Teen touts online charter school benefits

An Austintown teen says taking classes by computer is working for him.

By HAROLD GWIN

VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER

AUSTINTOWN — Not every student does his or her best work in the traditional classroom setting.

Some, for example, adapt well to online learning via computers, essentially working alone and at their own pace.

Zechariah Ciccone, 14, son of Evelyn and Anthony Ciccone, of West Viola Avenue, is enthusiastic about his and his parents’ decision to enroll him in the Ohio Distance and Electronic Learning Academy (OHDELA), an online Ohio charter school, last spring.

Zechariah, who was enrolled in a private school before, now does his learning at home, spending six or seven hours a day (and sometimes more) on his lessons.

The ninth-grader said he likes taking classes by computer and believes the education he is receiving is as good as he would get in a traditional school setting.

It’s working well for him, he said.

“He’s quite satisfied. He likes what he’s doing,” said Evelyn Ciccone, noting her son is getting A’s.

“He’s really been able to stay on task.”

Zechariah takes live, interactive classes via computer as well as classes where he works by himself, but always under the guidance of a teacher who is just a text message away.

“This is my first experience with an online school,” Evelyn Ciccone said. “I’m very, very impressed with the way it is handled.”

OHDELA, based in Akron, is a statewide, K-12 public charter school.

Pupils who enroll pay no tuition or fees. That cost is picked up by the state.

OHDELA provides the pupils with a complete computer system, a curriculum based on the state’s educational standards, support from teachers rated as “highly qualified” by the state, online tutoring and homework help, academic field trips and more.

The school, which has more than 2,300 pupils across the state, is offering midyear enrollment through Jan. 14. For information, got to www.ohdela.com.

OHDELA pupils have found that its programs provide the flexibility they need to succeed academically, said Dr. Mary Ann Schneider, OHDELA administrator. They can work from home at their own pace and on their own schedule, she said.

“This is a private school without the cost of a private school,” Evelyn Ciccone said.

Although his classroom is in his home, Zechariah has plenty of outside socialization activities, she said, pointing out that he belongs to a soccer club, takes piano lessons and is active in the Boy Scouts and his church youth group.

Ciccone said she isn’t putting down any other schools but would like to see her son stay with OHDELA through high school.

Still, she said she wont stand in his way should he decide, at some point, to return to a traditional school setting.

Zechariah said that’s something he’s thought about.

“I do hope to go to a traditional school sometime in the future,” he said, saying he likes to work with other kids.

He’s also planning to go to college, he said, adding that he would like to pursue a career working with computers.

gwin@vindy.com