PA Distance 3rd-grader, Kelsey Henderson, has been participating in gymnastics competitions for two years now. Kelsey maintains a highly regimented schedule in order to practice her gymnastics skills while attending and excelling in school. She first enrolled at PA Distance this past year, when many families began considering a cyber education program and she has loved it ever since. 

Kelsey is a Gymsport Gem at Gymsport Athletic Center in Bridgeville, PA. The Gymsport Gems competitive gymnastics team competes in USA Gymnastics Women’s Levels 2 through 10, all levels of Xcel and Men’s Levels 4-6. Their competition season runs from June to May with competitions starting in November.

“Because of PA Distance, her schedule allowed her to accept an invitation to the daytime gymnastics program that enables her to train at a more elite level,” Kelsey’s mother, Mrs. Nicole Henderson said. 

“Previously, she would attend the evening practices starting at 4:30 pm,” Mrs. Henderson added. 

“I have two friends who have had to leave the daytime Gymsport Gem’s program because it doesn’t work with their school schedule,” Kelsey explained. 

Kelsey is able to attend all of her live learning classes in the morning before her practice starts. 

“I get ahead in all of my work so that I’m not behind on days that I can’t complete my independent work,” Kelsey said. “I have a weekly assignment list so I know what I need to do each week which makes it really convenient with my busy schedule.” 

“We are always communicating with her teachers,” Mrs. Henderson said. “They’ve been amazing.”

“I love my English Language Arts (ELA) and Art classes,” she added. “I’ve been writing a short story in ELA and my teacher has been helping me with that. I like Math, too.” 

Kelsey practices out of the Gymsport Athletic Center three days a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Fridays) and competes across the state in meets. The days where she doesn’t have practice are designated school workdays where she can finish assignments and synchronous coursework. 

“My competitions are on weekends and sometimes on Fridays,” Kelsey explained. 

“She made states for her level,” Mrs. Henderson said. “That requires us to travel to a meet in Erie, PA later this year.” 

Kelsey is also a member of a PA Distance mentor group where she can talk with other students who are in similar situations. For example, she was paired with an older student who is a competitive cheerleader and has a similar school workload and practice schedule as Kelsey. 

“It’s nice for her to have someone who knows what it’s like,” Mrs. Henderson said. “It’s a great support system for both of them.” 

Kelsey also benefited from the materials that were provided to her after enrolling at PA Distance. Before school even started, Kelsey received a laptop computer, extra monitor, wired mouse, headset, and printer/scanner to set up her workstation. As a newly enrolled student, she also received a “Welcome Kit” containing school supplies like pencils, pens, markers, notebooks, folders, and other items she might need for her classes. Lastly, grade-level or class-specific supplies are mailed out depending on her schedule. 

“I couldn’t believe how many physical resources PA Distance offers students,” Mrs. Henderson said. “We really didn’t have to invest anything to enroll her.” 

“We’ve been really impressed with the curriculum and all of the learning models,” Mrs. Henderson added. “Kelsey has been on the Honor Roll every quarter this year.”

“I work on a lot of online programs,” Kelsey explained. “It’s a lot of work but it’s worth it.” 

“We talked to many cyber schools during the summer when researching what option was best for Kelsey. What really sold us on PA Distance was the face-to-face interaction that she would get with her teachers,” Mrs. Henderson said. “She has the option to participate in a virtual classroom and other schools didn’t have that as an option.”