Bailey Warkentine was a freshman at Northwest High School when the pandemic occurred so she wasn’t able to continue her freshman year in person. Once school resumed, she decided to continue online learning through the district’s virtual school, Education Imagine Academy, where her brother was also taking classes.
One day a week, students in the virtual school are offered an in-person advocacy opportunity. During the three-hour program, students can work one-on-one with teachers for extra help, work on passion projects and participate in clubs.
Bailey appreciated the opportunity to work with teachers and other students in person.
““I really enjoyed coming in on Wednesdays,” Bailey said. “We had passion projects in my junior year, where we could work in groups on things that really interested us. I made a book of collages during that time which was something I wouldn’t have made time to do because of my other school work. It gave me motivation to do something that I had wanted to do for a long time.”
While she didn’t attend school in person, Bailey found ways to stay connected with friends and participated in typical high school milestones such as homecoming and senior prom with friends at Northwest and Campus High School.
Bailey completed her high school career in December and plans to pursue a career in elementary education by taking classes at Butler County Community College.
