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Ohio Virtual Academy prepares senior for adult life
YOUNGSTOWN
A 17-year-old senior has been using his Ohio Virtual Academy status to run a business called joecoolsdogdrool.com, embrace his interest in politics and participate in the College Credit Plus Program.
Ohio Virtual Academy is an online program in which students have actual teachers.
Joe Notter, son of Josephine and Joe Notter, enjoys reading Politico, watching “The Flash” on Netflix and spending time with his brindle boxer Harley.
Joe switched schools his junior year from Ursuline High School to OHVA after his mother said she felt that he was getting lost in the shuffle.
“OHVA ended up being one of the best things that ever happened to him,” she said. “A lot of doors were opened to him. He learned to be more independent and organized and less reliant on people.”
In addition, Josephine said her son gained confidence where he used to lack it.
Joe agrees.
“I feel like OHVA really prepared me for college and for life,” he said. “I’ve just learned to be my own person and kind of be an adult.”
Young Joe had always been an adult at heart, Josephine said, especially when he started his business at 10 years old.
Joe’s dog Harley, who is now 9, was the inspiration behind that business, Joe Cool’s Dog Drool, an online dog treat shop.
Joe said it began when he was spending time with his grandma, and saw an infomercial about dog treats.
“I told my mom about it and said I found a recipe, and it turned out the ingredients were way too expensive,” Joe remembered. “My aunt actually found out and sent me money so I could make it and then I thought, ‘I want to make these for other people.’”
From there, Josephine said her son’s business took off.
“For the first three or four years, he was big,” she boasted. “We would do a few engagements a year – like the Boardman Rotary Festival – and he would just sell out.”
Since Joe Cool’s Dog Drool took off, Joe’s 10-year-old ambition matured into an interest of a different sort: politics.
He was recently named to Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s 2017-18 Teen Ambassador Board. The Teen Ambassador Board is made up of 240 students throughout Ohio who are interested in law and government.
Joe’s acceptance came shortly after his counselor at OHVA sent him an email about it.
“He kept asking and asking if I got anything in the mail at the house, and I knew he really wanted to be involved in this,” Josephine said. “It was just so wonderful to be able to tell him when I received the letter that he got in.”
Joe said he’s excited to meet with other students who share his interest in governmental affairs.
He said he’s realized, as he gets older, he is more drawn to those who share his interests rather than those who are just his peers.
“I had a friend that always said, ‘That boy is going to be a politician,’” Josephine said. “Now I think he just might make it to Washington [D.C.].”