West Virginia Virtual Academy image.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Virtual Academy has named a new principal.
Cheryl Stahl, who previously worked as a teacher at Parkersburg High School, will fill the role also known as academic administrator for the upcoming school year.
The newly-established virtual charter school is currently enrolling students in grades K-10 with the goal of expanding enrollment to grades 11 and 12 in the coming years.
The academy is still looking to hire staff for this fall, Stahle said on “580 Live” heard on MetroNews flagship station 580-WCHS in Charleston.
“We still need two teachers. We need a secondary science teacher and we need one other secondary teacher, but what’s nice about being part of this larger Stride organizations is we have access to teachers,” Stahle said.
The curriculum is provided by Stride, Inc. with the goal of offering students of all ages an effective way to learn and build their skills for the future.
Doug Cipoletti oversees the academy as the executive director. He was also a guest on Tuesday’s “580 Live” and said it’s a free public school.
“There’s no tuition. There’s no charge. We simply provide the same education that they can get down the road. We just provide that virtually,” Cipoletti said.
The reason for that, Cipoletti said, is that in-person classes aren’t for everyone. He said it’s important to provide options amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Some socialization may not be positive for students. It may not be what’s in their comfort zone. We have many different reasons as to why a student would want to enroll in a virtual school,” he said.
West Virginia Virtual Academy and a second virtual charter school, Virtual Preparatory Academy of West Virginia, have been authorized by the West Virginia Professional Charter Schools Board.
The board also approved three physical charter schools last year including the Nitro Preparatory Academy in Kanawha County, the Panhandle Preparatory Academy in Jefferson County and the West Virginia Academy in Monongalia County.
The state Legislature passed a law in 2019 allowing the creation of charter schools in West Virginia.