VAR March 23 Newsletter

Current Virtual Academy of Rochester students enrolled in the RIT's dual credit Introduction to Digital Photography course visited the Rochester Institute Technology- College of Art and Design. The students toured the facilities, participated in a classroom session, met with professors, and discussed course progression with Todd Jokl, Dean of the College of Art and Design.

The conference was focused on the state of college readiness for African American students and provides a forum for sharing best practices, key data, and research to drive measurable actions to ensure access to opportunity.

Before I became a teacher I was an undergraduate student at Buffalo State, where I earned my degree in Geology while working at Linens-n-Things. After I completed my undergraduate degree, I earned my teaching certification and Masters degree at SUNY Brockport. I started working for the RCSD in 2005 and a year later taught my first Earth Science class and I loved it!

I joined the Virtual Academy as a science specialist in 2016. I now have the opportunity to teach students across the district all the sciences including Chemistry, Living Environment, Environmental Science, and Advanced Placement courses. I truly enjoy working with my students and hope that I can light a spark of interest in any field of science and encourage them to always search for answers. There are so many paths that students can take, but for me, it is rocks, volcanoes, and more rocks!

My path to teaching was an arduous one. I have been teaching for the city school district for 20 years. Prior to teaching, I served my country in the Marine Corps and worked in different fields of construction and municipalities. I have always felt a strong connection to serving others; to help. Teaching has allowed me to continue feeling like I am helping people and making a difference.

When online credit recovery started pushing into different schools, I was one of the original four instructors to help get this program established in buildings across the district. As a member of the VAR staff, I see first-hand how this program is raising the graduation rate for the district and allowing students to achieve that monumental step of graduation.

My role this year, along with being an English specialist for the VAR program, I am also an electronic learning facilitator (ELF), which means I am housed in one location and have access to all OCR courses which allows me to work with students across multiple courses.

Aside from teaching, I am a father of 3, a football coach, a high school football referee, and a husband to a wonderful educator at East High.

As the course selection process for the 2023-2024 school year continues, we want to share the dual enrollment courses offered by the Virtual Academy of Rochester (VAR). ALL courses are currently available to students! Students at ANY RCSD High School/Program are eligible to take VAR dual enrollment courses if they have the required pre-requisite courses. If you have students that might be a good fit, consider enrolling them as soon as possible. The course descriptions are listed below. Feel free to reach out to the ACA Advocates for more information!

RIT Intro to Digital Photography

This RIT course will introduce students to the creation of imagery using a digital camera. Students who successfully complete the course can earn 3 college credits and 1 high school Art credit.

SUNY ESF Global Environment

The Global Environment will help you to gain the knowledge and tools to make informed decisions regarding the environment and the earth’s future and to be able to understand the connections between such varied topics as pollution, deforestation, climate change, acid rain, soil depletion, economics, evolution, history, and social justice. The course stresses a science-based systems approach in evaluating problems and potential solutions as well as the critical role of energy in many of the environmental challenges facing the world. Students who successfully complete the course can earn 3 college credits and 1 high school Science credit.

SUNY ESF Research Writing Humanities

Intended for students who have had an introductory writing course (ESF 190), students will examine different views of nature and the environment as they are expressed by selected writers, poets, and essayists. Students who successfully complete the course can earn 3 college credits and 1 high school English credit.

SUNY ESF Writing and The Environment

This course provides an introduction to academic reading and writing at the college level, with an emphasis on science, the environment, and nature. Students who successfully complete the course can earn 3 college credits and 1 high school English credit.

SUNY Potsdam Introduction to Sociology

In this SUNY Potsdam dual enrollment course, you will be introduced to some of the key theories and methodological approaches of Sociology. Students who successfully complete the course can earn 3 college credits and 1 high school Social Studies elective credit.

SUNY Potsdam Introductory Studio Art

Do you have a student interested in drawing, painting, and the arts? This is a SUNY Potsdam studio course with an emphasis on art making as a teachable skill based on learning fundamental components and developing these components through practice. Students who successfully complete the course can earn 4 college credits and 1 high school Art credit.

SUNY Potsdam Physical Activity for Health

This SUNY Potsdam dual enrollment course is designed to provide students with an overview of health and fitness topics. Students who successfully complete the course can earn 1 college credit and 0.5 PE/Elective high school credit