Key Takeaways
- OHDELA students participate in Art Club, Literary Magazine, Poetry Jam, and Book Club, as well as National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society for academically eligible students.
- OHDELA Esports fields a competitive, growing program for middle and high school students, building team strategy, communication, and school spirit through competitive gaming throughout the school year.
- Regional field trips across Ohio centered on Science, Art, History, and Zoology give OHDELA students in-person learning and peer connection alongside thematic academic exploration.
- College Credit Plus gives eligible grades 7-12 students the opportunity to earn high school and college credit simultaneously, placing them in collegiate peer communities before graduation.
- NCAA-approved coursework means OHDELA student-athletes maintain eligibility for collegiate sports while building their academic record in a rigorous online environment.
Common Misconceptions About Socialization in Online School
Ohio is home to five schools in this network alone, reflecting the state's significant demand for online public school options. OHDELA, led by Dr. Christopher Brooks and serving K-12 students across the state, distinguishes itself through a student life program that combines academic societies, competitive Esports, thematic field trips, family days, and clubs spanning literary arts to visual creativity.
The concern that online students are isolated misses what OHDELA has built. Field trips organized around Science, Art, History, and Zoology themes give students in-person learning experiences alongside classmates from across Ohio. Family days build community among students and their guardians. Esports gives middle and high school students a competitive peer community that practices together and competes together throughout the year.
Online school builds social skills at OHDELA because the school invests in both academic excellence and community infrastructure: clubs, societies, Esports, field trips, and the kind of consistent live instruction that keeps students connected to their teachers and peers every day of the school week.
OHDELA operates under Ohio Revised Code Section 3321.042, which governs virtual school operations in Ohio. Students meet the state's minimum of 5 hours of daily attendance and participate in the same grade-level assessments as all Ohio public school students. The school is Cognia accredited, and its courses are NCAA-approved.
Ways Online Students Interact with Peers
Interaction at OHDELA is built into the academic structure and the student life calendar. Students connect through live instruction, clubs, academic societies, Esports competition, regional field trips, and family days that bring the OHDELA community together throughout the year.
Live Virtual Classes
OHDELA students in grades K-8 spend 5-7 hours per day on academic work including live class sessions and offline work, meeting a minimum of 5 hours of attendance daily. High school students spend 6-8 hours per day on academic work with the same 5-hour daily attendance minimum. Teachers provide targeted tutoring for K-8 students based on need, and high school students access course-specific tutoring as required.
Live class sessions at OHDELA create the daily peer touchpoints through which students build familiarity with their classmates over time. Students who log in consistently, attend live sessions, and participate in discussion develop the kind of routine social contact through which genuine peer relationships develop.
Clubs and Extracurricular Activities
OHDELA students participate in Art Club, Literary Magazine, Poetry Jam, and Book Club. Academically eligible students can join National Honor Society for high school or National Junior Honor Society for grades 6-9, two of the most recognized academic societies in the country. These societies give students formal recognition for academic achievement alongside a peer community of students who share high academic standards.
OHDELA Esports is a growing, competitive program for middle and high school students interested in competitive gaming and teamwork. Esports students practice strategy, communication, and execution alongside teammates, and compete against other schools in a format that creates the same kind of sustained peer bonds that traditional school athletics build over a season.
Group Projects
OHDELA students complete collaborative assignments through live sessions and the school's combination of eDynamics, StrongMind, Accelerate, and AMP Proprietary curriculum platforms. The Business Administration CTE pathway for grades 9-12 incorporates work-based learning opportunities and interactive projects that require professional communication and group coordination.
College Credit Plus students complete group work at the college level, alongside actual Ohio college peers. That experience, working through college-level material in a collaborative academic context, builds social skills in the most demanding environment a high school student can access.
Benefits of Online Learning for Student Confidence
National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society membership at OHDELA gives academically qualifying students formal recognition within a nationally respected peer community. Students who earn NHS or NJHS membership understand that their academic achievement meets a recognized standard. That recognition builds confidence rooted in demonstrated performance, not encouragement.
OHDELA Esports builds confidence through competitive performance. Students who train, compete, improve their game, and contribute to a team result develop the specific confidence that comes from sustained effort toward a measurable outcome. NCAA-approved coursework gives student-athletes a parallel track: competitive performance in their sport with the academic standing that collegiate eligibility requires.
