Wayne County Virtual School is Perfect Fit for Many Students

When you think of the term “public school,” you probably think of the schools we have here in Wayne County – Waynesboro’s High, Middle, and Elementary Schools, Collinwood’s High, Middle and Elementary Schools, and Frank Hughes School. But did you know there’s another public school in our county? The Wayne County Virtual School, which has its home base in Waynesboro, is a remote learning program that is available to all Wayne County students in grades 5 through 12.

Students in Wayne County have three options for their education: attending in person at the school in their zone, based on residence; homeschool, using an approved curriculum; or virtual school. Wayne County Virtual School (WCVS) came into existence in the fall of 2020, just as the COVID pandemic was shutting everything down, including schools, all across the country. WCVS Director LaDonna Edwards, who was already the Special Education Director at that time, worked with the Board of Education to develop the virtual school program for quite awhile before it was finally implemented.

“Ms. LaDonna,” as her students fondly call her, is truly the backbone of WCVS. That’s not her only title – she has so many, and she performs each role with excellence. Along with being the Virtual School Director, she is also Attendance Supervisor, Juvenile Court Education Liaison, Alternative School Supervisor, Homeschool Supervisor, Homebound Supervisor, and Supervisor of Credit Recovery and Individual Study. LaDonna is one of many Wayne County educators who accepts many roles and does well in all of them. However, she may just hold the record for official titles, accompanied by all she does for Wayne County students in each area she oversees.

Wayne County Virtual School is an educational opportunity that is a great fit for some students. For some, attending school in person may present challenges. These challenges can be a number of different things, but just as everyone has different personalities, goals, and needs, everyone faces different challenges. No matter the reason, some Wayne County students may feel that attending school virtually with online classes is a better option for them. “All they have to do is call me or come see us on registration night,” said Ms. LaDonna. “I am always excited for students who decide to give virtual school a try.”

For the first few years after WCVS started, it served students in grades 7 through 12. After submitting a request to the State for approval, which was ultimately granted, this year will be the first year WCVS will also include grades 5 and 6. Although only two seniors graduated from WCVS in 2021, the first year of the program, last year was a great year of growth with 26 graduating seniors. Ms. LaDonna said there are already 20 students signed up to begin the upcoming fall semester with WCVS, and she expects (and hopes) there will be more signups before school begins.

So, exactly how does virtual school work? Many are under the mistaken impression that anything with the word “virtual” in the title means it’s all on a computer, period. However, that’s not true for virtual school. Yes, the classes offered at WCVC are online. Some classes or lessons are designed for the student to watch online and then complete assignments and tests to be submitted to the online instructor. Some classes are more interactive, with more of a Zoom-type application where students may actually interact with the instructor during class. Again, all classes require assignments to be completed and submitted to the online instructor within a certain time frame.

The great thing about virtual school is that it’s totally student-paced and flexible. At the beginning of the school year, Ms. LaDonna creates a schedule for each student that lists their classes for the upcoming year. WCVS middle school students have the same classes as in-person middle school students, but they are online.

High school students at WCVS really reap the benefits of a more flexible schedule and curriculum. To graduate from virtual school, students must earn the same number of credits from the same classes as in-person students, such as English, math, science, etc. Something that makes virtual school more exciting for students is the variety of elective classes available. Some of the electives available in the upcoming 2025-2026 school year are photography, digital media, career and technology, and more.

While all virtual school classes are online, there is one credit required for graduation that simply needs to be done in person – P.E. (physical education). Ms. LaDonna said that after the virtual school created an outdoor area for their students to utilize for their one required P.E. credit, some students decided they liked it so much, they actually put in more P.E. hours than what is required for their one credit!

“The best thing about virtual school, in my opinion, is the flexibility,” said Ms. LaDonna. “We have students who put in online hours every day at whatever time works best for them. Then there are some students who only put in class hours on certain days of the week, with whatever hours work best. This setup works great for students who have jobs around which they must adjust class time. It also works well for students who are simply more receptive and may learn better with different school hours than what in-person school offers.

