Entries by jpmktg

Graduate Spotlight: Student Finds Her Voice at Visions

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Julianne Silla, Visions Students, with the cover of a book containing her work

Graduate Spotlight: Student Finds Her Voice at Visions

Why did you choose to attend Visions?

I moved from the Bay Area and found that I didn’t like the public high schools here as I hoped I would. I felt that everyone was superficial and they didn’t see the “big picture”. I saw ads for Visions and I also live close by so I applied. I liked that I could attend school and work at the same time.

Visions’ mission, values and morals matched mine so I enrolled.

What was the biggest difference between Visions and the public school you attended before?

I wasn’t growing there and I just felt like I was observing everyone else. [Public] high school felt so systematic and I wouldn’t have been able to work full time if I stayed in public school. I come from a “work for what you have mentality” so I wanted the flexibility to work and learn. At Visions I was able to figure out what worked for me in terms of organization and my personal life. I was able to research what I wanted to study in college during my free time and I can guarantee I wouldn’t have been able to do that in regular high school.

My teacher Suzanne Pope was so sweet and “real”. At Visions I was able to work on my well-being and figure out who I was as a person because of the supportive environment. The flexibility really helped me grow.

You are originally from the Philippines. Can you tell us a bit about your experience coming to the United States and learning English?

I moved to the United States when I was 12. I barely knew English so I did a lot of listening and by the 7th grade I was fluent. The Visions staff was so welcoming and they helped me open up more.

You participated in our Find Your Voice writing class. Tell us about how this class helped you.

The class was so beneficial. It was freeing, relieving and surprisingly therapeutic. It brought out the creative side of me that I never knew existed. I learned more about myself and if I hadn’t taken that class I wouldn’t be as open as I am today. My writing was published by 916 Ink in the book “Verbal Graffiti” (read an excerpt below).

You are now in college and working. How did Visions help you prepare for college and a career?

While at Visions I took an Introduction to Psychology class at American River College and I worked with my counselor to figure out what I wanted to pursue for a degree.

Visions taught me how to manage my time. I still depend on a planner to organize my days and I make sure to find time for myself. I’m currently attending American River College to pursue a degree in Psychology and I plan to transfer to San Francisco State University or California State University, East Bay to finish my degree.

What are your future goals after you graduate college?

I hope to land a job in either counseling or clinical psychology.

What would you tell someone who isn’t sure if Visions is the right choice for them?

Visions is an inspiring environment. The flexibility helped me with my personal growth and I learned a lot about myself.

About Julianne

Julianne is currently the Assistant General Manager at a local Jamba Juice. She graduated in 2016 and was the recipient of Visions’ Steve Phelps American Dream Scholarship. Her writing was published in the book “Verbal Graffiti” as part of the Find Your Voice writing class. The excerpt below is from her short story, Wanderer:

“As the blazing heat of the sun touched my Californian, caramel skin, I thought to myself: I want to go where the clouds are hand in hand with the colossal, craggy mountain. Where the breeze feels fresh against my sultry skin despite the roasting rays of the sunshine. I am determined to hike that steep and foresty mountain until I am craving for my last possible breath, until I feel the blistering burn in my throat, because I know when I get there, when I feel the slightest amount of pain, I will feel alive again. My name is Jade, and I am not your average teenage girl.”

Visions Student Places in Top 10 at CA Central Valley Spelling Bee

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Visions Student Places in Top 10 at CA Central Valley Spelling Bee

Visions student, Chloe H., competed in the 2018 California Central Valley Spelling Bee. She is the home school 8th grader that won our school-wide Spelling Bee in December and she made it through the written test to compete in the oral competition!

Chloe competed against 61 other students from Sacramento, Yolo, Solano, Shasta, Plumas and Placer counties. The spellers were in grades 3 through 8 and only two were eliminated in the first two rounds of the bee.

Chloe did an amazing job and earned 8th place. She correctly spelled, “chronic”, “numeral” and “stalactite”. Her final word stumped everybody! During round four she was asked to spell “Borgesian”, an adjective that means “the characteristic of the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges or his works, especially with reference to fantasy or magic realism.”

We are so proud of Chloe and all her hard work! Check out the photos from the Spelling Bee on our Facebook page.

