School. The first things that come to mind are crowded hallways, loud classrooms, wooden desks and metal chairs. But what if all of your schoolwork could be done from the comfort of your home?

Isabella Flory, a ninth grader at George Mason, does all her schoolwork at home and comes into school for only a few hours.

“I’m in school for three hours every other day,” Flory said.

Flory participates in the Hybrid program which allows her to complete school work from home, while still getting teacher help every other day. The Hybrid classroom, HyC, is where Flory can check in with her teachers and get help on classwork. This time gives her the support and communication she needs to succeed in her classes.

“On even days I go into HyC and I go for an hour, I come in at [noon] and then I go afterwards to theatre,” Flory said.

Flory wakes up at around 7:30 in the morning each day. Then, she begins her schoolwork around 7:45, while still in her PJ’s. Rather than having Odd and Even days, Flory has all of her classes everyday. She works for 20 minutes on Spanish before moving on to Geometry. She then works on English, World History, Science and P.E.

According to Flory, she can get work done faster at home than while at school.

“I can switch gears really quickly and I don’t have to wait for people to finish,” Flory said.

At George Mason, most classes are an hour and a half and school ends at three o’clock. For Flory, her classes last around 45 minutes and she typically ends school at around 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm.

“I wanted to have more time to do stuff during the day, and to have different experiences,” Flory said.

And that’s exactly what she made happen.

Finishing school at noon everyday allows Flory to participate in a number of activities. She plans on trying out for the school play and already plays on the field hockey team. She talked to her counselor and the principal to make this a reality.

In addition to being the representative for the arts of humanity’s council, Flory, also has plans to find other ways to work in her free time.

“I’m talking with some people who work at companies to see if I can intern with them,” Flory said.

Online schooling helps Flory learn at her own pace while still getting the support she needs.

“I like online schooling because it gives me flexibility during the day and relieves a lot of stress,” Flory said.

By completing her studies online, Flory is doing high school in her own way.