MAY 2025 NATIONAL NEWS

The K12 Art Competition opens on May 13 - August 25! The K12 Art Competition is open to ALL students in grades K-12. This year we are combining photography and art with three exciting categories to enter:

🎨2D and 3D Artwork: Paintings, drawings, sculptures, and collages

💻Digital Artwork: Digital paintings, illustrations, and graphic designs

📸 Photography: Smartphone, DSLR, film, mirrorless, and point-and-shoot photography

There will be winners in every grade level + a People's Choice Winner per grade level!

Visit https://enrichment.k12.com/art-competition/ to learn more!

Ready to show everyone the “reel” you? The Reel Me Competition is now open for submissions until June 30, 2025.

To enter, submit a video about your K12-powered online school experience that fits one of this year’s themes:

💻 My K12 Why: Tell us why you love online school and what motivates you to keep learning.
💭 Myth Busters: What do people get wrong about online school? Debunk it for us!
✈️ Flex Your Schedule: Show us how K12-powered learning gives you more time for the things you love.

🎓Future Focus: Got big plans after graduation? Share them with us!

Winners in each grade band will receive up to $250 in cash prizes!

Visit https://enrichment.k12.com/reel-me to learn more and submit your video!

Congratulations to the all the finalists! The final round of the K12 National Cook-Off will be held in-person at the Kitchen of Purpose in Arlington, VA, on June 6, 2025.

Let's celebrate these talented young chefs and wish them success as they compete in Virginia!

🎉Celebrating the finalist chefs:

• Abijah, 6th grade CAVA student
• Isla, 9th grade TVAH student
• Caleb, 6th grade GADCA student
• Jackalynn, 12th grade HCCA student
• Stella, 9th grade Golden Valley Charter student

Meet the K12 National Cook-Off celebrity judges!

Chef Isabell Coss

Chef Adam Hoffa

Cash prizes will be awarded to the 1st place and People’s Choice winners!

Public voting takes place July 23 - July 29, during which any individual may vote up to once per day.

Learn more by visiting: https://enrichment.k12.com/cookoff/

K12 Robotics teams are gearing up for the Final Round taking place on June 3 at K12 HQ in Reston, VA!

Celebrating the teams in Grades 4-6:

• Robomasters from CAVA
• The MechTech Mechanics from OHVA
• Team Maverick from CPA

Celebrating the teams in Grades 7-9:

• Mech_Masters from OHVA
• The Cogsmiths from CAVA
• Cybercats 2.0 from FLCAA and ISPA

Celebrating the teams in Grades 10-12:

• WAVA A-Team from WAVA
• Team Hello Kitty from OVCA
• Keystone_Cyberstorm from The Keystone School

Let's celebrate this incredible achievement and cheer them on all the way to Virginia! Follow @k12.student to stay connected to all the action on competition day!

Should you have any questions about the K12 Robotics League, please send an email to competitions@k12.com

The K12 National Competiton Student Winners website highlights the national winners from previous K12 competitions. Watch all of the excitement and help celebrate these incredible achievements!

Visit:Competition Winners Homepage - K12 Enrichment

Join Ilona Urban, Education and Outreach Advocate, as she introduces you to the rescued residents of the sanctuary-from chickens and pigs to goats, alpacas, horses, and more. As we explore the farm with Ilona, you’ll hear the inspiring stories behind each animal and learn how they found their way to the Happy Trails Farm. Discover what goes into caring for farm animals and find out how you can play a role in helping them on their path to healing and adoption.

DATE/TIIME: May 7 at 2 PM ET

Click here to register!

Join us from Gansbaai, South Africa for a live feeding with the critically endangered African penguins! We'll visit the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary to learn about the penguins, the dangers they are facing and about the incredible conservation work the sanctuary undertakes. Best of all, we'll get up close and personal with the penguins as they are getting their daily feeding!

DATE/TIME: May 13 at 12 PM ET

Click here to register!

Get ready for World Turtle Day with Clearwater Marine Aquarium! Hear about our resident sea turtles that call CMA home. Come learn about the importance of sea turtle conservation and get inspired to take action to protect these incredible creatures.

DATE/TIME: May 21 at 2:30 PM ET

Click here to register!

Join us virtually to explore the fascinating world of jewelry-making and discover interesting stories behind forging precious materials at the Norton Museum of Art. Learn more about distinguished artists who challenged themselves with mastering the skills of a goldsmith and diligently worked on small-scale artifacts. Compare and contrast works from the visual arts with miniature creations from the domain of jewelry.

DATE/TIME: May 28 at 3 PM ET

Click here to register!

Meet Ava, a K12-powered student with a passion for animals and a big dream of becoming a veterinarian! In this special K12 virtual field trip, you'll get an inside look at her family’s farm, home to 52 animals including cows, sheep, horses, goats, and even a donkey. Discover how Ava balances schoolwork with farm life, and hear how her flexible online education helps her gain hands-on experience and stay focused on her future career.

DATE/TIME: May 29 at 3 PM ET

Click here to register!

Want more from the K12 Virtual Field Trips? Check out the K12 Virtual Field Trips Newsletter to watch past virtual field trips, learn about upcoming virtual field trips, and sign-up for future ones!

Virtual Field Trips | Smore Newsletters or visit Virtual Field Trips - K12 Enrichment

The K12 Minecraft Build Challenge: Classroom of the Future opens on May 1 - May 25.

For the past 25 years K12 has led the way in online education, encouraging students to turn any place into their classroom. For this month’s Minecraft Challenge, we want to know what your ideal classroom of the next 25 years will look like. Use your imagination and your crafting skills to build your classroom and share your story with us

K12-powered students in grades K-12 can participate by submitting a video of their Minecraft build (with the option to also submit a photo) about their vison for a classroom of the future!

