If you were unable to attend, or would simply like to rewatch the high school graduation ceremony, we have made the video of our Graduation Ceremony available for viewing online. To watch the video, just click on the link below. The Graduation video is also available for download so you can share this great occasion with family and friends! The download link can be found on the video web page.

Watch Video

If you have any trouble accessing the video from the links, you can find the video on our Vimeo page at http://vimeo.com/PinnacleOnline.

MGRM Pinnacle Teachers & Staff at the St. Mary's Food Bank

What do you get when you combine professional development training, 37 MGRM Pinnacle employees and St. Mary’s Food Bank?

You get an amazing day of training and service, just like what happened on Thursday, November 17th. MGRM Pinnacle Education held their professional development training at the St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix, AZ.

The morning PD session was filled with team building activities and training . Adam Dregely, Special Education Instructor, led a discussion regarding MGRM Pinnacle’s special education services, and offered several key activities that would help instructors and counselors get students actively engaged within their first 45 days. Kathie Driscoll then led the group through a workshop on grading rubrics designed to improve standards and ultimately improve the academic achievement of our students. Not to be forgotten, the Enrollment and Registration team completed their own professional development activities, around improving their customer service approach to student interactions, after which they joined the rest of the team at St. Mary’s for the community service activity.

St. Mary’s Food Bank is part of the St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, the world’s first food bank, and this nonprofit organization works to “alleviate hunger by gathering and distributing food to sites that serve the hungry.” MGRM Pinnacle employees rolled up their sleeves, stepped up to the line, and got to work helping to assemble packages of food. Two hours into the activity our team members had assembled more than 1,000 boxes of food which sat waiting for distribution on 17 pallets. That’s more than 20,400 individual meals that St. Mary’s will now be able to ship out. The sense of accomplishment and team work was evident in the faces of each person there. It was obvious that not only had the members of the MGRM Pinnacle Education team gained some valuable tools and knowledge during professional development training that would help them improve the educational experience for their students, they had also contributed to improving lives within their community.

At this time of year we would extend the same challenge to you. Find away to improve yourself, and then look for ways to improve the lives of other around you.

In our previous post, we introduced you to our new True Story campaign. With this new campaign, we are hoping to highlight a few of our outstanding students and share their true stories as online high school students.

Previously, we introduced you to Kendra. This time, we’d like to introduce you to Chance, another one of our site program students. After his first year at Pinnacle, Chance said he began to see a big improvement in his school work.

“Pinnacle has completely turned my life around. I used to attend another high school, and education wise, I was not thriving,” he said. “My old school was too big for me and was not hands on. Since I arrived at Pinnacle, the teachers have been more than willing to help me and they actually care about my success.”

While his grades improved, Chance said he also noticed other dramatic changes after enrolling at our online high school.

“Pinnacle has lifted my attitude immensely, I went from unhappy and uncaring, to a happy and lively person,” he proclaimed.

When Chance isn’t in class, you can find him playing on his acoustic and electric guitars or working on his custom, forest-green VW Bug. As a Pinnacle Online High School student, he has the ability to spend time doing the things he loves, while still receiving a quality education.

Chance is another great representative of our unique and diverse student body. Our online high school courses gave Chance a fresh start on his education and allowed him to realize his true potential in the classroom. With Pinnacle’s online program, he gained the confidence he needed to earn his high school diploma.

He is a true student of life.

Starting next week, those who live in the Phoenix area will start to see billboards and other ads around the Valley that are the initial phase of our new True Story advertising campaign. We chose the True Story concept for a number of reasons. First, after researching our competitors, we noticed that a majority of their visuals we nothing but “iStock kids.” The photos were plain, over-used images of models acting like students, and this wasn’t the way we wanted to represent our students. Our students are real, unique and interesting, and the best way we could convey that was to use our own students in the campaign photography.

Second, all of our competitors focused on promoting the idea of online education. Their visuals were just simple images of kids in a classroom or in front of a computer. We felt like this presentation was overdone, so we wanted to do something completely different. For this campaign, we wanted to show what you can do and what you can become by being an online high school student, so we used images of our students in real life, doing what they love to do. By taking online classes, our students have the ability to follow their dreams and focus on doing what they love. Our students don’t live to go to school; they go to school so they can live.

One of our Pinnacle students who participated in the campaign is Kendra. She is one of our site students who attends our Tempe West campus and has been with Pinnacle for more than three years. When she is not in class, you can probably find her out in the stables spending time with her horses.

“I have a great love for animals,” said Kendra. “Some of my favorite things to do are to train and ride my horses.”

After high school, Kendra has aspirations of becoming a veterinary technician or registered nurse because she enjoys helping people and animals.

“People have told me that I am someone who is very comforting to talk to,” she said. “I want to share that to help others succeed.”

Kendra is an ideal choice to represent the Pinnacle student body. Our online high school courses gave her a great alternative to the traditional brick-and-mortar education setting and our flexible course schedule allowed her to earn her high school diploma while focusing on her career goals and hobbies.

She is a true student of life.

Last week we held a casting call at Moses Anshell, a marketing agency in downtown Phoenix, to search for students who would be interested in being a part of the campaign. We received a ton of submissions and several students came out to the casting call. We met a lot of great students, and picking the final few for the campaign was very tough. After some intense deliberation, the Moses Anshell and Pinnacle team picked the final five students. And we couldn’t be happier!

With our students selected, we began our photo shoots this week with photographer Blair Bunting, and we’re excited to see how all the photos turn out. The photos will be just one part of the True Story Campaign, so stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks. Be sure to check our some behind-the-scenes photos and videos on Pinnacle’s facebook and YouTube pages!

