Daniel Chambliss is a sociology professor at Hamilton College in New York who, in the 1980’s, did a study on Olympic swimmers which was ultimately published as an article titled “The Mundanity of Excellence: An Ethnographic Report on Stratification and Olympic Swimmers.” While this may not initially sound like something that might translate to what we do, over the years I have found Chambliss’ observations from this study to be both profound and inspiring. 

Essentially, Chambliss set out to determine why some high-quality swimmers peaked at “really good,” while others became champions. In the end, he came to three conclusions. First, that being excellent is about quality not quantity, or as Vince Lombardi said, “Practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.” The second conclusion is that “Talent is a useless concept...[our] conceptions if natural ability tend to mystify excellence, treating it as the inherent possession of a few.” This is not meant to debase the talented; the point is that talent alone does not guarantee excellent results. LeBron James was gifted with talent, but only realized his potential when he paired that talent with an incredible drive and the willingness to work and improve. Chambliss’ final conclusion was that excellence is not a product of extraordinary things. “Excellence is accomplished through the doing of actions, ordinary in themselves, performed consistently and carefully, habitualized, compounded together, added up over time.”  

To me, this study says that it does not take special gifts to be great. It takes effort. It takes doing the right things right. It takes a million little things, things that I control, to improve daily and to ultimately succeed at whatever I have set out to do. In her book Grit, Angela Duckworth summarizes Chambliss’ findings elegantly with two equations: talent x effort = skill; skill x effort = achievement. Or in other words, “talent counts, effort counts twice.” 

So where does this fit in to VOL and your child? No matter where your child fits on the talent spectrum, consistent effort will set the stage for achievement. That being said, we need to make sure that your child is consistently exposed to the right stuff and at the right time. At VOL, we have found that students who attend live lessons, maintain contact with their teachers, and “travel” through the curriculum at the suggested pace are much more likely to find success in virtual education. Do you know when your child’s live lessons are and where they should be in their classes this week? (hint: live lesson times and pacing guides are posted on each teacher’s FLVS landing page!)? Do you know how to check your child’s progress to ensure that they are keeping up with their work on FLVS? If not, scroll down to see how to make a parent account on FLVS. 

In addition to being successful in accessing the curriculum, virtual education requires you to replace the structure that is traditionally provided by the school day. This creates routines for your child and allows them to develop the habits of successful students. We have gone to great lengths this year to organize the live lesson schedule to help you create a consistent school day for your child. What does the school day look like at your house? Do you have dedicated “school time?” Do you incorporate time to go through the online lessons with your child and hold them accountable for attending live lessons? How are you helping your child develop consistent habits during the day that will benefit them in school and in life?

If you don’t have time to read Dr. Chambliss’ study or Angela Duckworth’s book, I would encourage you to take six minutes and watch this commencement speech by Admiral William McRaven and I think you’ll get the general idea. It’s the little things that make a difference.

Thank you for reading, have a great week.

Dr. Serianni

Spirit Night for Volusia Online Learning will be held on Oct. 5th, 2023 with Texas Roadhouse in Orange City and Port Orange locations from 4pm to 10pm.

Both Texas Roadhouse locations will donate 10% of total food purchases from TO GO ORDERS and to our school!

Present the flyer via phone or in physical form to your server at pick up or dine in to ensure the donations go to Volusia Online Learning.

Share the flyer with your friends and family to support our school! Both flyers will also be on our school website.

Attention Seniors!

You may now schedule your sitting for Senior Portraits with Dean Stewart Photography in Daytona Beach. Use the link below.

East side students may go to the Dean Stewart Photography Studio located at

955 Foster Way Suite 322 in South Daytona any time between the hours listed above.

Students on the west side may come to the VOL (Volusia Online Learning) office located at 250 Enterprise Road, Deltona, Bldg. 3 during the same times listed above. The VOL office is in Deltona Middle School. Please keep in mind about the parent pick up and drop of traffic when planning your visit. Make up day to be determined!

