Testimonials

ARISE Virtual Academy Class of 2024!

DESTINY JOHNSON

What are your immediate plans after graduation, and what are your goals over the next year? To get a job and hopefully get into an online college. I have looked at a couple different colleges that offer an online bachelor’s degree in psychology. UW-Superior and UW-Stout are the two I have looked at most. The only thing I worry about is cost, but financial aid will hopefully help. 

Share one of your fondest memories from your time in the School District of Janesville. One of my fondest memories is when I went through a loss of a close friend and I had many teachers who were willing to comfort me. I felt safe. The teachers made sure to talk me through calming down when I started crying, and it made me feel a lot more close with the teachers that helped me.

Which educational opportunities do you feel you got the most out of at ARISE Virtual Academy? Because it is an online academy, I can sit down one-on-one with teachers, which makes school less stressful for me.

If you could go back and change one thing about your high school experience, what would it be? Going to more school activities. I wish I would have gone to more school dances and met friends, and I wish I would have gone on some of the field trips, as well.

Share a piece of advice you received from a School District of Janesville staff member that has stuck with you. (High School Electives Coordinator) Mrs. (Denise) Wimann has only given me encouragement to keep pushing myself. She has always told me I can do it, and I think that’s what has stuck with me the most.

Do you have any advice to share with incoming freshmen? Go to class, even if it’s just to chat with the teachers. The teachers are always willing to help. They will explain anything, and if you just need to talk, they will sit down and just chat with you. It helps you grow closer to them.

What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment at ARISE? I honestly think my greatest accomplishment is just growing and learning. I didn’t do much traditional school for high school My freshman year, COVID was still existing, so I was online. Sophomore year, I went to a traditional high school and didn’t like it. The teachers were nice, the classes weren’t bad, but I just didn’t like being in a public environment all day without a choice. It was like I felt stuck, so my mom let me try online junior year and it was an amazing choice.

What was the greatest challenge you faced in getting to graduation, and how did you overcome it? The greatest challenge I faced was struggling with math in my first semester. I tried doing pre-calculus the first semester of my senior year, but between our past teaching and the level of the class, I wasn’t able to continue with the course and dropped out second semester.

What have you learned about yourself as a person over the past four years? I’ve changed my mind on careers all throughout high school, but I learned that no matter what I do, my main goal is to help other individuals who need help.

Where do you hope to be in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? In 5 years, I hope to be getting into a counseling job, still living with my family and my boyfriend. In 10 and 20 years, I don’t know where I’ll be, but I know that life’s got a plan, and I’m here for the ride.

ARISE Virtual Academy Class of 2023!

KEAGAN JOYCE

SDJ educational pathway: Milton East/Milton Harmony Northside Intermediate School, Milton Middle School, ARISE Virtual Academy.

Immediate plans for the future: Enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Pursue a degree in nursing.

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What are your goals after graduation, and what plans do you have in place to reach those goals? To serve my country and continue to help people afterward through nursing. I believe nursing is an amazing career choice to go into because not only can I learn those skills while being in the military but they will also pay for my schooling.

Share one of your fondest memories from your time in the School District of Janesville. I think the fondest moment I’ve had in the district was realizing how much the staff truly cares about students. From Day 1 of being in the Janesville School District, every teacher or principal I have had has always been helpful in school and out of school in his or her own way.

Which educational opportunities do you feel you got the most out of at ARISE? The ability to learn without relying on constant help, and being able to figure things out on your own while having a helping hand, if needed. I truly believe being able to do it on my own and read the instructions without just listening helped me to grasp concepts I wouldn’t have with traditional teaching.

If you could go back and change one thing about your high school experience, what would it be? If I could change one thing it would be that I didn’t go to any sporting events. I missed out on seeing friends play sports and enjoying time with other people.

Share a piece of advice you received from a School District of Janesville staff member that has stuck with you. To not give up what I truly want to do because, even if I fail, I can always retry. I think this has stuck with me the most because of how high my expectations are for myself. Being told this helped me realize that, even if I fail, I can always pick myself back up and try again.

Do you have any advice to share with incoming freshmen? Focus on time management, don’t be afraid to ask questions and make sure to take amazing notes! Notes are a great way for not only students to study but for teachers to grasp what students understand and where they might be struggling.

What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment at ARISE? I believe my biggest accomplishment is graduating, because online school with minimal help is something that not many people can accomplish. Everyone learns differently, and not everyone can grasp the same information as easily. To me, being able to go through the diverse coursework and have no major issues is truly an accomplishment.

What was the greatest challenge you faced in getting to graduation, and how did you overcome it? Time management, putting enough time aside to complete each assignment, test, quiz or even studying is hard to estimate. Some days require more than others. I took classes at ARISE that helped me to understand strategies on this and find the best ways to manage my time.

What have you learned about yourself as a person over the past four years? I have learned I hate to quit. I really struggle with stopping a specific task to start a new one or view a new objective, so I keep pushing rather than stopping and focusing on what I should be focused on.

Where do you hope to be in five years? Ten years? Twenty years? In five years, I hope to still be in the military, if not in nursing school. In 10 years, I hope to be done with my bachelor’s in nursing and be a nurse practitioner. In 20 years, I hope to have a doctorate in nursing if I’m not retired!

ARISE Virtual Academy Class of 2022!

Call it fate, or call it a blessing.

Six years ago, Emily Sommerfeldt was preparing to make the transition from Washington Elementary School to Franklin Middle School. Though the elementary-to-middle school transition is nerve-racking for most kids, it was particularly daunting for Emily. 

For as long as she could remember, she has struggled with severe anxiety. Once, in an effort to help Emily through her panic, her elementary school principal went so far as picking her up at home.

But when Franklin’s orientation and picture day rolled around, Emily found she just couldn’t deal with the stress.

“My mom had to go for me,” she said.

While Emily’s mom was exploring Franklin, she discovered ARISE Virtual Academy, the School District of Janesville’s online education option. The offices and classroom for ARISE are housed at Franklin.

Students at ARISE sometimes meet with teachers at the school or just come in to be with their peers in a place that feels safe.

Emily admits it was a break for her mom, too.

“She was having a pretty hard time with my anxiety, as well,” Emily said. “When she found ARISE, I felt relieved there was another option for me.”

Just because Emily was learning online didn’t mean she didn’t make meaningful connections. For instance, a former counselor checked in with her several times a week.

“She was very much a listener. She was very personable,” Emily said. “I didn’t necessarily feel like I was talking to a counselor when I was talking to her.”

ARISE teacher Robert Schraedley also taught Emily math and photography. He would have her come into the classroom once a week to make sure she had a grip on her math courses.

Perhaps most important, he gave her valuable feedback on her photographic work.

“Not a lot of teachers give too much feedback if you get a decent grade,” Emily said. “But he would always make sure to put in his two cents. He’d talk about his own experiences, too.”

Emily’s English teacher, Stephanie Davis, was always willing to help, too. Emily said Davis regularly answered questions that went beyond English assignments – such as advice about college.

Emily said she plans to continue her education in an online format. She has applied to six different schools but has not yet made a decision. She intends to pursue a career in graphic design and envisions herself working both from home and in an office.

“I’d like to work with clients online and create designs and art that fit them,” she said.

Emily said ARISE gave her the chance to see how much work can be done--and how many connections can be made—in the online world.

Finding the school might have been fate or just a lucky chance. But for Emily, it was a blessing that has allowed her to succeed.