Warren Connect goes the extra mile to ensure that more is provided to students than just quality, virtual education. The virtual school program has been a certified and state recognized school since 2021 and, through a multitude of partnerships, the virtual school offers dual-enrollment opportunities and licensed teachers through Pearson Education.
Courtney Bennett, director of virtual learning, provided some thoughts on what the program has to offer. “The program really came about before COVID ever occurred,” she started. The program moved into the Warren Connect office from the annex building which used to be in conjunction with the high school in 2015. “We were one of the first virtual programs in the state, but people really didn’t know that we existed until COVID.”
Bennett stated once the school system shut down due to the pandemic, the program became much more known. “Unfortunately, during that time, virtual education got a bad rap. I think what people saw during that time was school systems putting all students on virtual learning and we just were not prepared to do that. When you move 6,000 students to virtual all at once, you’re bound to have problems.”
Despite the negative connotations associated with the infancy of virtual learning, Warren Connect prevailed. “In our program, we would have about 175 kids that would enroll around 2015 until around 2020. When we got to 2020, at one point after coming back from the pandemic, I had 1,600 students that were still enrolled in virtual learning. I still had a ton of kids.” Bennett noted that many students chose to stay in the program due to health concerns.
Bennett then said Warren Connect has now placed its primary focus on post-secondary education and getting students prepared for life after high school. “A lot of our high school kids that we have right now are dual-enrollment students. I have two that are going to graduate with an associate’s degree from Motlow at the same time that they graduate from here. We have a partnership with Motlow where we offer students who want to be certified in Google IT Helpdesk $15 an hour while they work on their certification while finishing school. This helps them get a job in IT once they leave us. A lot of people don’t know that, and that is the main thing I try to promote.”
Bennett stressed that virtual learning is not about sitting on the couch and taking an easy way out. There is an end-goal in mind. “We really try to promote college-to-career readiness. We do teach kids K-12 in some capacity, but in the beginning of the 8th grade, we really start to push towards that post-secondary involvement.”
Along with the Motlow partnership, Warren Connect started a partnership with TCAT in 2022. This partnership works in conjunction with the school to provide opportunities for students to enroll in TCAT as early as 9th grade. This helps them earn certifications in a wide variety of practices so that at the end of their high school careers, they can work in the field if they so desire.
Warren Connect provides enrollment opportunities to an variety of students from various counties. Since the school is not located at a physical campus, the program does not have to adhere to the restrictions of typical schools. “I have students in Knox County, Anderson County, Bradley County and Cumberland County,” she said. Students enrolling from these other counties pull in extra funding for the school system, create revenue, and also serve purpose for students in those counties that are not offered such opportunities where they reside.
Homeschooling is an option with Warren Connect too. The school partners with a company from Utah called Tech Trep Academy. This partnership allows for parents who have their children enrolled through paid homeschooling programs to join with Warren Connect and be relieved of those payments. “What we actually do is give them $1,700 per child, per year to buy educational materials with,” stated Bennett. “Our families take advantage of that, and we have been able to get a lot of families back into the district who have left to join private, independent homeschools.”
Warren Connect strives to keep students socialized through field trips and social activities, such as visits to Rock Island State Park, pumpkin patches, movie theaters and other landmarks in the surrounding area. “There is still a social aspect,” said Bennett. “We still try to get them together so they aren’t just alienated at home.”
