Student Spotlight: Gracie Bailey
May 12, 2021
The Virtual High School community has the wonderful privilege of getting to explore the world through our domestic and international students’ eyes. This month, Grade 12 student Graci Bailey is giving us a peek at life on Prince Edward Island along the East coast of Canada. Come along! You don’t even need to hop on a plane for this trip.
Originally a resident of Southern Ontario, Graci moved to Prince Edward Island with her family in August of 2020. She grew up in homes near bodies of water, so living next to the Atlantic Ocean now allows her to continue combing beaches for hidden treasures. Her seaside lifestyle gives her plenty of opportunities to practice her film photography, which as you’ll see from the photos she’s provided is clearly one of her exceptional talents. An avid reader, Graci also enjoys fantasy, sci-fi, and anything written by her idol Bertrand Russell.
Once pandemic restrictions lift in Atlantic Canada, Graci has FUN plans for her life on Prince Edward Island:
“I want to find and visit all the indie bookstores on PEI and get a few books from each of them so that I can say that I’ve been to every bookstore on the island. Also, ice cream is a big thing around PEI. I have a goal with my sister to visit every ice cream shop by the end of the summer.”
We can’t wait to find out which ice cream shop she crowns as the victor! She just recently got her driver’s license and a car of her own, so she’ll be cruising along on a road trip in no time.
When she first arrived on Prince Edward Island, Graci intended to enrol in a local public school. Unfortunately, she was informed that her Grade 9 credits from her Ontario school wouldn’t count on her PEI high school transcript, so she was looking at having to complete an entire extra year of schooling! Completely disheartened by this news, Graci and her parents started looking at other alternatives so that she could graduate on time like the rest of her peers. Here’s where Virtual High School comes in:
“I think what I benefited the most from with VHS was working at my own speed. I remember being in class at a public school and at times wanting to speed up what we were learning because I was able to grasp the content well and move on. The same could be said about not understanding the content. With VHS, I could spend a couple of extra days to understand what was being taught and have the one-on-one resources to help me if I need them.”
Graci has also picked up a love for history at VHS! Currently enrolled in the CHW3M and CHY4U history courses, she has found that she likes looking at how cultures have developed and defined different people and parts of the world:
“I’m enjoying every second of it. It’s to the point where it doesn’t feel like work.”
Once she completes her Ontario Secondary School Diploma with VHS, Graci plans to attend Centennial College’s online architectural technician program. Essentially, she’ll be learning how to draft blueprints for homes and other buildings. With a keen eye for market trends, Graci recognizes that expanding tourism opportunities in Atlantic Canada will result in a housing boom in the next few years:
“Being a part of that growth and being young with fresh ideas, getting this part of Canada on the map like Toronto or Vancouver is something that I want to be a part of.”
Graci won’t just stop there though! She hopes to expand her education later in life by pursuing a degree in building science. She’s got her heart set on helping to change the world, one structure at a time. We can’t help but be charmed by that passion for lifelong learning!