Congratulations to Our Back-to-Virtual-School Photo Contest Winner

We’d like to thank the 177 families who entered Candid Connections, Connections Academy’s very first back-to-virtual-school photo contest. It was fantastic to see so many of your smiling faces—and to find out what kind of people, places, and things you are excited about learning with this school year!

The winning photograph was selected for uniqueness, creativity, and quality, and with so many great submissions, it was an extremely difficult decision. We’re pleased to award first place to Jennie Reilly and her daughter, Sarah, a sixth-grader at South Carolina Connections Academy. The Reilly family, who live in Yemassee, South Carolina, will soon be enjoying their new wireless tablet—perfect for virtual school and learning on the go!

The Reilly family’s photo shows Sarah, a virtual school student since second grade, studying while seated on her horse! Their creative caption read, “Where else can you have a desk like this?” Sarah obviously enjoys attending virtual school to obtain an excellent education from home, while having a schedule flexible enough to give her plenty of time for horseback riding!

Jennie Reilly tells us that Sarah’s horse, a retired thoroughbred named Dutch Creek, is a great-grandson of Secretariat, the famed U.S. Triple Crown champion. Despite his impressive pedigree, Dutch Creek was in poor condition and headed for the slaughterhouse when the Reillys rescued him. Now that the Reilly family has lovingly nursed the horse back to health, Sarah hopes to show him and aspires to ride him in the Olympics.

Sarah’s contest entry and others submitted by families throughout the United States show that virtual school students love having the freedom to learn in nontraditional locations, to pursue their personal interests, to enjoy the company of parents, siblings, and pets, and to relax and be themselves. Enjoy the slideshow below to view Sarah’s winning photo and a sampling of other creative entries, and to see how some students will be learning with virtual school this year!

Eager for more? The rest of our imaginative photo contest entries can be viewed in this Pinterest album, so take a look—and be sure to “follow” us there for lots of fun and inspirational learning ideas!

What people, places, and things make virtual schooling special and exciting for you? Share your ideas—and tell us which are your favorite contest entries in the comments below.