On December 2, 1996, I began the most exciting adventure of my life as the Principal of what was then the Orange County Web School, soon to become the most successful education innovation in the past ten years. 

When I was hired, I was handed a two-page concept paper and asked, “How do you feel about leading a program with no rules and no roadmap?” My answer was a resounding YES!  I remember driving home that day thinking, “I can’t believe I just took a job that for the most part doesn’t exist.” Oh well…I would worry about that tomorrow.

We began with a team of nine professionals housed in cubicles at the Orange County Education Leadership Center (ELC). As we look out over 750 staff today, those of us in that original team are amazed that our entire staff used to fit in one elevator. Together we began the journey to invent a new educational option that would revolutionize the place called school.

When we began, “online” courses didn’t really exist. There was one product at the time that I reviewed, and it would run on a network but not online. It had a beige background and black letters with green accents. It was about as unappealing as it gets, and I remember thinking, “Yuk!  If I were a teenager, this would not engage me.” Thus, FLVS course development was born.

Eighty-five courses and 750 employees later, Florida Virtual School is now the largest and most successful K-12 virtual school in the world, known around the globe for its sincere focus on putting students first.

In those early days, our small team sat down at a small conference table and wrote the word student on a piece of paper and placed that paper in the centerof the table. The state had directed us to do something really different for kids. They gave us the latitude to change the rules and create our own in order to better serve students. From that directive came year-round rolling enrollment, a remote workforce, 24/7 access to courses from anywhere at any time, mastery learning, and performance-based funding. Today we continue to challenge each other to always put our students at the center of every decision we make.

And the rest is history.

As I reflect on the past decade, I often pinch myself. Some days it seems like only yesterday, and then other days it seems like a lifetime ago. I often wonder why God chose me for this wondrous opportunity, and I am thankful each and every day.