About the 2018 California Central Valley Spelling Bee

This was the 35th Annual California Central Valley Spelling Bee hosted by the Sacramento Bee’s News in Education program. This year’s spellers were judged by James Coe, the 1951 Central Valley spelling champion; Margaret Bryan, chief administrator of Shriners Children’s Hospitals of Northern California; and Marcos Bretón, a Sacramento Bee columnist. The pronouncer was former KFBK radio host and actor Bob Nathan.

Did You Know?

Visions student Josephine K., won the California Central Valley Spelling Bee three years in a row in 2007, 2008 and 2009!

Grad Spotlight: Former Teen Parent Excels Despite Challenges

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Grad Spotlight: Former Teen Parent Excels Despite Challenges

Itati Martin found Visions In Education out of necessity. She was preparing to enter her junior year of high school and learned she was pregnant. Although this was a difficult responsibility to handle at a young age she was dedicated to graduating and succeeding as a teen parent. When she found Visions she knew she was in good hands.

“I enrolled in Visions because of the flexibility. I am so glad I came here, I honestly think it was the best decision for me. I had an amazing teacher, who I hold very dear to my heart. I’m not sure if she will ever realize what it meant to me that she saw more in me than just another pregnant teen.”

Itati’s one-on-one relationship with her teacher, Chris Allen, helped her thrive. Chris set expectations from the start and worked with Itati to schedule her work so she could get ahead to prepare for the arrival of her baby. The ability to work ahead of schedule without distractions isn’t something Itati would have been able to do in the traditional school system.

Where Is She Now?

Despite the challenge of being a teen mother, Itati used her time at Visions to prepare for college. She learned to take initiative and practice self-discipline. After graduating from Visions she enrolled at Cosumnes River College to earn her Associate’s Degree in Psychology and then transferred to Sacramento State to complete her Bachelor’s Degree.

Itati continues to thrive today. A week before she graduated from Sacramento State she was offered an account executive job at an association management firm. She’s happily married and the proud mother of three children. Eight days after her 25th birthday she bought her first home with her husband. Her success is inspiring and she applied many of the skills she learned at Visions to achieve her goals.

“I’m not sure if I would have accomplished half the things I did if I hadn’t met my amazing teacher.” 

Advice for Students

We asked Itati what she would tell current and prospective Visions students. These are her words of wisdom:

  • Visions can be the right choice for everyone
  • Take your teacher’s recommendations
  • Accept help
  • Show initiative
  • Learn self-discipline
  • Be accountable

Visions is proud to share Itati’s success story and we hope it inspires current and future students.

Visions Home School Student Wins “Math is Cool” Founders Award!

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Visions Home School Student Wins “Math is Cool” Founders Award!

Home School 5th-grader, Clara R., beat hundreds of other students to win the 2018 Russian School of Math’s Founders Award! She blew the judges away with her video explaining the Fibonacci Sequence and its relation to music.

Clara has been with Visions since Kindergarten and she has taken full advantage of the balance and flexibility homeschooling provides by developing her interests and talents. Her mom and parent educator, Dana, chose home school to allow her children to be free and use their imaginations. Clara plays piano, dances ballet, sings, acts and enjoys reading, writing and exploring the outdoors. She also recently became interested in fashion design and has been drawing up designs in her free time. She has many aspirations and hopes to become a performer, professor or writer.

When Clara found out about the “Math is Cool” contest she jumped at the opportunity and worked over winter break to create the project outline, video and posters. She even edited the video herself, adding music, sound effects and transitions.

“I am so excited and thrilled,” Clara said when asked about her win. “I still think I must be dreaming!”

The Russian School of Math congratulated Clara on her excellent work by saying, “Your project is so smart and engaging! Math and music beautifully weaved together and presented with passion, understanding and humor.” Clara also received a 3D printer (pictured above) for her winning submission.

About Clara’s Award-Winning Submission  

Clara took the Fibonacci Sequence and applied it to one of her interests, music. This mathematical sequence is characterized by a pattern of numbers. Each number in the list is the sum of the two numbers before it. The sequence also uses ratios to create the “golden ratio” of 1.618 also known as PHI.

