FAIRMONT - When her sister got sick, Angela Rivera had to make a decision.
She knew she could help care for her sister's child - the rest of her family was at work and couldn't get away - but as a sophomore at Fairmont Area High School, that would mean missing a lot of school.
And that was not acceptable to this highly motivated student.
Two months into the school year, she took it upon herself to enroll in BlueSky Online, one of many online public high schools offered to Minnesota students, and she hasn't looked back.
Now a junior, Rivera continues with her online classes despite her sister's return to health.
The arrangement - all textbooks and assignments are online - allows her to work during the day and do her schoolwork in the evenings when she can concentrate without the distraction of other household members. She has approximately 18 assignments to complete each week, including reading, quizzes and tests.
The biggest benefit to the online school versus traditional school?
The amount of interaction she has with her instructors.
That is something many are surprised to hear, according to Karen Kraco, a science teacher with BlueSky.
"I was a teacher in a classroom for 17 years," she said. "And when I work with a student over the phone or through email or Skype, it is one-on-one for the most part."
Rivera speaks with her academic counselor at least once per week to discuss classes and assignments. She can contact her individual instructors whenever she needs help, with many posting "office hours" when they will be available. She said she has found instant messaging to be an efficient method for getting her questions answered.
Her Spanish teacher calls her each week to hear her how her pronunciation is coming along. Even choir is offered through online courses, with students recording themselves singing and sending it digitally to the teacher.
Rivera's studies take her about three hours per day, less than the average five hours suggested by the school.
"It is much easier than being in a classroom for eight hours a day," she said.
That is a sentiment shared by thousands of other students around the state.
The Minnesota Department of Education lists 24 online high schools in the state, some run by districts with traditional brick and mortar school; others, like BlueSky, focusing solely on online education.
Online schools are considered equal to traditional schools in the education they provide, the diplomas they award, and what is expected of the students. As such, they are awarded the same per pupil funding as the other high schools.
Ned Zimmerman-Bence, executive director of Minnesota Online High School, said the costs to educate students are just as high without having to maintain a building; they are simply different.
"While we don't have the physical plant costs that traditional schools have, our costs are in technology and teachers," he said. "The lack of a physical plant is a wonderful benefit - it allows us to really keep the school small and focused on our students."
In addition, online schools have no option to raise funds through operating referenda like local districts do.
In a climate where schools are losing money due to legislative measures, keeping students - each one counts for per pupil funding - is a big deal.
Kraco said there has been concern from local districts that online schools, which have no physical boundaries, are "stealing" students.
That is not usually the case, she said.
Most students who enroll in the online programs have a special need, whether that be a rigorous athletic training schedule, family needs - such as Rivera's - or those with medical issues themselves, perhaps chronic illness, pregnancy or a learning disability.
Kraco said some of BlueSky's students come from families that would like to homeschool, but the parents maybe aren't confident enough to teach the material themselves.
"Most of our students are from districts that weren't serving them anyway," Kraco said.
Some of the online offerings allow students to take courses while co-enrolled in a traditional school, although not all of them provide this option.
SOCRATES Online, an online school offered through South Central Service Cooperative, is available only to students within the cooperative, including Fairmont. Students may co-enroll up to 50 percent of their coursework in grades K-12.
Fairmont Area High School Principal Lynn Manske said the district has transferred records for 10 students to online high schools. Some of the students are taking just one or two classes; some, like Rivera, have completely transferred out of the district.
Manske said the high school did offer an online course in the past, and it is something administration is considering for the future.
"There is a necessity to introduce kids to the online environment," she said. "It continues to be out there and a topic of conversation."
Even with the one-on-one attention from teachers, the flexible schedule and the cost - online public school is free, just like traditional school - the arrangement isn't for everyone.
"The most successful students are those that come with strong academic skills, are internally motivated, and have parents that understand the technology and remain involved in their school program," said Zimmerman-Bence.
He gave as an example: first-year college students who struggle with managing their time.
"Online students don't follow a bell-by-bell schedule. While that's wonderful for many reasons, it also can be a challenge, especially for younger students."
For Rivera, the difference is how important it is to see your friends everyday.
"There are those people who have to communicate with people," she said, "and there are those who want to focus on school rather than wanting to see their friends. I would rather focus on getting my diploma."
And when graduation comes, she will be invited to walk across a stage at BlueSky's offices in St. Paul, wearing a blue commencement robe and surrounded by students she went to school with, but perhaps has never met.
