another three hours. In between teach-

ing, working, and training, he

works diligently on his courses

which include Advanced Place-

ment and Honors courses.

Jonathan has been interning

for Dunlop, the leading tennis

equipment manufacturer, for

three years at the Family Circle

Cup. “I run their demo court,

so I am also very knowledge-

As the school year will soon come to a close, Mrs. Staley and

I would like to wish you all a safe and enjoyable summer.

Keep aspiring to ACHIEVE more!!

For those of you taking your EOC’s soon, make sure you re-

view key concepts and believe that you will succeed. For a lit-

tle inspiration, we’ve highlighted a few of your SCVCS peers

below who did just that and received a perfect score!

GOOD LUCK!!

Ms. Howze and Mrs. Staley

Alexander Bower

Received a perfect score of 100 on

his Math EOC exam last year.

Emma Ballentine


her Math EOC exam last year.

Brooke Waldrop


her Math EOC exam last year.

END-OF-COURSE ACHIEVERS

2010 –2011

South Carolina Virtual Charter

School

140 Stoneridge Drive

Columbia, SC 29210

Phone: 803-253-6222

Fax: 803-253-6279

ACHIEVERS

SCVCS HS BLOG WWW.SCVCSHIGHSCHOOL.BLOGSPOT .COM

www.k12.com/

scvcs


http://www.scvcshighschool.blogspot.com

SCVCS Achievement Newsletter - MAY 2012

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