Student of the Month 13-year-old honor student Janis Bady shares her experience at Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School and beyond.
How is PALCS different from other public schools? It’s an online, cyber school. I can pull up their website and log in under my username to take all my lessons online. My dashboard shows me my courses, any announcements, and my calendar. My calendar shows me all the lessons, along with what we will learn next. In addition to the online component, you can apply to join the Center for Performing and Fine Arts. CPFA is an on-sight school where students can take theater, music, and art. I am in the CPFA program.
Can you focus on just one of the genres? Students can take up to three classes of the same genre, but the fourth class has to be different, to expand our knowledge within the arts. My main focus is dance. Middle school has integrated arts, that focuses on a different topic each year. This year, we are learning about how African Americans contributed and influenced music, art, theater and dance.
What happens if you don’t understand a lesson? How would you seek help? PALCS has certified teachers that work there. They have office hours, homework help, and tutoring available through their online classrooms.
How are you doing in school? Pretty Good. I’ve been on the honor roll since my first year here. I started in first grade, and I’m in seventh grade now.
What do you like most about PALCS? My favorite part is the flexibility of it. I don’t have to set time aside, where I have to be doing school. I also like that we have the option to go back and retake any of the lessons. In public school, you take a quiz, and it’s one and done. With PALCS, you have two attempts where you can go back through the textbook to get a better understanding, and then retake the quiz for a better score. You have the chance to master the material.
Do you dance outside of the CPFA? For six years, I’ve been dancing at Balance Dance Center in Exton. I’ve been there since they first opened up. Miss Michelle Leininger was one of my first teachers. She is also the owner and director of the studio.
How many hours do you spend at Balance Dance Center? I’m there for about 12-14 hours a week. I take ballet, lyrical and hip hop classes, but I’m also in two different groups called the BDC Junior Company and 1 Luv Hip Hop Crew. Between taking all the classes and regular rehearsal, it can add up. Dance teaches you more than just how to move your body; it teaches you real life lessons, and discipline as well.
What is your biggest accomplishment? I had the opportunity to audition for the Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive in New York. I am honored to be one of about 200 accepted into this program out of the 600 dancers around the country who auditioned. I remember feeling so overwhelmed the whole time, worrying if I was good enough to even audition. Getting accepted was a dream come true.