College Credit Plus places OHDELA students in Ohio college coursework before graduation. A student who earns college credit while in high school, who succeeds in a college course environment alongside other motivated students, recalibrates what they believe is possible. That recalibration is one of the most lasting confidence effects online school can produce.
Learn more about OHDELA on the About OHDELA page.
How Parents Can Encourage Social Growth
OHDELA parents serve as learning coaches with access to the Canvas parent platform for monitoring attendance, grades, and progress. Orientation covers the platform, the communication tools, and the learning coach's role in establishing a daily routine that meets the grade-appropriate attendance requirement. A student who logs in consistently and attends live sessions is a student who stays connected to the OHDELA community.
Field trips organized around Science, Art, History, and Zoology themes are worth attending. Students who experience in-person thematic learning alongside classmates from across Ohio form peer bonds in a different register than those formed through a screen. Family days give parents and students the chance to meet the OHDELA community in person.
Esports participation is worth encouraging for students with a competitive gaming interest. Students who join the Esports program commit to team practice, develop communication skills under competitive pressure, and build relationships through shared effort. Parents who support Esports participation as a legitimate school activity support their student's social development in a way that aligns with the student's own interests.
Find resources, calendars, and family tools at the parent and student resources page.
Social Opportunities at OHDELA
OHDELA students connect through daily live instruction with targeted tutoring, Art Club, Literary Magazine, Poetry Jam, Book Club, National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, Esports competition, regional field trips across Ohio themed around Science, Art, History, and Zoology, family days, College Credit Plus coursework, and the Business Administration CTE pathway for high school students.
The combination of academic societies and student clubs creates a peer community organized around both achievement and interest. Students who qualify for NHS or NJHS belong to a community that recognizes their academic dedication. Students who join Art Club or Poetry Jam belong to a community that recognizes their creative voice. Both forms of belonging matter, and OHDELA offers both.
Online school builds social skills at OHDELA through a school community that takes extracurricular life as seriously as academic achievement. Clubs, societies, Esports, field trips, family days, and College Credit Plus access give Ohio students a full school experience, delivered through a tuition-free online model that reaches every corner of the state.
Explore CTE pathways, College Credit Plus, and academic programs on the OHDELA academics page.
Begin enrollment at the OHDELA admissions page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can online students make friends?
OHDELA students build peer relationships through daily live sessions, Art Club, Literary Magazine, Poetry Jam, Book Club, National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, Esports team practice and competition, regional field trips, and family days. Esports students develop sustained peer bonds through team practice and competitive seasons. Field trips organized around Science, Art, History, and Zoology themes give Ohio students in-person community experiences throughout the year.
How do online schools encourage collaboration?
OHDELA builds collaboration through live class sessions, Business Administration CTE work-based learning projects, College Credit Plus coursework at the college level, and Esports team strategy and communication. National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society create academically peer-aligned communities. The combination of eDynamics, StrongMind, Accelerate, and AMP curriculum platforms incorporates interactive and collaborative coursework throughout the academic year.
Are there extracurricular activities in online school?
Yes. OHDELA offers Art Club, Literary Magazine, Poetry Jam, Book Club, and OHDELA Esports. Academically eligible students join National Honor Society or National Junior Honor Society. The school hosts regional field trips across Ohio around Science, Art, History, and Zoology themes, as well as family days for the broader OHDELA community. Students may also participate in local school sports with district approval.
Do online schools offer live classes?
Yes. OHDELA students attend live class sessions as part of a daily schedule that requires 5-7 hours of academic work for grades K-8 and 6-8 hours for high school students, with a minimum of 5 hours of daily attendance. Teachers provide targeted tutoring for K-8 students and course-specific tutoring for high school students. OHDELA uses a combination of eDynamics, StrongMind, Accelerate, and AMP Proprietary curriculum.
How do virtual group projects work?
OHDELA students collaborate through live session group work, Business Administration CTE interactive projects and work-based learning, and College Credit Plus coursework alongside Ohio college peers. Esports students coordinate team strategy, practice together, and execute under competitive conditions, developing real-time collaborative communication skills that transfer directly to academic and professional settings.
Can online learning improve student confidence?
OHDELA builds confidence through National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society recognition, which affirms academic achievement against a nationally respected standard. Esports develops competitive confidence through sustained team effort and measurable performance improvement. College Credit Plus places students in college coursework before graduation, and the experience of succeeding at that level builds the lasting confidence that comes from knowing you can handle college-level work.
OHDELA is a tuition-free online public charter school serving K-12 students across Ohio. Visit the admissions page to begin your application.