Most students travel away from home to go to school, but for others, home is their school. At Arendell Parrott Academy, there are some students who have experienced both of these worlds.
Harrison Brown, 18, came to APA in sixth grade and is now a senior. Brown said his parents chose to homeschool him and his two sisters because of their faith.
“Homeschooling helped us figure ourselves out and build our faith,” Brown said
When the decision was made to enroll at APA, Brown said his parents thought it was the right time for the transition.
In academics, Brown said there have been advantages with both homeschooling and APA.
“Homeschooling was nice because you had more time to learn a concept,” Brown said. “At APA it was more structured and you had to apply yourself in order to do well.”
Homeschool students have adjusted well to APA, Terah Archie, public information and alumni affairs director at APA, said.
Emma Herlong, 13, was homeschooled by her mother Renee until second grade. Herlong said it was a big transition in learning styles when she came to APA.
“Homeschooling was more oral-based and at Parrott, there is more of a focus on writing,” Herlong said
Renee Herlong said she chose to homeschool Emma and her two other children because of the flexibility it provided. However, the decision to stop came as a result of challenges presented by teaching kids of different ages at the same time.
“It was getting harder to keep the academic level at where I wanted it to be,” Renee Herlong said.
Adjusting to the new social dynamics was easier for some of the students than others.
“It wasn’t too bad,” Herlong said. “I already had a lot of friends at Parrott.”
Brown said the social experience was the biggest challenge for him because he was shy and it was harder for him to make friends.
As the years have gone by, the process has become easier, said Brown. He is now involved with the drama department and serves as co-president for the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes club.
George Haddad, 13, who was homeschooled through sixth grade, said he came to APA because he wanted a change.
“I wanted to see what it was like,” Haddad said.
After a year trial run, Haddad decided to stay at APA and said he is enjoying playing for the school’s soccer team.
Though he is happy at APA, Haddad said there are some aspects of homeschool that are missed.
“I had more freedom with homeschool,” Haddad said. “We could go on vacation and bring schoolwork with us.”
Being able to travel was also one of the better perks of homeschooling for both Brown and Herlong.
Brown said his father was an orthopedic salesman and was on the road a lot. In order to stay together, the Browns traveled around the country in an RV and did school on the road.
Herlong said she traveled to places such as Greece, and learned Greek as part of her schoolwork.
Noah Clark can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Noah.Clark@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @nclark763.