Natalie is a seventh grader with a great attitude toward learning. This is her first year with iLEAD Exploration and she couldn’t be happier! independent study has provided a learning environment that is a good fit for her unique learning capabilities. She really benefits from BrainPop as an introductory lesson prior to engaging in further exploration of a variety of topics in both science and history. She loves the opportunity to stop the lesson heard on BrainPop to clarify any questions she may have during the short video. Natalie participated in a writing workshop through iLEAD Online, which focused on analyzing parts of a story. This class allowed her to use her own creativity to write a short story of her own using specific tools to follow while developing it. She felt very successful as a young author! 
Natalie has a love and passion for science and history. She has learned all about U.S. history which has given her a better understanding of how our country came to be. She recently finished up the Civil War and learned the effects it had toward African American slaves. As a result, she and her family visited Fort Tejon State Park to give her real-life connections to our country’s history. In science, Natalie uses project based lessons so she can retain the information with a clearer understanding of concepts learned. Her family loves to take their time learning lessons with a pace appropriate for her learning capabilities. She uses a lot of hands on activities such as diagrams, models, and/or manipulatives. 
Natalie definitely has grown both emotionally and socially through the year. In fact, this semester she is participating at the Canyon Theatre Guild. The cast includes about thirty members. She always looks forward to rehearsals! Along with academics, Natalie has been able to participate in both art and swimming lessons where she has had time to grow artistically and athletically. Natalie’s mom is grateful to iLEAD Exploration, who said, “This program is the best fit for this explorer!”