Laurel Springs provides an online school environment where students can discover their goals for real-life careers—and our industry-focused curriculum helps them prepare.
One student who is taking full advantage of all Laurel Springs has to offer is Madison Caputo, an Upper School student who began thinking about a career in law when she took a philosophy course during her first year at LSS. “I really connected with the course material…I remember looking at my laptop and thinking, ‘oh my gosh, I’m going to be a lawyer!’”
A Study on Staff
While offering engaging courses is key, backing up the instruction with knowledgeable and supportive staff is paramount.
“I [took] AP U.S. History, and I really struggled in the beginning with the written assignments,” Madi recalled. “I met with my teacher, and he helped me connect individual assigned readings to the writing prompts, which was much easier than trying to connect a big bulk of four chapters of reading to a single written assignment.”
Madison was able to have ongoing conversations with her teachers about course topics and how they were connected to the law, and it wasn’t long before she decided to follow an academic journey towards Criminal Justice and Law. “I believe that this will help me when I get to law school, because history is such a big piece of law school, and the guidance my teacher is giving me now will help me a lot in the future.”
Real-Life Law & Order
In addition to taking challenging courses that relate to her personal interests, Madi is actively involved in extracurricular pursuits that will prepare her for a career as an attorney.
“I’ve been involved with teen court here in Texas since my sophomore year, and the experience further convinced me that I want to go into law,” she said. “I go every single Monday, and work as a prosecutor or a defender depending on the case.” Teen court is a nonprofit organization that helps reduce juvenile crime by diverting cases with teenaged defendants to a peer-based court arrangement. Madi has interacted with actual attorneys as part of her volunteer work, and has learned a lot more about courtroom proceedings.
Madi has found other ways to feed her interest in law, as part of the online student clubs and organizations at Laurel Springs. She’s in the debate club, Model United Nations, and student government. Madi also served as the social media page manager for LSS Connect, a private online space where Laurel Springs students in grades 7–12 hang out and share common interests. “Clubs are one way for me to find community, and I have made what I consider to be really good friends. We text every single day, and we call and FaceTime with each other.”
Laurel Springs combines the best of both worlds for students like Madi—a flexible approach to online high school and extracurricular opportunities, as well as rigorous courses that prepare students for college and their desired career. Ready to learn more about Laurel Springs’ curated curriculum pathways? It could become the start of a rewarding journey for any student.
