GREENFIELD — The Massachusetts Virtual Academy at Greenfield kicked off its sixth school year with nearly 700 students in grades K-12.
“Some of our students are athletes, musicians, artists and entrepreneurs,” said Carl Tillona, executive director of the internet-based virtual school. “They travel across the country and across the world. For them, the requirements of a brick-and-mortar school simply don’t work. We have other students, be it medical conditions, severe allergies or other needs, a traditional education simply doesn’t work.”
Students receive an individualized learning plan designed to enhance academic strengths and address weaknesses. MAVA teachers are state-certified and provide instruction, guidance and support, regularly interacting with students and parents via email, web-based classrooms, phone and face-to-face meetings.
Students can participate in a variety of extracurricular groups and clubs as a way to connect with other online students through topics of mutual interest. Outings include trips to the Freedom Trail, Sturbridge Village, picnics in the parks in Cambridge, Worcester, Springfield and other locations.
Graduates from MAVA have gained college admission at numerous colleges and universities across the country, including UMass-Amherst, AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts, University of Wisconsin, Wheaton College, Slippery Rock and Northeastern University.
The virtual school was originally created by the Greenfield public school system but has since been spun off as an independent school, the state’s only virtual public school.