Virtual High School allows students to take courses that the high school doesn’t offer, with classes such as History of Photography, Literature of the World, Employability Skills, Philosophy, and Criminology. The program currently has 38 students enrolled in it.

Guidance counselor and VHS coordinator Mrs. Evelyn Santiago explained the advantages of the program.

“You can take a VHS course at school or at home, and you don’t need a teacher if you are good at working independently. It prepares you a lot of times for college, as some courses in college are offered online,” she said.

Along with this, a VHS course can benefit students by offering more credits than a normal class does.

“It gives you five credits for a course that only takes half of a year, while most classes offer five credits for taking it the entire year,” Santiago added.

She also acknowledged that some students struggle with taking a VHS class, as the work can become overwhelming.

“You have to be disciplined. If you’re not disciplined, then you may have a hard time keeping up with the course because there is x amount of work that has to be done every week,” she said.

Senior Liam Hunter, who took US Government in the fall semester, agreed that doing the work takes discipline.

“Taking a VHS class can be hard at times since there’s a lot of work that has to be done before the week ends,” he said. “You always have to be on your work or you will fall behind.”

Senior Andrew Mora also understands the challenges that come with taking a VHS class, as he takes Video Game Design.

“You have to complete a certain amount of work before the week ends, and sometimes that is hard to do. Work you don’t finish is a zero,” he said.

More information about enrolling in VHS courses is available in the guidance office. It has been offered at Hammonton High School for six years.