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Virtual charter school holds open house for families

OptimaVRIntro
Posted at 4:46 PM, Apr 10, 2022
and last updated 2022-04-12 07:11:36-04

NAPLES, Fla. — Optima Classical Academy (OCA) will introduce the world's first virtual reality charter school in Naples.

On Saturday, April 9, parents and students were invited to experience a new way of learning that is said to be introduced to thousands of students in August of 2022.

“We’re thrilled to be hosting a showcase at Naples Classical Academy, one of our brick-and-mortar classical school options. Because virtual reality education is a contemporary, unfamiliar school choice option, some parents may be hesitant to embrace it. Our hope is that families in attendance will be able to see the expansiveness and reliability of the cutting-edge curriculum we’ve created."
Adam Mangana, Executive Director of Optima Classical Academy and Optima Domi

Students are said to be visibly transported anywhere studies may lead them — Pompeii, the moon, or deep below the ocean for an in-depth learning experience.

“What we’re offering has resonated with home-schooled, virtual, and in-person students and their families across Florida who haven’t been satisfied by existing educational options. It’s never our goal to pull students out of institutions that meet their needs, but to create flexible options for students who need something outside the box. Education is an ever-changing sphere impacted by many outside variables and being able to offer a nontraditional option that uses valuable technology is a step into the future.”
OCA founder Erika Donalds.

The charter school is said to enroll up to 1,300 students in August grades 3-8.

In 2023-24, OCA plans to extend the program to grades 10-12, and then grades K-12 for the year 2024-25.