Public voting will run from May 26-June 9. Any individual will be eligible to vote up to once per day during the voting period. One winner per grade band (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12) will receive a $25 Amazon e-gift card for their winning build!

Visit K12 Minecraft Challenge: Classroom of the Future to learn more and submit a video of your build!

We want to know: What do YOU love about the K12 Zone?

Submit a short vertical video (15–60 seconds) sharing your favorite part of the Zone—whether it’s the games, the builds, the friendships, or just the fun.

🗓️ Challenge Runs: May 1–23, 2025
🏆 $250 Prizes – One winner per grade band (K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12)
🎉 Winning videos will be featured in the K12 Zone!

👉 Submit Your Video
📜 Official Rules

Join us May 15th at 7 PM (ET) as we dive into collegiate level gameplay for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! Expect to see some of the planning and production of a college esports event as well as reviewing gameplay to further your own skill and knowledge of the game.

This is open to all students ages 13 and up.

Register here: https://k12.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4W6flRd_SKy5Tr8sHST2MQ

Wednesday May 21st at 7pm ET

Get ready to watch some skillful players face off in Valorant! On Wednesday May 21st, we will be reviewing college gameplay to learn different agent combinations and strategies to better your team. Be prepared to discuss what the teams are doing well and things they can improve upon. This event is open to all students ages 13 and up.

Registration link: https://k12.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jYpSlUvaRxGvaoJGZXL-6Q

We are excited to announce the K12 Skills Arcade Live Practice competition for teachers enrolled in Skills Arcade. The competition will run from 3/19/25 9am ET to 5/12/25 5pm ET.

The teacher with the highest total Live Practice sessions will win a $50 Amazon gift card! Please note, a session counts if at least 5 students were assessed.

To enter the competition, teachers can fill out https://forms.office.com/r/RhaNmCuhyF

Additional resources to get started:

1. Live Practice Tutorial here and trailer here.

2. Ensure that students are logged into the application before entering a session in a new tab. Please note that sessions can only be conducted with students logged in the specific classroom where they were created. For easy access, watch how to add Skills Arcade lessons to your student plan here.

Now it’s time to navigate to Skills Arcade under Quick Links to create a quiz!

The K12 Reel Me Competition is a great way for graduating students to share their unique stories! If you are attending a K12 graduation, you may see this flyer! We're encouraging graduates (and those just staring school!) to enter K12 Reel Me and share their awesome stories.

To learn more, visit Reel Me - K12 Enrichment.

Our beloved story submission tool, Project Elevate, has a new name and a fresh look! Building on the success of the K12 Voices 25th Anniversary campaign, this rebrand reflects our commitment to capturing and amplifying the incredible stories of our students, families, and educators. The new K12 Voices landing page is now live, with an updated look and feel to match our bold vision for storytelling.

What This Means for You

Keep an eye out for inspiring student and educator stories and submit them to K12 Voices! Your stories bring our mission to life and help shine a light on the real impact of online learning.

Visit the new K12 Voices page today! 👉 K12 Voices

Join the Learning Coach Community today—available in the K12 app or through your Online School (OLS)! community.k12.com

Link: https://login.k12.com/

We have K12 Student Engagement channels on the platforms below. We share about student engagement opportunities, as well as showcase student talent and elevate students to feel seen and hear! Follow us today!

We are so excited to announce we have a Stride K12 Student Engagement Instagram Channel! You can find us @k12.student

This channel is meant to share about student engagement opportunities, as well as showcase student talent and elevate student voices to feel seen and heard! This channel is for our students to follow and connect with one another, as well as see what fun things we have happening!

You can also follow us on Threads! Our Threads account is a light-hearted channel sharing positive messages, joke, and K12 national competitions and K12 Virtual Field Trips. You can us find at k12.student. Follow us today!

Follow us on Facebook! The K12 Student Engagement Facebook page highlights exciting competitions, challenges, and national student winners. You can also watch live-streams of winner reveals and K12 Virtual Field Trips. You can find us at K12 Student Engagement. Follow us today!

K12 is partnering with the American Public University (APU), a higher education institution that provides affordable, high-quality, workforce-relevant, online education, to offer all K12-powered school graduates a 10% off tuition grant - bringing the cost to just $315 per credit hour for undergraduates on over 200 online degree and certificate programs.

APU delivers flexible, affordable education with monthly start dates to connect you to your future faster and provide the skills you need to go further.

• $0 cost textbooks/ebooks for undergraduate classes
• $0 application fee
• No entrance exams

Students can request more information from APU at https://apupartners.com/stride

Wondering when your course materials and hardware will arrive? Look no further! You can find your school’s shipping timeline by following these steps:

1. Visit the School Shipping Timeline Directory: Head over to the School Shipping Timeline Directory to locate your school’s specific shipping schedule.
2. Search by State: Use the directory to search by state. Find your state, and you’ll see a list of schools along with estimated delivery deadlines for course materials and hardware.
3. Track Shipping Status: If you’ve already confirmed your enrollment status, click on the link provided in the directory to track the shipping status of your materials and computer equipment.

Remember that if your school isn’t listed in the directory, allow approximately 7-10 business days after courses have been assigned for your order shipments to arrive.

If you need help with the Online School, Materials, or need to troubleshoot a technical problem, try out the new AI Assistant on help.k12.com! The AI Assistant can help you by popping relevant articles and videos to answer your questions and fix common issues.

Did you know you can text a live Customer Support agent for help with questions about Materials and replacements? Text your Student ID to 800-255-2020 Text Messages may vary. Data rates may apply. Click here if you need help looking up your Student ID