The many faces of success at Mountain Heights Academy.

These are just a few of the many students who have made Mountain Heights work for them. While their stories are different, they’ve all enjoyed the flexibility, personal attention, and opportunities our online school provides.

Khyla Pottenger

A talented singer and songwriter, Khyla was discovered by Universal Records on YouTube this past year. After signing a record contract with the studio, she has traveled frequently to Los Angeles to work on her album and hopes to have her first single on the radio in a few months. Mountain Heights gave her the flexibility to keep up with school while pursuing what she loves. After graduation, she plans to focus on her singing career for a few years, then attend New York University’s film school and fulfill her dream of becoming a director.

Sarah Fosburg

Most students graduate from high school before becoming an author. But Sarah did it the other way around. She wrote a young adult mystery novel while attending Mountain Heights Academy, which is currently being reviewed by Simon and Schuster publishers. Mountain Heights gave her the flexibility to do her schoolwork a few hours each day, then spend the rest of her time writing—and still have time to serve as a peer educator. After graduation, Sarah plans to pursue her writing career in New York or Ireland, and attend New York University in the future.

Kaleb Alles

Kaleb came to Mountain Heights in 10th grade, after being home schooled in South Carolina. It’s clear he loves learning, especially in the math and science fields. Kaleb has taken advantage of every opportunity to learn as much as he can while still in high school, taking a full load at Weber State University this past year. He is a regional Sterling Scholar semi-finalist in math, and will attend the University of Utah on the prestigious Presidential Scholarship. He plans to pursue a double major in mathematics, and another yet-to-be-decided field.

Audrey Shimamoto

It’s hard to attend school when you’re chronically sick. No one knows that better than Audrey. After missing most of her 9th grade year due to ulcerative colitis, she switched to Mountain Heights Academy, which gave her the flexibility to do school from home. She bounced back from that difficult year and is now an A student and a member of the National Honor Society. A self-proclaimed history buff, Audrey also loves the medical field. She will be attending Utah Valley University in the fall where she plans to study Dental Hygiene.

Kortney Backus

Kortney certainly knows the ropes of managing time. She is the 2017 Silver State International Rodeo Queen, representing 42 states, Canada, and Australia. She is also the Future Farmers of America President for the state of Utah. These responsibilities have her traveling all over the state, speaking to and inspiring students. Mountain Heights gave her the flexibility to do all this and still keep up with school. Kortney will fulfill her FFA leadership role this coming year, then attend Utah State University, where she’ll study agribusiness and then become a lobbyist and a representative for the USDA.

Samantha Birrell

Samantha came to Mountain Heights during her sophomore year. Like other new students, she signed up for the tech tools class. Little did she know that class, or her photography class, would help her create a blog that has 137,000 followers. Samantha clearly has the skills to be a successful digital communicator – which is becoming so necessary in today’s world. She’ll be going to Disneyland when she graduates, but not to play—to work. She’ll be taking a gap year while she decides whether to pursue her love of film, special effects, or history.

Sally Monson

After being home schooled off and on, Sally came to Mountain Heights Academy her junior year. Here, she discovered classes she might not have taken elsewhere. A few of her favorites include medical forensics, music appreciation, music theory, and mythology. The flexible schedule at Mountain Heights allowed Sally to finish her 120,000-word fantasy novel this year. She plans to take the next year off to edit it and focus on her writing, and then attend college the following fall.

Share your story.

How did your charter school experience help you succeed? Share your storyin a 500-word essay as part of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools“30 Days of Grad” series.

∗May 1st – May 31st

©2017 Mountain Heights Academy. All rights reserved.

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