Online Classes

St. Mary’s High School is very pleased to offer our students the opportunity to take courses through the Virtual High School (VHS). VHS offers a wide array of courses at all levels. With over 300 options, it is a great opportunity to pursue interests and take electives you may not normally have the opportunity to take or to take a required course that can’t fit into your schedule. VHS courses are designed to be supplemental to courses offered at St. Mary’s High School. Students can only choose VHS courses if they are aligned with the student’s interests and future goals, and cannot be courses that are already offered at St. Mary’s High School.

We are committed to offering the opportunity for students to take 1 VHS class, either a full year, or a half year course, which will be covered in your St. Mary’s tuition cost. If a student chooses to take more than one VHS class in a school year, the family will be financially responsible for the cost of the class. Also, if a student registers for a VHS class and either withdraws or fails the class, the family will be financially responsible for that class.

Online classes require a great deal of student independence and willingness to learn without a physical teacher present. The VHS curriculum utilizes web-based videos, in-depth readings, interactive games, group projects with online classmates, and other methods. Students are required to communicate with classmates and teachers through online discussion boards and blogs. Most classwork is written and submitted online.

To be successful, the student should have a strong interest in the course they are taking; be extremely self disciplined and self-motivated; and be able to take full responsibility for their own time management. If you fall behind, you may find yourself with a whole weekend of work. VHS has a very strict late work policy: 10% off for the first week; 20% for the second week and then nothing accepted after two weeks. Falling behind is not acceptable.