iQ Academy of California, Los Angeles held its annual in-person back-to-school event in Glendale on Sept. 11, giving online students and families a chance to connect face-to-face. This year’s event also included a 9/11 remembrance with Glendale police and student-made thank-you cards for FDNY Engine 10.
Among 16,000 National Merit semifinalists named nationwide, the Southern Denton County list includes Tanmay Vasudeva of Lewisville, a student at Texas Virtual Academy of Hallsville, alongside students from Argyle, Denton and Lewisville ISDs.
Jessenia Espino, a credit recovery English teacher at Indiana Digital Learning School, is helping build a library in the British Virgin Islands after learning children there lacked book access. She’s donated over 127 books from friends, family and coworkers and is now organizing a Scholastic Books fundraising campaign to expand the collection.
Desmond Vereen, a Gates Scholarship winner, says switching from a brick-and-mortar school to the Cyber Academy of South Carolina in middle school helped him focus and improve his grades. He graduated with a 3.88 GPA and will study computer science and animation at Lenoir-Rhyne University.