(La Porte, IN) - La Porte High School students are receiving extra help with their academics.

 

The Virtual Learning Academy provides La Porte High School students experiencing significant academic and personal challenges the opportunity to reset their life trajectory toward achieving success.

 

Most recently, the Youth Assistance Program (YAP) has been added to work in conjunction with the VLA to support each student and provide the resources and sounding board to monitor goal attainment, make necessary adjustments, and encourage students as they work toward their goals, officials said.

 

Additionally, the Youth Assistance Program provides workshops on topics like drug prevention, finance, employment skill-building, and life skills pertinent to successfully transitioning into young adulthood.

 

In terms of success, in the first semester of the 2021-2022 school year, the VLA/YAP served 64 students, including those working toward their diplomas, after failing to graduate during their senior year.

 

In the first semester of this school year, 17 of 19 students who failed to graduate on time completed all required classwork to obtain their diplomas. Another student in the same category graduated before the start of the school year.

 

Officials said the program’s success is made possible by staff, students, parents, and the community as all parties form a network of support that fill the gaps where roadblocks once stood.

 

The Virtual Learning Academy is funded through the Indiana Department of Education under the umbrella of Alternative Education. The Youth Assistance Program is funded by the Indiana Department of Health and the Indiana Youth Service Association.