• 800-377-5890
  • Student & Parent Login
  • Request Academic Records
  • Request Information
  • Apply Now
  • Live Chat
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

Laurel Springs School

  • About Our School
    • Accredited Online School
    • Why Laurel Springs
    • Why Online School
    • Leadership Team
    • News and Events
    • Who We Serve
    • Military Families
    • Student & Parent Reviews
    • Laurel Springs Alumni
  • How It Works
    • Laurel Springs’ Approach to Online Schooling
    • Academic Planning
    • Onboarding
    • Our Online School Technology Requirements
    • Virtual Open Houses
    • Parent Resources
  • Academics
    • Lower School
    • Middle School
    • Upper School
      • Upper School Curriculum
      • School Counseling
      • Graduation Requirements
      • College Acceptance
      • Career Pathways
    • The Academy
    • Postgraduate Program
    • Dual Enrollment
    • Single Course Offerings
    • Summer Program
    • School Profile
    • Partnerships
      • How Partnerships Work
      • Curriculum
      • Enrollment Options
      • Solutions
      • Partner Testimonials
      • Request Consultation
  • Student Life
    • Student Stories
    • Online Socialization
    • Student Bloggers
    • In Person Events
    • Guest Speakers
    • School Store
  • Admissions
    • Admissions Process
    • Tuition
    • Contact Laurel Springs School
    • Application for Laurel Springs School
    • Enroll in a Single Course Today
    • Policies & Refunds
  • Student & Parent Login
  • Request Academic Records
  • Request Information
  • Apply Now

Student Stories

Home » Student Stories » Fiona Burkard

Fiona Burkard

10th Grade

Fiona-BurkardOne of the advantages online education provides students is the flexibility to pursue their passions outside of school. Laurel Springs’ student, Fiona Burkard, has taken advantage of this flexibility by pursuing her passions as an equestrian. Fiona began riding horses and taking lessons at age 5, and in the past few years, has begun training more progressively for competitions.

In addition to competing, Fiona’s passion for horse riding has led her to pursue volunteer opportunities with foster horses. At the barn she trains at, they foster and rescue horses, and give them a new start in the competitive field. She helps provide rehabilitation to the horses and offers them “lots of love.” Fiona says, “Even though I am not directly working with all of the rescue horses, every kid at the barn does a small part by providing the horses with an atmosphere where they are loved and taken care of.” This opportunity has taught Fiona the importance of knowing what to look for in horses to determine if they can be rehabbed successfully and compete again.

Fiona’s volunteer work does not end with the rescue horses. Each year, an oncologist from the Strong Hospital invites his pediatric patients, friends, and their families to his house for a day of fun. This is the third year that Fiona has volunteered at this event by providing horse and pony rides to the children. She spends the entire day teaching them basic information and skills relating to horses. Since horses are flight animals, the children are taught about how to be careful and the skills needed to be a true “horseman.” During the pony rides, Fiona and some of the other volunteers dress up as Disney characters and take pictures with the children.
One of Fiona’s major accomplishments has been the opportunity to work with renowned three-time Olympian, Michael Paige. After taking a clinic with Mr. Paige, Fiona and two other riders were invited to personally train with him. Every four months, Fiona travels to the boarding school stables where he is the head trainer. She feels extremely honored to spend this time with Mr. Paige, since not many riders have the opportunity to do so.

As for her future plans, Fiona knows that she wants to be an equestrian for the rest of her life. Her goals consist of becoming a better rider and improving herself for the future. Since life as an equestrian requires a lot of daytime training, Fiona is grateful for the opportunity to receive an education that allows her this flexibility:

Attending Laurel Springs Gifted & Talented Academy has allowed me to take the time to pursue the equestrian field. I had the opportunity to live down in Florida for a month and experience the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, an international horse show. I have been taking four lessons a week, during normal school hours, with two different trainers. With my educational freedom, I have been able to take clinics and go on field trips in my field to improve. My academic goals are achievable, because I am still able to devote a large amount of time for my schoolwork before and after going to my equestrian training.”

Fiona’s advice for fellow Laurel Springs’ students is to utilize the freedom to complete assignments and get ahead with coursework when time allows. This creates the opportunity to use the extra time to pursue personal hobbies. Fiona states, “I wish everyone had the opportunity to follow their interests and still be given the opportunity of a highly competitive education.”

Fiona is a shining example of what can be accomplished when you pursue your dreams. We are so proud of Fiona’s hard work, excellent time management, and caring nature shown through her volunteerism. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for her!

Connor Couture 11th Grade
Brett Cooper 10th Grade
Erin Smith 12th Grade
Vinayak Graves 7th Grade
Lara Johannson 9th Grade
Steele Johnson 11th Grade
Taylor Rivera 8th Grade
Fiona Burkard 10th Grade
Constance Owl 10th Grade
Samantha Gray 12th Grade
Olivia Pan 12th Grade
Maddy Duffy 12th Grade
Keenan Cochrane 12th Grade
Aydin Martin 12th Grade
Hayley Hodson 12th Grade
William Woodall 8th Grade
Andrew Moses 8th Grade
Doran Reed 10th Grade
Georgia Kossoff 11th Grade
C. Emerson Chambers II 10th Grade
Bradley Peters 11th Grade
Megan Smith 10th Grade
Evi Smith 6th Grade
Clare Lewis 12th Grade
Ian Watt 12th Grade
Gretchen Hohmeyer 11th Grade
Eliot Mignot Hodges 11th Grade
Kai Fugami 8th Grade
Caitlin Ziegler 11th Grade
Skylar Morton 12th Grade
Emma Slappey 9th Grade

Helpful Links
  • How It Works
  • Academics
  • Student Life
  • Tuition
  • Blog
  • Course Catalog
  • Partnerships
  • Family Support Center
  • Careers
  • Summer Catalog
Apply Now Contact Us
Call us at 800-377-5890 1615 West Chester Pike West Chester PA 19382
© 2021 Laurel Springs School: Accredited Online Private School. All Rights Reserved Footer Links
  • |Careers
  • |Privacy Policy
  • |Non-Discrimination Policy
  • |Notice of Certain Marketing Practices
  • |Terms of Use

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

Read our Privacy Policy.

Laurel Springs School
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.