TWIGGS COUNTY, Ga. — With the pandemic came high interest in online schooling, and Twiggs County is making sure the success of its students who chose to learn outside of the classroom don't go unnoticed.
The 2021-22 school year was Twiggs' first year of having a designated online academy. For one rising sophomore, surgery kept him out of the classroom, but online learning kept him in school even though he wasn't sitting in the building.
"Well I had to go to online schooling because I had a thing called Chiari malformation and I had to have brain surgery at the beginning of the school year. So I just started to go online and since then I've really liked it," said Michael Bennett.
After going through surgery, Bennett was one of several students honored by Twiggs County for keeping their grades up. It's an accomplishment he and his parents are proud of, especially after everything he went through.
"You couldn't ask for a greater kid than what he is. I'm totally proud of him. I couldn't be any more prouder," said Michael's father.
With online schooling becoming more popular, some kids may go unrecognized by their district for their achievements outside of the classroom.
Shiona Drummer, the director of personalized learning for Twiggs County, wanted to make sure the district's students didn't fall through the cracks.
"With this being our first year of offering the online academy, there were some things that we realized needed to take place, and making sure our virtual students were acknowledged was one," said Drummer.
The recognition is something Bennett is proud of. He says he likes online schooling because of the freedom it allows him to learn at his own pace, plus he says it helped him get back to his studies more quickly.
"If they didn't have online school, I would probably be out for a longer time period," said Bennett.
Doctors had to remove a portion of his skull and spine. Despite the surgery, he kept his grades up and he's now fully recovered.
Twiggs County will offer online school as an option for students in the upcoming school year.