The usual suspects were all on display: experiments involving yeast, anti-bacterial soaps and herbicides; colorful cardboard posters and nervous but knowledgeable student scientists explaining their work.

Yet two things made Thursday’s presentation by the California Virtual Academies different from a traditional science fair. The first was its location, tucked into the children’s section of the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Corte Madera Town Center.

The second was the fact that many of the judges at Thursday’s science fair were miles away, evaluating the students’ posters and presentations through photographs and other materials posted online.

For the rest of the article, go to Virtual school’s students meet for real-world science fair in Corte Madera

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., June 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The California Virtual Academies (CAVA) honored its largest graduating class of 365 students at three regional ceremonies on June 1, June 6, and June 9.

On June 1, CAVA hosted its first graduation ceremony of the year at 1 p.m. at the Vacaville Performing Arts Center in Vacaville. The ceremony featured a student speech by Sarah Croyts of San Mateo, who plans to attend University of California Santa Barbara through the school’s honors program.

The second CAVA ceremony occurred on June 6 at 2 p.m. at San Bernardino Valley College in San Bernardino. Caroline Smith of Los Angeles addressed her peers as valedictorian. Smith plans to attend Chapman University in the fall. Smith was awarded a Chancellor’s Scholarship and a performing arts scholarship for four years.

For the rest of the article, go to California Virtual Academies Commemorate the Graduation of the Class of 2011