Off the smooth-winding highways in North Louisiana, the Bordelon family lives. The family of five lives in the backwoods, and to them it’s home. They’ve found a fitting educational home at University View Academy as well. The benefits are immense, and there have been challenges, but through and through it’s been the right choice for the Bordelons.
It all started with David, the eldest son, in 2019. Allisha Bordelon was looking for a school for her children to land at after homeschooling them their entire lives. After discussing with some family friends who had made the same move from homeschooling to online school, Allisha discovered UVA, formerly known as Connections Academy.
“The reason we chose to do online public school for our children during high school is because I’ve always told them you need to get to a position in your life where you need to have accountability to someone other than your parents,” Allisha said.
David has since graduated from UVA and has a job as a pharmacy technician, and the Bordelons currently have two daughters in high school at UVA. Hannah, a junior, and Grace, a freshman, both complete their schoolwork in the same learning room nestled towards the back of their house.
Hannah has come into her own as a student at UVA. It was a move she had to feel out at first, but after a couple of years in the virtual environment, she loves it.
“I’ve become more social (since joining UVA),” Hannah noted. “At first I was very shy, I didn’t want to talk to anybody. But after I started at UVA, I began answering lots of questions. I was able to talk with my classmates and teachers and my shyness slowly faded away.”
The youngest of three, Grace is in year two at UVA. Her growth has been aided by experiences that David and Hannah went through, but she’s still learning at her own pace.
“I think it’s important to be confident because you’re not going to understand everything,” Grace has learned. “Knowing that you have people you can turn to really helps. If you had to do it by yourself it would be extremely hard, but having the teachers, having my parents, and having my siblings have helped.”
The schooling all takes place in a former bedroom that the Bordelons have turned into a comforting learning environment. Grace and Hannah sit no less than 10 feet apart from each other at opposite ends of a desk with their UVA-supplied materials and laptops.
“This room, it’s quiet,” Hannah noted. “This room is really important to me. It’s a good spot to complete my schoolwork and studies. It allows me to focus.”
A myriad of memories hang on the wall as well. Artwork from years past, stickers from summer trips, and childhood photos are dispersed across the room.
“All the things we have in here, these are all memories from the past and it makes the room a happy place,” Hannah reminisced. “So many of these items are things we can look at and remember where we were, what we were doing, and who we were with.”
Both sisters have a passion for the arts. Whether it be drawing, writing, reading, painting, or playing the piano, being creative allows them to express themselves.
“I really want to be an author,” Grace said. “I enjoy all sorts of writing – like novel writing or comic book writing. I like to take my interests and put them into words.”
“When you have an imagination, you have to put it somewhere,” Hannah remarked. “So, when you’re creative, you’re able to put your ideas into a drawing or writing, and it’s fun. I can look at things I’ve done and say to myself, ‘I made this and I’m proud of it.’”
A normal day for the Bordelons begins anywhere from 8 to 9 a.m. with breakfast and cartoons mixed in to start the day. Schoolwork commences right after that and carries on throughout the day.
“I think my favorite thing about being a student at UVA is the flexibility of it,” Grace said. “Sometimes I overwork myself because I want to get my work done. But it’s nice that you have nine-week grading periods to complete your assignments.”
UVA allows the Bordelons to be free and pursue their passions. From the laptops, learning materials, access to teachers, and more, the Bordelons are happy to have found their fit at UVA.
“I’m grateful that UVA sends the resources and materials the students need,” Allisha noted. “They love their laptops. They become very personal to them.
“Having multiple children at UVA, we couldn’t buy each of them an individual laptop. So to have that option available (free laptops), it’s really a blessing to us.”
Peer-to-peer connections and the ability to communicate directly with teachers are a big plus too.
“I like being a student at UVA,” Hannah mentioned. “Because I’m with other kids, and I have teachers who are willing to talk to me. When I interact with my classmates and teachers it feels natural.
“It’s very important for me to have connections with my teachers. They want each and every one of us to succeed. That’s important to me because I feel seen, and they understand that I need help sometimes.”
The Bordelons are one of many families that benefit from the offerings that UVA provides – existing to understand, engage, and empower each unique student for a career, for college, and beyond.