REIMAGINE: PLEASANTON VIRTUAL ACADEMY
Sixth grader Rainbow Lin was homeschooled her entire life. But when her family moved to Pleasanton, they wanted to find a way to connect with the community while keeping the flexibility that homeschooling gave them. That’s when they decided to enroll Rainbow and her brother Da-Ni into the Pleasanton Virtual Academy, or PVA as it is known by students. PVA, Pleasanton Unified’s newest educational option, allows students to learn from home, in- person and online, taught by the District’s world class educators.
advisor Lisa Highfill on what they call “writing lessons,” she has been able to condense them down to less than 5 minutes, better summarizing the story and holding the audience’s attention. Rainbow has also learned the importance of understanding who her “customer” is and delivering a final product that has value to them. She tries to ask video participants questions that elicit responses that don’t just give an answer, but effectively show the exciting things going on at PVA. “It’s not about me and not just about Rainbow,” Mrs. Highfill said. “It’s about the audience.” Rainbow has many goals for the Video Club’s future. For now, though, she is working on a website to showcase her work exhibiting what a special place PVA is.
“PVA is where imagination and creativity starts”
Because the school is so new, students have had the unique opportunity of creating the overall school culture. They have gotten to choose the
school’s mascot (a phoenix), form school spirit and even organize clubs surrounding topics they’re interested in. “PVA is where imagination and creativity starts,” Rainbow said. Rainbow’s passion for storytelling led her to create the school’s Video Club. By
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filming and editing short videos, she is able to visually share PVA with those who may be unable to attend in-person events or aren’t aware of what the school has to offer. In past videos, she has showcased the school’s Fall Festival, vlogged pumpkin patch and hiking field trips, and shared tours of her and her classmates’ desks. “I can be a reporter for these events and share stories for people who can’t go,” Rainbow said. As a reporter and editor for the Video Club, Rainbow has learned a lot about storytelling. Her first projects were nearly 20 minutes long, but after working with PVA teacher and club
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