LEE'S SUMMIT, MO. -
A Lee's Summit teen has not been in school full-time since the first grade. Now in the ninth grade, Katherine McNamara, 13, has been getting her education online with Keystone National High School so she can pursue her acting career.
McNamara is an actress who has starred in numerous theater productions and two films including the soon to be released "Sam Steele" and "Match Maker Mary."
"It affords me the flexibility that works with my theater schedule," said McNamara.
McNamara said while she's assigned a teacher to help with her class work, she has to be self-motivated to succeed in her on-line classes.
"You have to be very disciplined and very hard working in order to be a part of an online school, like Keystone because we have to be a self motivator," said McNamara. "You can't have to be forced to do your school work because there is really no one to force you to do it. There's not a teacher sitting there and peers around you. It's just you and your computer."
McNamara's father said the on-line education allows Katherine to work anywhere at anytime.
"We've got her a laptop and if she has a couple hours of downtime in the green room or on the set, she's able to pull it up and work it while something else is going on and there's a lot of hurry up and wait in any sort of performance," said Evan McNamara.
"The thing that's most flexible about it is that I can do my school work at any time of day whether it's 7 in the morning, 10 in the morning or 10 at night. It's whatever works with my schedule," said Katherine McNamara.
Keystone has students across the nation and in 70 other countries. Full time classes cost about $2,000 a year depending on the course load.
McNamara is an actress who has starred in numerous theater productions and two films including the soon to be released "Sam Steele" and "Match Maker Mary."
"It affords me the flexibility that works with my theater schedule," said McNamara.
McNamara said while she's assigned a teacher to help with her class work, she has to be self-motivated to succeed in her on-line classes.
"You have to be very disciplined and very hard working in order to be a part of an online school, like Keystone because we have to be a self motivator," said McNamara. "You can't have to be forced to do your school work because there is really no one to force you to do it. There's not a teacher sitting there and peers around you. It's just you and your computer."
McNamara's father said the on-line education allows Katherine to work anywhere at anytime.
"We've got her a laptop and if she has a couple hours of downtime in the green room or on the set, she's able to pull it up and work it while something else is going on and there's a lot of hurry up and wait in any sort of performance," said Evan McNamara.
"The thing that's most flexible about it is that I can do my school work at any time of day whether it's 7 in the morning, 10 in the morning or 10 at night. It's whatever works with my schedule," said Katherine McNamara.
Keystone has students across the nation and in 70 other countries. Full time classes cost about $2,000 a year depending on the course load.
