Sevenstar鈥檚 Flexibility Allows Families and Students to Thrive in New Ways

March 27, 2024
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By Josh Worden

Some of the names in this article have been changed at the request of the individuals referenced 

Call it a coincidence, or maybe it was much more. Robbie and Linsey Fuller moved from Oregon to China in 2016 for a new job, unrelated to how they had put their son Max in Chinese preschool the previous three years.

鈥淭he nearby Chinese preschool was the same price as daycare and he might as well learn Chinese,鈥 Linsey said. 鈥淲e had no plans at that point to move to China. By the time we arrived, Max spoke conversational Chinese and was our little translator.鈥

That wasn鈥檛 the only Godsend. After trying multiple school options in China, the Fullers began using Sevenstar Academy, giving their two children, Max (now in eighth grade) and Maddie (fifth grade), an online, Christ-centered education at an affordable price.

鈥淲hen I started them on 赏金女王鈥檚 Sevenstar curriculum, it was for sure higher level than the international school here, which is very expensive,鈥 Linsey said. 鈥淢y favorite part is the independence it instills in the kids. They need to make their own schedule and use their time wisely.鈥

Students like Max can take classes ahead of schedule if they鈥檙e able, such as his high-school-level Chinese class. Plus, he can eventually earn a U.S. high school diploma even while in China.

鈥淚f they decide to go to college, they will be very prepared,鈥 Linsey said.

Since Robbie gets Chinese holidays off from work while the kids get American holidays off, they travel often. Sevenstar allows them to start and stop school when they need to.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 have to happen on a Western timeline or Chinese timeline, which is very helpful for us,鈥 Linsey said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e like weird unicorns that don鈥檛 fit in either system."

Sevenstar isn鈥檛 just for families living overseas. As a high school sophomore in Texas, Jack Lewis trains rigorously in the hopes of becoming a Division-I collegiate hockey player and one day making the National Hockey League. He typically trains four hours per day, six days a week, with competitions on the road on weekends. 

Balancing school and hockey was difficult, so Jack started using Sevenstar in August of 2023.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot more flexible than normal school,鈥 Jack said. 鈥淏efore, I鈥檇 be booked from 8 a.m. to 2:30. Now, I can get on the ice at 12 if I wanted to.鈥 


 

"A huge advantage of Sevenstar is to ensure his schedule is designed to get enough sleep,鈥 his mom, Lisa, added. 鈥淩inks are spread out, plus we travel out of state, so often we are home late at night. Jack counts eight to nine hours and sets his alarm. In bed at midnight? He'll likely set the alarm for 9 a.m. and get his school day started.鈥 

Sevenstar has an AP and Dual Credit program, which Jack intends to use to get college credit while in high school. 

"We are grateful for a God-focused curriculum,鈥 Lisa said. 鈥淚 did not grow up in a home where we attended church, so I am particularly interested in following along with his apologetics course.鈥 

The same was true for Austin Green, another high schooler using Sevenstar who has also taken an apologetics class. 

鈥淗e鈥檚 brought things up with us that he wouldn鈥檛 have if he was going to public school,鈥 his mother, Jan, said. 

Austin moved with his family 13 years ago onto a military base in Japan due to his father鈥檚 job and initially attended a public school on the base. He took one Sevenstar class in seventh grade and eventually decided to go full-time. 

鈥淭he public school is not very high-level, and it was going to affect my college,鈥 Austin said. 鈥淪evenstar had higher courses that I needed to take in order to be ready for college.鈥 

Austin plans on attending college in America next year. He has visited five universities with the hopes of studying to become an athletic trainer. 

"The private school options were financially way out of reach,鈥 Jan said. 鈥淪evenstar met our need financially, academically, and had flexibility for a sport team." 

Austin was able to participate on a soccer team while taking classes through Sevenstar. Sometimes, he wouldn鈥檛 return home until late or spend an entire weekend at a tournament and would need flexibility to do his coursework. Sevenstar allows a 14-day window to complete assignments after the due date, so Austin could focus on doing his homework at a reasonable pace. 

鈥淪evenstar and the 14-day grace period allowed him to play the sport and get enough sleep without having to worry about getting schoolwork done,鈥 Jan said. 

鈥淭he grace period really helped me when I鈥檝e been sick or not understanding my classes,鈥 Austin added. 

Even though Sevenstar is online, the Green family has gotten the responsiveness they鈥檝e needed. 

鈥淪evenstar is really helpful when you have questions,鈥 Jan said. 鈥淵ou can get ahold of people, and they offer suggestions and help.鈥 

For more information about Sevenstar Academy, please visit the .