Graduation season is here. Friday night, some 200 graduates of the Missouri Virtual Academy received their diplomas in Jefferson County after completing all of their required courses online. For some of them, it was the option that kept them from dropping out of school.
"Can’t believe this is happening and emotional,” Cheyenne Robinson said when asked how she felt about the big moment.
Afterall, this is what she’s been waiting for. They lined the halls of Grandview High School ready to go in caps, gowns and tassels. But there's something the average person wouldn’t know from just looking at them.
"Some of these kids are seeing each other for the first time,” said Steve Richards of the Missouri Virtual Academy.
The Grandview R2 School District students assembled in a school some of them had never set foot in.
"They're all quiet and shy. I said 'Everybody better shake somebody's hand next to them' and they all started doing it. It was cool,” Richards said with a chuckle.
The Missouri Virtual Academy offers high school instruction all over the internet.
"It was a lot of work. It wasn't easy but I got there,” Robinson admitted.
Families packed the stands at Grandview High to see their graduates earn a diploma. They came from all over the state.
"We have kids who have driven 6 hours to be here today for graduation,” Richards added.
For Robinson of Barnard, the virtual option helped saved her high school career.
"I was getting bullied in school because of who I am and it was too much,” she explained.
Enrolling in the Missouri Options program, gave some 40 of the 200 graduates who were falling behind on their credits, a chance to catch up through rigorous instruction and testing. This is the very first graduation for the virtual students who completed the program.
For many of them, it's not just a walk across the stage, it's a personal testament of resolve and the will to win.
"Been through a lot,” Robinson said, wiping tears.
This is only the second ever in-person graduation for students in the Missouri Virtual Academy.