Ms. LaDonna’s classroom is located in the Waynesboro Middle School annex, which shares a building with the Wayne County Board of Education. All she has to say is, “It’s in Mrs. Dean Stegall’s old classroom,” and most will know exactly where she is! (The building is the former home of Waynesboro Elementary, which moved to its new location several years ago.)

The WCVS classroom is a frequent gathering place for its students. They can participate in their online classes there if they choose, and Ms. LaDonna is right there to help if they need it. “Some students come in together to do what is basically a group study,” she said. “It can be very beneficial for not only understanding the classwork, but for socialization they miss out on if they do all their classwork at home.”

Something that needs to be considered by any student (and their parents) considering virtual school is the fact that virtual school provides just as great of an education as in-person school. Ms. LaDonna talked about the new curriculum WCVS is introducing this year, and it is certainly just as good, if not better, than in-person school curriculum in our county.

New clubs at WCVS are another exciting venture for Ms. LaDonna and her students this year. One day every week will be Club and Lab Day, and students will be able to join and participate in clubs such as Arts and Crafts, Book Club, Game Club (both online and board games), Fashion and Style Club, and 100-Mile Club (students will walk and log their miles with the goal of reaching 100).

Ms. LaDonna is always talking with her students and tossing around ideas about just what kind of clubs and activities they would be interested in. In addition, WCVS even has its own prom every year, which is very exciting and well received by the students.

Virtual school graduates can’t walk in the graduation ceremonies at any of our other county high schools due to the fact that WCVS is designated as its own separate public school. However, Ms. LaDonna creates a graduation ceremony just for WCVS graduates every year. They get caps and gowns, and they walk across the stage to accept their diplomas from Director of Schools, Dr. Ricky Inman. Although there is no designated Valedictorian or Salutatorian in the virtual school graduating class, any students who wish to speak at the graduation ceremony are given that opportunity.

Ms. LaDonna proudly mentioned that several young mothers and expectant mothers have attended and graduated from WCVS. Virtual school is a great option for young ladies who want to obtain their education while still fulfilling their obligations as new mothers, with some holding down jobs as well. “These girls and their parents already have a big adjustment to make when they welcome a child into their family,” she said. “We want them to know that finishing their high school education is certainly possible, and we help them in any way we can to reach their goals.”

Abigail Davis is Ms. LaDonna’s Administrative Assistant. Abigail was a WCVS student herself a few years ago before ultimately graduating from Wayne County High School. “Abigail does a great job,” said Ms. LaDonna. “She connects with the students on a level I sometimes can’t. She’s been in their shoes, and she sometimes knows how to help them in ways I wouldn’t necessarily even think of. For example, she started the Fashion and Style Club last year. The students loved it! I just let Abigail do her thing, and it worked out to be a lot of fun and great for socialization. We are definitely going to do it again this year.”

One thing is very clear about Wayne County Virtual School - LaDonna Edwards is the heart and soul behind it. She cares about her students’ education, for certain. But she cares about even more than that – she cares about how they feel, what makes them happy, what makes them sad. She cares about their goals and about who they have the potential to become, even when they can’t yet see it themselves.

“Many years ago, I attended a conference for something related to whatever I was teaching or overseeing at that time,” said LaDonna. “I will never forget an older teacher who was one of the conference speakers. She and I were talking one-on-one at some point that week, and she said, ‘LaDonna, you are just too passionate,’ [about my students and teaching]. As much as I thought about that comment, I just couldn’t grasp it the way she intended. How can an educator be too passionate? To this day, I actually feel like that was quite the compliment, even if she didn’t mean for it to be.”

Any students or parents who are interested in learning more about Wayne County Virtual School are invited to attend one of the two remaining informational/registration events. Come to the Virtual School classroom in the Waynesboro Middle School Annex on Tuesday, July 29, from 1pm-7pm, or on Thursday, July 31, from 9am-2pm. You may call 931-722-3548 with any questions, or visit the website https://www.waynetn.net/o/wcvs.