She’s an avid piano player so she numbered her keys using the Fibonacci Sequence to determine if you could create a melody only using the keys in the sequence. She also found that PHI can be found in music by studying the climax notes in the melody. If this has you asking yourself, “Am I smarter than a 5th grader?”, then we recommend you watch her video to learn more!

Visions Alum Becomes Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist

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Olympic Gold Medalist/Visions Alumnus Jamie Anderson

Visions Alum Becomes Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist

Update – February 22, 2018

Jamie Anderson can now add “first female snowboarder to win two medals at a single Olympics” to her resume! She won silver in the first Olympic big air competition with a final score of 177.25. Read more about Jamie and her Olympic success below.

“History is made here in PyeongChang, Jamie Anderson was homeschooled when she was younger so she could ride during the day and study at night.” –NBC Sports announcer Liam McHugh

Jamie Anderson is the first female snowboarder to win two Olympic gold medals. She’s a fearless athlete, inspiring free spirit AND a Visions In Education alum!

We’ve followed her success from the very beginning. She began snowboarding in South Lake Tahoe at the young age of nine. Homeschooled by her mother, along with her eight siblings, Jamie studied her academics but also focused on her character and passions. Her freedom and ability to balance her education with her talents allowed her to become an Olympic and X Games champion.

“I think that [homeschooling] has cultivated who I am today,” Jaime recently told the Los Angeles Times, “because I got to tap into my own passions and purpose at a young age, and I wasn’t stuck in a school room being ADD and crazy. I think kids need that freedom to understand who they are.”

2018 Winter Olympic Games

Jamie’s most recent slopestyle gold medal win in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics was beyond impressive. The competition was delayed due to windy conditions and 41 of the 50 athletes that competed crashed but Jamie came out on top.

“History is made here in PyeongChang, Jamie Anderson was homeschooled when she was younger so she could ride during the day and study at night,” said NBC Sports announcer Liam McHugh. “So it seems this has paid off once again, the 27-year-old is now the back-to-back Olympic gold medalist in women’s snowboard slopestyle.”

Next up she’ll be competing in the inaugural big air snowboarding event on February 22. This is the first year this event has been included in the winter games and it tests the Olympians to ride down a 160 foot tall snow ramp with a single jump at the bottom. The ramp can propel riders to go as fast as 50 mph and send them 20 feet into the air! We’re wishing Jamie the best of luck and look forward to seeing her compete yet again!

Jamie Anderson Fun Facts

  • She graduated from Visions in 2008 and we interviewed her in 2014 after her gold medal win at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
  • She starred on the 2014 season of Celebrity Apprentice to raise awareness about climate change.
  • In 2013, she established the Jamie Anderson Foundation to support young athletes.
  • She was sponsored by 18 companies including Sierra-at-Tahoe, GoPro, Downy, Milk Life and Visa.
  • She was the youngest athlete to win an X Games medal when she earned bronze in 2006 (at the age of 15) and she’s the most decorated woman in the history of the games, touting an impressive 15 medals.
  • She strongly believes that meditation, yoga and self-care contribute to her success.
  • Check out seven more fun facts about Jamie here.

Follow Jamie’s journey on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

The photo in this article is used with the permission of Jamie Anderson.

Visions Student Starred in CYT Production of Cinderella

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Visions Student, Natalie King

Visions Student Starring in CYT Production of Cinderella

“Have faith in your dreams, and someday, your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.” -Cinderella

University Prep student, Natalie King, is following her dreams. She starred in the Christian Youth Theater (CYT) production of Cinderella as the lead role. But this isn’t her first production. Natalie has been acting since the age of 11 and she also studies tap dancing.

Her talents are impressive but so are her academic achievements. Natalie has completed her A-G honors coursework and graduated early. She’s taking classes at Sierra College and plans to switch to a CSU to pursue her English major.

Natalie also participated in our popular Find Your Voice writing class in partnership with 916 Ink to develop the skills needed to pursue her career goals. She hopes to work in the publishing industry and eventually become an editor and published author.

“Even though I’m graduating early I still plan to attend the Find Your Voice writing class as a mentor,” said Natalie. “I didn’t want to miss the second semester!”

Natalie credits the flexible schedule provided by Visions as the reason she’s able to pursue all her interests and graduate early. We’re proud to share her accomplishments with the Visions community and we hope you’ll attend a showing of Cinderella!

