What do Lindsay Lohan (Herbie, Freaky Friday), Raven Symone (That’s So Raven) and Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings) have in common? It’s not a new movie or show, or a Hollywood show they were seen in … it’s their status as homeschoolers! Each of these famous young actors joins the ranks of successful homeschoolers who have attended Laurel Springs School, the “School of the Stars.”
What makes famous young actors, athletes and academics turn to homeschooling? To get an answer, let’s look back. Many proud homeschoolers love all the names of famous people throughout history who were homeschooled. Take a look at just a few!
o Presidents: George Washington, Franklin Delano Roosevelt
o Inventors: Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison
o Artists – Claude Monet, Ansel Adams
o Composers: Amadeus Mozart, Irving Berlin
o Actor – Charlie Chaplin
o Authors: Charles Dickens, Mark Twain
o Scientists: Albert Einstein, George Washington Carver
Who knows what inventions, political principles, art and literature we would miss if these historical figures were not allowed the freedom of independent learning and growth! The power of learning is limitless, and the history-steeped tradition of homeschooling continues today with a renewed interest in all that it can offer the individual and the world.
All children are “stars” in their own right, and it is a parent’s dream that every child reaches his or her full potential. Many young actors, athletes, and academics are doing just that – they are turning to homeschooling because it offers the flexibility to learn while pursuing their dreams, and to pursue their dreams through learning!
To become a child actor, performer, or athlete, young stars must be able to “take to school with them” in their early career endeavors. If their study program is geared towards their individual learning style, they can learn in less time while happily pursuing their other dreams. Laurel Springs School offers this and has been the distance learning source of choice for these young stars.
Along with actors Lindsay Lohan, Raven Symone, Elijah Wood and many others, Laurel Springs School also prides itself on its home schooled athletic stars. This year, the skating team Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, both Laurel Springs students, won gold at the 2005 United States Figure Skating Championships. Chad Compton won the title of best junior surfer in the USA, And 14-year-old Alexa Glatch was named one of the top 5 Americans in the world youth tennis rankings.
In show business, a student, Monet, is becoming a rock star and was recently a guest on FOX’s Bernie and Mac; Melinda Sullivan won first place in the Spotlight Awards performing arts scholarship program and is now touring the country with the CATS Troop.
In academia, Chelsea Bets Christenson won the United Nations High School Essay Contest in 2003 and 2005, and is officially considered one of the top ten high school writers in the nation! Yang Liu, a homeschooled senior, was selected as a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship Program.
What makes these children achieve their goals is a supportive family and a homeschooling program that is as diverse and flexible as they are. Today, we shape the leaders of tomorrow and find the unique mold of the future within our children, within their hopes, dreams, and talents.