10-Year-Old Kenji Hennesy is an 8th Grader at ASU Prep Digital

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Technically he’s still in the 5th grade, but as an ASU Prep Digital Sun Devil, he’s excelling beyond his years.

“I love to make music, and I love math too,” he said. “I want to be a musician.”

Kenji joined ASU Prep Digital’s online K-12 program last year after his grandfather sadly passed away from Coronavirus. He and his family decided to transition from in-person schooling to an online setting where he could feel safer during and after the pandemic.

As part of orientation at ASU Prep Digital, Kenji started the 5th grade by taking an evaluative diagnostic test to determine his learning style and level. This test is given to all students across the nation who join ASU Prep Digital.

“Kenji scored in the 99th percentile, meaning he tested as well as or higher than 99% of the other students who took the test,” said Dawn Oliver, Math Interventionist at ASU Prep Digital. “It was incredible.”

She and his teachers quickly determined that he was a candidate for the Level Up program, where students who excel in certain subjects can take advanced courses.

“We screened Kenji and he passed with flying colors,” added Dawn. 

Kenji leaped ahead to study 6th grade math, completing an entire academic year’s worth of work in just two weeks. Most students complete this subject matter over the course of the several months, from August to May.

He spent seven to eight hours a day studying using online learning programs and research-based courses designed to drive student achievement for academic and career success. 

These programs teach Kenji how to do the math through virtual instruction and practice questions based on his specific learning proficiency.

Kenji also attends ASU Prep Digital’s live lessons where his teachers help him excel on a more personal level and meet his state’s requirements for testing. It’s ASU Prep Digital’s wide array of online learning platforms and skilled instructors that allow for Kenji and thousands of other students to learn at their own pace.

In order for him to move onto the next grade in math, Kenji must take and pass each grade’s tests. After completing the 6th grade work, he quickly moved through 7th grade math (in just three days!) and is currently studying material for 8th graders. 

In addition to these remarkable achievements, Kenji still attends other classes that are part of his curriculum at ASU Prep Digital, including social studies, science and language arts. 

“My goal is to Level Up and do well in other subjects too,” he said.

Kenji is also part of the school’s Broadcasting Club, one of many social activities ASU Prep Digital is proud to host for its students to help them develop their skills and interests holistically. 

The future looks bright for Kenji, and for countless other students who turned to virtual learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. ASU Prep Digital continues to lead the way in providing innovative solutions to education, both in-person and online. 

To learn more about ASU Prep Digital’s online K-12 education program and the highly personalized ways it helps students learn and grow, visit asuprepdigital.org.