Worldschooling with Laurel Springs: Student Spotlight on Olivia Franse

It can be a challenge to keep up with school if your family moves around a lot. Olivia “Livvi” Franse is an Upper School student at Laurel Springs, and she has made her home in a number of different places, including South Carolina, North Carolina, and St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. These days, Livvi and her family split their time between Florida and Belize. While she attended schools in St. Croix and North Carolina, Livvi has been a virtual school student at Laurel Springs for eight years. 

Staying Organized While Worldschooling

How does worldschooling work for students who want to stay on track in school? “I hear this question a lot, and I tell everyone that it’s key to make a schedule.” The Learning Management System (LMS) allows Livvi to make a customized schedule for herself. “I do my coursework by block scheduling. For example, I do a week’s worth of English on Monday,” she explained. “I like to sit down and focus on one thing—I don’t like to change gears every hour.”
“Laurel Springs works better for me because I travel, and I can’t be at a school if we are in Belize,” Livvi said. The Franse family is renovating a small resort in Belize, and they travel there periodically from their farm in rural Florida. 

Making Connections

Livvi thought about her years in an online school while traveling, and said, “It’s an amazing experience that I would not trade for anything. In this day and age, it’s easy to meet people through clubs, iClasses, and LSS Connect,” which is an online meeting space for online school students at Laurel Springs.
What’s more, worldschooling students at Laurel Springs find ways to connect with each other, despite their travel schedules and the distance. “I have friends all over the place—I even have a boyfriend who lives in New Hampshire! One of my friends, who lives in Panama, came to my house for Christmas Eve dinner with her family,” Livvi related. “Other than Antarctica, I have friends from every continent.”
How does socialization in an online high school work for a student like Livvi? In addition to being engaged in local volunteer activities like Teen Court, Livvi is involved in the debate club and Model United Nations at Laurel Springs. “I’m currently representing Croatia and am on the Disarmament and International Security Committee, and I will be going to two Model UN conferences this year, including the big one in New York City with Laurel Springs.”

A Look Ahead for Livvi

Livvi, whose two older brothers both graduated from Laurel Springs, is gearing up for college applications with help from her college counselor. They discuss course selection and have made an academic plan that matches Livvi’s goals for college and career, which may include law school at some point. “I absolutely—100%—think I am getting the preparation I need from Laurel Springs to go to college.”
If your family’s lifestyle involves multiple time zones, but you want your child to have a rigorous online college prep school education, Laurel Springs could be the perfect solution. Our caring, helpful admissions coordinators understand the challenges of worldschooling, and they’re ready to answer your questions. We encourage you to reach out to your Laurel Springs representative or the admissions office to learn more about our accredited online school.