EV grad Grace Ellersick finds groove working at own pace

Learning can take place in many different environments. And the most common environment may not present as best for every student.

Even under the best of circumstances, high school can be chaotic. With hundreds to more than a thousand students and only dozens of teachers and administrators, even the best and most engaged students can feel lost at some point.

For others, it can be overwhelming.

It used to be that the most standard education model – jamming 15 to 40 students into a tiny classroom with one teacher – was the only option.

The pandemic is redefining normal with online learning, but even before that, some students were finding their own pace online.

Grace Ellersick, participating in East Valley High School Online Learning, is “a great representative for online learning,” said East Valley counselor Mary-Hope Lakin.

“She came from a large comprehensive high school where she felt lost and overwhelmed,” Lakin said. “She knew a couple of family friends who were in the program, and she thought she would try it.”

Ellersick spent her first year of high school at Central Valley, but realized quickly the traditional route wasn’t for her. It wasn’t the school, per se, but the atmosphere.

“I just didn’t like it,” she said. “I felt like I didn’t really have a chance to focus on studies, it was too social for me. I was a little more focused on what was going to happen after high school rather than what was happening during it.”

The first online learning program Ellersick tried didn’t fit either. When she switched to the East Valley program, though, things started to click for her.

She met with her advisor, picked classes, then worked through the curriculum at her own pace:

“I was able to do more classes through online than I would have at regular high school.”

Curriculum-specific teachers were available for extra help or tutoring if needed.

But students in the program must be willing to speak up for themselves.

“You need to be a strong self-advocate, as teachers will not necessarily know you need help unless you ask,” said Lakin.

Ellersick completed 17 classes her sophomore year.

“I was able to actually focus on what I wanted to focus on studywise instead of worrying so much about drama and what was happening at public school,” she said.

According to the district website, East Valley Online Learning offers students in grades 7 through 12 a flexible opportunity for online education. Enrollment is not residential-based; the program serves the students of the entire district and state.

Students must have reliable internet access, maintain communications with instructors and complete assignments under strict deadline.

Ellersick enjoyed the freedom online learning gave her, where students work at their own pace.

“Some needed to take things slower. For me, I wanted to go quicker.”

She wanted to get core classes out of the way as quickly as possible in order to join the Running Start program at Eastern Washington in her junior year.

“As soon as I finished a class, I didn’t have to wait for the next quarter – I could just pick a new one and start it right away and get it done on my own time.”

Ellersick found the transition from high school to college – while still in high school – tricky to start.

“It was strange just to be back in a classroom setting, for sure. That was a big adjustment,” she said.

At the beginning, she added, the college courses seemed slow compared to the pace she had set for herself.

“But now that I’m a little more specialized, not so much,” she explained. “In fact, they go a little quick. But at first, yes. I felt like after a couple classes I could take the final and be done.”

Ellersick plans to major in psychology with a minor in sociology, with the possibility of law school or pursuing forensic psychology down the road.

While there are things about the traditional high school experience she missed, finding her own path was more important.

“I didn’t feel like I was missing out on too much socially,” she said. “But there were definitely things I had to sacrifice.

“There are times when I feel, ‘Oh, I could have done this, I could have done this,’ ” she admitted.

“Obviously now, I wouldn’t have been able to go to prom or graduation anyway. But when I first made the decision to leave and I chose to give up those things, it made me sad – but also, I’m going to have a college graduation, and that can be more exciting for me, because I’m going to feel like I worked really hard for that.”