(MORENO VALLEY, Calif.) Taylion Virtual Academy has presented an application to the Moreno Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees to open a second California campus of its successful charter school.
Taylion Virtual Academy presented the application during the Tuesday, June 14 school board meeting. The board is expected to act on the petition at its Tuesday, June 28 meeting.
Taylion is completing its first year in California, with a campus in San Bernardino. It also has operated schools in the Phoenix, Arizona area since 1997.
“We are excited about the possibility of providing a new educational opportunity to those students in Moreno Valley who are not currently experiencing educational success,” said Taylion Virtual Academy founder Tim Smith. “In San Bernardino we have focused on students who are looking for a second chance. Our teachers have developed caring relationships with each one of our students, and we would do the same in Moreno Valley.”
“We have grown by leaps and bounds, to more than 395 students, because of these relationships,” said Taylion Virtual Academy Executive Director Will Griffin.
“I am impressed with Taylion Virtual Academy,” said Moreno Valley City Council member William Batey. “I believe that they are a great option for students who have dropped out of our school system because it does not work for them. Based on their success in Arizona and in San Bernardino, I see this as a great way for dropouts to drop back in, complete their education and earn a high school diploma.”
Anthony Davis is the principal of Taylion Virtual Academy in California. Since he is a Moreno Valley resident and familiar with Moreno Valley Unified School District, he would be assigned to the principal’s job at the new Taylion campus if it is approved.
“In San Bernardino, we are serving all socio-economic levels successfully,” Davis said. “In Moreno Valley, the demographics are similar. We intend to provide the same level of service to the families here.”
Since its start in San Bernardino last September, Davis has seen that campus of Taylion Virtual Academy grow from 60 students on opening day to 395 at present. Two of its students graduated from Taylion on Tuesday, June 21. Most of the San Bernardino students enrolled with more than one year left in their educational journey.
The graduates and members of the classes of 2012 and 2013 in San Bernardino have scored higher than average on the California High School Exit Exam.
Madeline Walker, a former Moreno Valley resident, is one of the two 2011 graduates.
“This school changed my high school experience forever,” she said. “I wasn’t going to be able to graduate, but I went there and made up 90 credits in one year. There was no other school that gave me an opportunity like this, or that helped me be interested in school like this. I love my school, and would be proud to recommend it to my friends in Moreno Valley.”
Eight representatives of Taylion Virtual Academy, including two students and two parents, urged the Moreno Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees to approve the new campus. More than 50 others showed their support by attending the meeting in blue and green t-shirts with Taylion Virtual Academy’s logo.
Taylion Virtual Academy offers independent study, home schooling and online education, with all students working at their own pace. For many students, the free public charter school is an opportunity to either catch up and graduate with classmates at a traditional high school, or to graduate early from Taylion and move onto college or full-time employment before others their age.
Taylion Virtual Academy, a free public charter school, offers an option for families who wish to be directly involved in their children’s education, for teens who seek an accelerated schedule to begin college early, and for teens needing to catch up on credits to graduate with their classmates.
For more information, or a free campus tour, call Taylion Virtual Academy at (909) 889-5152 or go to www.taylion.com .