Joseph Dittmar, 9/11 Survivor.

By: Kristen Boomer, InnovatED Partner Support Coordinator

A decade ago, I was sitting in class at Capital University when I started to wonder where all my classmates were.  Another student popped his head in to say, “class is cancelled, go turn on the news.”  I ran to my friend’s dorm room to see what was happening, and soon learned about the events of September 11^th at the World Trade Center in NYC.  Only a few minutes after watching some coverage, I found out that my father was actually in an executive meeting in the South Tower on the 105^th floor of the World Trade Center.

In my father’s speech that he gives across the country, he mentions that, by doing his speeches, he “keeps the voices of the 3,000 lost alive, and makes sure that we always remember and never forget what happened on September 11, 2001”.  In just a few days, we will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center in NYC.  Because of my close relationship with the events of 9/11, I want to suggest that we take the proper time to recognize and remember the events of that day, and properly honor those that were lost a decade ago so the voices of those lost are heard again we did not forget, and will always remember.

Please take a few moments to go to the APM Marketplace website to hear survivor stories from 9/11/01, including my father’s, Joseph Dittmar.  Scroll to the middle of the page, and you will find photos to match survivor stories.

A mosaic of these interviews will also be aired on NPR Marketplace on Friday. Feel free to also view a video of my 2009 speech at the Scottsdale Healing Fields (my apologies that it is sideways).

Thank you in advance for your remembrance and respect this week.

Although you may not have realized it, you have been setting goals since you were very young.  Did you ever climb up on the kitchen counter to get a cookie from the cabinet?  Your goal was to get that cookie, and you worked out a plan to get it, even if it seemed out of reach.  You need to take the same approach to getting your high school diploma online.

Goals are important because they help motivate you to do your work, attend school regularly, and study for tests.  Even though you already may have set some goals for your classes, chances are you may not have analyzed how realistic those goals were.

You can increase your chances for success by learning to set goals that are both realistic and motivational.  Effective goal setting is an important life skill.  Learn to master these skills and watch how the dreams that you are following suddenly begin to chase you.

The Five-Step Approach to Writing Goals:

Writing effective goals is not as easy.  You need to consider what you want to accomplish, any obstacles that could prevent you from achieving your goal, and the resources available to you.  You will need a pen or pencil for this exercise.

1. Write down what you want to accomplish.  This should be thought of as your tentative goal statement.  The easiest way to begin your goal statement is with the words “I want to…”
2. Write down any obstacles.  Think about whether there are any course requirements, assignments, tests, or technology factors that could jeopardize your success.  Make a list of the difficulties you may encounter.
3. Consider your general resources.  What subjects are easier for you?  Are you better with science or math?  Is social studies a breeze?  Who do you depend on for help when circumstances get tough?  Your parents, friends, teachers, guidance counselors, and other significant adults are all resources.  Next, consider each of the obstacles you listed.  Think about how you might use your resources to overcome each obstacle.  Write down specific resources you could use to achieve each goal.
4. Review and revise your rough goal statement.  Now that you have considered all possible difficulties and your resources, you are ready to write your final goal statement.  In some cases, you may find that your rough goal statement is fine the way it is.
5. Polish your goal statement.  Check to be sure that your final statement is well written and takes into consideration all the possible road blocks that may occur.

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”

- Henry Ford

By: Megan Hines, Pinnacle Virtual Guidance Counselor

Starting back to school can be a stressful time for a lot of students.  Learning how to manage and work through stress can help students stay on track and be successful in your online high school classes.  Everyone feels stressed out at some time or another, but how you handle your stress can make a big difference in your day-to-day experiences.  Here are some ways to keep your stress in check:

1.  Understand Your Stressors.  Knowing the things that trigger stress in your life can help you navigate around them.  You won’t be able to avoid everything that brings on stress but knowing what to expect ahead of time might help you to work through it.
2. Don’t Let Stress Overwhelm You.   Some stress can actually be beneficial because it helps motivate you to do what needs to get done.  However, don’t let it get to the point where you can’t get out from underneath your stress.  Use your stress to help get the job done and then move on.
3. Shake It Off.  It’s easy to feel out of control when you’re stressed.  Find some things that allow you to let go of some of your stress.  Write in a journal, talk to a friend, listen to music, go for a walk – find whatever works for you and helps you get back on track.
4. Look Ahead.  Sometimes we can’t avoid the things that cause us stress because ultimately some things just have to get done.  This often times includes your education.  School is difficult and it takes a lot of time and effort, but instead of focusing on why it’s hard, look ahead to what you will get out of it in the end.  Getting to the other side of high school is an accomplishment that no one can take away from you.

Asadi later received his principalship certification and was named principal of  the school’s North Campus, which was for freshmen only.  Soon the school grew in population, and the North Campus became Millennium High School – now the largest high school in the Agua Fria District.  After seven years as principal, Asadi decided to make a career change and took a position in the insurance and financial services industry.  He worked as an insurance agent, an agency manager, a financial advisor and finally a financial planner; but Asadi really began missing being in a school setting.  In order to get back in the education world, he decided to work as an assistant principal and principal of another charter school before making the move to Pinnacle.  When he’s not on campus, Asadi also teaches online graduate classes to future school administrators at Grand Canyon University.

Today, Asadi lives with his wife, Karen, who is a teacher in the Peoria Unified School District.  They have two sons who are both married and now get to enjoy spending time with their three grandchildren.

When asked why he decided to work at Pinnacle, Asadi  said it was a great fit.

“I am inspired by Pinnacle because it offers students a chance to start over and achieve their educational goals while getting the support they need.” He said.

Stay tuned for more profiles of our other campus principals in the coming weeks.

“In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don’t try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.” – Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher