Ellis, Jones graduate from California Connections Academy

Porterville residents Corey Ellis and Jasen Jones were among the 28 members of California Connections Academy @ Central’s Class of 2018 last month. A commencement ceremony was held at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton on Monday, June 18.

Remarks honoring the graduates were delivered by Couper Condit, district director, Dr. Richard Savage, the school’s executive director, Kara Mannix, high school principal, and Alexandria Yao, student and professional figure skater on Team USA. Hundreds of family members, friends, teachers and administrators gathered to honor the students’ accomplishments.

“We are thrilled to watch the 2018 graduating class take the next steps toward a purposeful and rewarding future,” said Marcus White, site administrator at California Connections Academy @ Central. “During their time at California Connections Academy @ Central, they have emerged as thoughtful leaders, masters of digital literacy and ambitious entrepreneurs.”

The online school’s 2018 graduating class includes valedictorian Hayley Bean of Tulare, who attended Connections Academy all four years of high school.

“Attending Connections Academy was the best decision I could have made when deciding where I wanted to begin my high school journey,” said Bean. “It helped me grow, not only academically, but as a person as well. From navigating Connexus to talking to my teachers on the phone, I really got a sense of the way I prefer learning and it helped me become even more independent than I already was.”

Students from the 2018 graduating class will go on to pursue higher education at institutions including San Diego State University, Brigham Young University — Idaho, California State University Long Beach, Humboldt State University and San Francisco State University.

California Connections Academy is a tuition-free online public school serving students in transitional kindergarten through 12th grade throughout the state. The have four schools that serve the needs of students in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, central Valley and North Bay areas.

California Connections Academy @ Central provides a flexible learning environment for more than 450 students in Tulare, Fresno, Kern, Kings and Inyo counties. Through a combination of state-credentialed teachers and curriculum which meets stringent state education standards, the school provides an individualized learning program for its students.