Waterville student finds Iowa Connections Academy to be the right fit for her needs

by Kelli Boylen
freelance writer

Traditional public schools benefit students, family and communities in many ways, but they are not necessarily a good fit for everyone.

Abby Paul of Waterville was able to address her unique learning needs with Iowa Connections Academy, a tuition-free online school for youth anywhere in Iowa. She graduated last spring from this full-time online school which students attend from home.

Abby has health issues that made it very difficult to thrive in a traditional setting due to the amount of time she had to spend out of the classroom to address her health needs. Her family, Sean and Gretchen Bresnahan, sought a more flexible schedule and learning environment that would allow them to tailor their days around Abby’s doctor’s appointments.

In the fall of 2014, Abby was doing research about online schools and she found the Iowa Connections Academy. “The main reason I chose Iowa Connections was because they offered opportunities that I couldn’t get elsewhere,” she said.

Iowa Connections Academy began serving students in August 2012. The online education forum operates in partnership with CAM (Cumberland, Anita and Massena) Community School District, and its teaching center is located in the small Iowa town of Anita.

Iowa Connections Academy offers dual enrollment with many community colleges, including Northeast Iowa Community College, Des Moines Area Community College, Iowa Western Community College and others. Abby was able to transfer in 21 college credits when she started as a pre-law student at Northern Iowa University on a full-ride scholarship this fall.

She says the great thing about Iowa Connections is that every day is different, and she could customize how she divided her school time every day between the classes she needed to spend more time on.

“I feel Iowa Connections really prepared me for college,” she says. “It is set up a lot like college.”

Online schooling does require a lot of self-discipline, and Abby admits it is not for everyone. “But I do encourage others to consider it,” she shared, especially if the high school they are currently attending is not a good fit.

The Iowa Connections staff makes sure students stay on track, and are available daily via phone or e-mail to answer questions and help students along. “They really want you to reach out to them when you need it,” Abby says. There are also live lessons via video conferencing as well as group sessions. Abby says meeting the teachers in person was also helpful and she believes it helped to develop a more personal connection with the staff.

When she was not doing schoolwork, Abby volunteered at the Humane Society and at her church, and she worked part time in Prairie du Chien, WI. Abby also participated in the National Honor Society through Iowa Connections Academy.

There is no cost to students to attend Iowa Connections Academy. The online school strives to meet or exceed all national and state standards. Iowa Connections Academy is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), an accrediting division of AdvancED.

To learn more about the online educational forum visit www.connectionsacademy.com/iowa-online-school.