Virtual high school hosts two in-person graduation ceremonies, then you can link
Jun 30, 2025
Traditional high schools aren’t for everyone.
While she was attending Whitmer High School, Toledo student Alexus Mikolajczyk realized that if she wanted to graduate, she would have to make some kind of change.
“I wasn’t really doing that good in school,” Ms. Mikolajczyk said. “I got in trouble a lot. I got distracted by all of my friends.”
She enrolled in the Ohio Digital Learning School, a statewide, fully virtual, and tuition-free alternative for students age 16 to 21 who have dropped out of high school or are at risk of dropping out.
“All the people are very helpful,” Ms. Mikolajczyk said. “My counselor is very helpful.”
Ms. Mikolajczyk was among a total of 160 nontraditional high schoolers who walked across the stage with their diplomas in front of their friends and family, many shouting in excitement, at the Maumee Indoor Theater on Tuesday.
The virtual high school hosted two graduation ceremonies at the Maumee Indoor Theater. One was held at 1 p.m. and the other at 5 p.m.
Eighty students graduated from both ceremonies.
“None of you took the easy way,” said Brian Powderly, executive director and superintendent of the school. “You had courage and heart and relentless determination. What I love about you [all], even though I may not know every single one of you as deeply as your parents do or anywhere close, is that you refused to be set back by whatever was put in front of you, and you [worked] through it.”