8th Grader Chloe H. Wins Visions’ 2017 Spelling Bee

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Visions Student, Chloe H., winner of the Spelling Bee

8th Grader Chloe H. Wins Visions’ 2017 Spelling Bee

25 Visions students in grades 2-8 competed in our school-wide Spelling Bee. The group impressed the crowd of parents, siblings and staff with 24 rounds! Check out all the photos on our Facebook page here. This year’s word list was challenging and included spellings of “gauss”, “vociferous”, “Chesapeake” and many more that had even the audience scratching their heads.

8th grader Chloe H. was crowned the winner after correctly spelling “caravel” during round 24. Next she will move on to the California Central Valley Spelling Bee’s written test. The 50-60 best spellers that complete the test will be invited to the regional oral bee. There, they’ll compete for the chance to advance to the National Scripps Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. We wish her the best of luck!

Runners-Up
7th grader Tabitha K. took second place and 5th grader Audrey L. secured third. Congratulations to all of our participants and finalists!

About Visions’ Annual Spelling Bee
Visions hosts a bee each year to give students the chance to strengthen their vocabulary, spelling and confidence. Our students always impress with their talent, competitiveness and support of each other.

As Seen on Good Day Sacramento – Student Organizes Can Drive

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As Seen on Good Day Sacramento – Visions Student Organizes Can Drive for the Sixth Year

January 2018 Update: Cameron exceeded his goal and proudly donated a grand total of 11,498 items which helped fill two of the food banks to capacity!

Cameron Dax is an 8th grade home school student with an amazing passion for giving back. For the past six years he has organized a can drive around the holidays to feed local community members that are in need. He’s proudly collected and donated over 17,400 items since the inception of his drive. He donates to the Carmichael Presbyterian Food Bank, Carmichael Adventist Food Bank and the San Juan Central Food Bank to help feed nine local zip codes.

Get Involved

We helped Cameron reach his 2017 goal of collecting 10,000 food items. Visions had collection boxes at our main office. 

Cameron also had many more local collection boxes at: Acme Chiropractic, Benefits Done Right, Carmichael Parks & Rec District, Civil Air Patrol (Squadron 14), Dax Construction, Dovewood Court, Emigh Hardware, Ethan Conrad Properties, Grass Valley 4 Wheelers, Hands In Motion Home School Group, Natomas Home School Alliance and the Yuba-Sutter Mall.

Donate Via GoFundMe

Cameron and his family were pleasantly surprised to receive a $1,000 donation from GoFundMe. As part of the #GivingTuesday campaign, they chose 100 kids that they felt were making the world a better place and honored them with donations to support their causes.

Cameron accepted donations via GoFundMe as well. These monetary donations are used to buy canned goods in bulk through his partnership with Grocery Outlet. This partnership allows Cameron to buy the food at a discount and they even special order some of the items ahead of time to ensure they have enough in stock.

About Cameron

“About six years ago I wanted to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and pass them out to the homeless in our community because I felt bad thinking about them being hungry,” said Cameron. “I hate being hungry so this bothered me. We all agreed that the best way for me to help out would be with a food drive. So this is what I did.”

Cameron’s passion for giving back is inspiring and the community recognizes this. In March, he was honored by the Carmichael Chamber of Commerce with the Junior Hero of the Year award. He received a plaque, certificates from members of Congress and was celebrated at a formal event. Good Day Sacramento and the Carmichael Times have also worked with him the past few years to help him promote his initiative. To top it all off, Cameron is a talented oil painter and each year he sells and auctions off his art to further support his cause.

We’re very proud of Cameron’s work.

Visions is Partnered with Outschool

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We’ve partnered with Outschool to offer more resources to our home school students and parents. Outschool has over 1,000 online, small-group classes offered by hundreds of teachers for homeschoolers who love learning and want to personalize their education. Services include supplemental activities for core academics, short exploratory classes, semester-long courses and more for grades K-12. […]

Visions is a Proud Sponsor of the Walk4Literacy

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With our “Visions In Education Cares” sign held high, a large group of Visions students, staff, family, and friends participated in the 4th Annual Walk4Literacy on October 21. Visions is a sponsor of the event each year and is proud to offer 50 free slots to Visions families, friends, and staff. It was a beautiful […]