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No fence too high

Lauren Morina knew her love of horses was forever. But how to balance that with school? Distance learning, of course.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published January 19, 2007

But forever was no simple thing. Grooming, riding and showing horses is time consuming - some shows go on for weeks out of town. And the sport's cost is huge: The proper boots pull in as much as $400, and a good horse commands well over $10,000.

Much of the decision hinged on schooling. Could Morina, who lives in Original Carrollwood, complete classes at Chamberlain High while traveling? Could her parents, who had no desire to homeschool their eldest daughter, afford a private tutor or correspondence school?

The answers were no, and no. Her dream looked about to be denied.

Then the Morinas discovered Blake High School's accelerated learning magnet program, an offshoot of Florida Virtual School. Students take their courses online, meeting with teachers by phone much more frequently than in person.

Growing in popularity, Florida Virtual is one of the country's two largest online programs, serving 31,000 students during the 2005-06 school year. Nationally, research groups estimate more than 500,000 teens took online high school courses in 2005.

The "e-learning" idea has gained traction to give teens access to content they otherwise might not learn. Reports show that nearly 90 percent of teens use the Internet, and a vast majority believes the Internet helps them do better in school.

Morina didn't consider herself much of a techie - she favors paper and pen over her laptop, never started a blog or personal Web site despite all her time on the computer. But the Internet-based program seemed like the ticket to her goal.

"I never thought in a million years my parents would go for it," Morina said.

If it weren't free, they probably wouldn't have, admitted her mom, Deborah Morina. But after some investigation and family talks, they took the plunge.

"I told her, 'I don't want you someday to look back and regret not having the prom, the football games,' " and other activities, Mrs. Morina recalled. "She said, 'Mom, what I'll regret is not having the opportunity to see what I can accomplish.' That was it."

Off Morina went to the world of horses. She worked full time for Kingsmeade Farm in Lutz, trading her services for the chance to show. Sometimes she would spend weeks away from home, tending horses all day and then dashing off after dinner to someplace with Internet access to take her classes.

At first, it was a struggle. Morina had technical problems, like a test freezing up three-quarters of the way in. She had scheduling problems, too. The first year, Kingsmeade Farm owner Clair Kellner remembered, Morina saw assignments stack up to where she almost couldn't catch up.

Morina figured out how to pace herself and manage her time.

She endured some trial and error. She wasn't accustomed to leaving a voice mail for a teacher and waiting for the phone to ring with an answer, for instance. She wasn't always organized.

She disciplined herself and did well, earning a partial Bright Futures scholarship and gaining admittance to four colleges. Along the way, she picked up a prestigious Sportsmanship Award from the Central Florida horse show.

Morina cautioned that online classes, though a perfect fit for her, might not be for everyone.

"It's not the same as being in a classroom with a teacher," she said. "You can get behind so fast, and once that happens, getting caught up can be really difficult. ... A lot of people do it for a while and realize it doesn't fit with the way they work."

That's part of the reason the sometimes troubled Blake accelerated program has remained small. Initially, officials had expected it to lure 600 students, but enrollment has hovered closer to 100.

About two years ago, the School Board contemplated closing the venture amid complaints that teachers weren't readily available to students and that not enough students were signed up to make it viable.

Now, the district is exploring its options for a targeted program that helps students who work or who want to take extra credits. An entire virtual high school is in the talking stages, though at least a few School Board members are skeptical.

"It did have a rough start," said Susan King, who oversees magnet schools. "We think we have a handle on it now."

The Morinas endured the program changes, which included a switch in leadership and frequent alteration of classroom meeting requirements. As Deborah Morina noted, if her daughter hadn't been responsible enough, she'd have been back at Chamberlain, love of horses or no.

"I did not look over her shoulder and micromanage at all," she said. "It's been completely up to her."

Morina loved the challenge, and she loves that her parents gave her the chance. With just two classes remaining, she said she wouldn't change a thing.

"They've been awesome about making my own decisions and mistakes and learning from them," she said. "It worked out great. I couldn't have had a better situation."

Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at solochek@sptimes.com.

Lauren Morina still remembers the day she fell in love with horses. She was 8, just quitting gymnastics and seeking a different sport. A friend's sister talked about horseback riding. Morina was intrigued and got her parents to enroll her in riding lessons. Maybe it was the thrill of being around the big animals. Maybe it was the atmosphere of the barn. Maybe it was the prospect of jumping and racing. "I knew I wanted to do it forever," says Morina, now 18 and preparing for college, most likely at the University of Tampa.

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[Last modified January 18, 2007, 07:58:31]