VOL Robotics Club is excited to announce our first meeting will take place on Thursday, September 28th from 3:00pm to 5:00pm at Deltona Middle School! Open to 1st through 8th graders, please join us in person for a general interest meeting where we will explain FIRST Lego League, the upcoming competition season, and how to get your child involved in robotics and programming. If interested in joining VOL Robotics, even if you cannot make the first meeting, please fill out this form for each interested student: https://forms.office.com/r/Yi2jeaMUSs

Happy Howie’s Ice Cream Truck will be onsite! Happy Howie’s will donate 20% of total purchases to our school!  Eastside and Westside students come join the fun! We are looking forward to seeing you!

**** THIS IS NOT A PUBLIC EVENT*****

We are getting an early start on the collection of non-perishable items for families that need help during the Thanksgiving Holiday. We will have a designated drop off area at our Trunk or Treat event for donations. Check out the list of items needed, and we thank you in advance for your generosity!

Our School Advisory Council (S.A.C.), which meets monthly, assists in making recommendations on how our school operates. S.A.C. membership is comprised of elected parents, staff, and business community officials.

• Are you interested in what goes on at school?

• Are you one of our many working parents who cannot be at school during the day to help or volunteer?

• Are you willing to commit to attending eight face-to-face meetings during the school year for approximately 1 hour. Elected members serve for 2 years.

Contact Ms. Horne for more information at slhorn@volusia.k12.fl.us

See preview of upcoming meeting dates:

It is important that students check their VCS email accounts regularly for individual testing information, including test registration information, test tickets, and remote testing Zoom links. The testing window for remote PM1 FAST tests for Grades 3-10 ended on September 29th.

Additionally, the fall testing window for the BEST Algebra 1 Retake and the 10th Grade FAST Reading Retake also ended on September 29th. This week, October 6th will be the last day of the fall testing window for End-of-Course (EOC) exams at zoned schools. The next window for EOCs at zoned schools will begin in late November.

Students who qualify to take the PERT and/or ACT NCR this fall were sent an email with a link to register. Registration closes for these tests on October 1st. The PSAT and SAT SD exams will take place at zoned schools on October 26th for those who submitted the registration form in September.

If you have any questions about testing, please reach out to Dr. Markell either by emailing bgmarkel@volusia.k12.fl.us or by calling 386-734-7190 extension 72701.

One of our VOL student spotlights is shining brightly on Delia Pustejovsky, a VOL 1^st Grader. Mrs. Kochis, Delia’s nominating teacher, says “Delia participates in all classroom learning and instruction. She shares her thoughts and is always honest! Recently Delia showed amazing flexibility during our district wide testing as she had to switch gears quickly and it didn't stop for one second.  Delia is persistent in her pursuit to learn new things. She loves dogs and hopes to work with them one day in the future. Delia thrives in the online learning environment and is always a joyful learner! Above all, Delia is kind on all days and in all ways.”

Another VOL student spotlight is shining brightly on Richard Vega, a VOL 10th grade student who was nominated by his Math teacher, Mrs. Jenkins. According to Mrs. Jenkins, she nominated Richard because he, “…is a joy to work with and has a great sense of humor. He is also a hard worker and completes his assignments on time. He attends the live lessons and participates in the class discussions. Richard goes above and beyond.” 

Congratulations, Richard, keep up the great work!

Our school would like to say a HUGE thank you to Happy Howie’s Homemade Ice Cream for their Business Partnership with Volusia Online Learning. Their shop is located at 1666 Providence Blvd. in Deltona. They also have an ice cream truck. For route and flavors of the day give them a call at 1-631-235-4392 or check them out on Facebook.

Their truck will be at our Trunk or Treat Event on 10/20/23 and donating 20% of total purchases back to VOL (Volusia Online Learning)!

Volusia Online Learning would also like to thank both Port Orange and Orange City Texas Roadhouse locations for also supporting our school via business partnership.

These partnerships help support our school activities and student/teacher acknowledgement throughout the school year.

Educational Doctorate - Argosy University

Master of Science in School Counseling - Stetson University

Bachelors of Science Elementary Education - Bethune Cookman University

Dr. Grant began her teaching career with Volusia County Schools 25 years ago as an elementary teacher. After that, she was a School Counselor and Instructional Teacher on Assignment. She started with Volusia Online Learning this year. The thing she enjoys most about being at VOL is building relationships and learning all about the virtual world. When not working, she spends time with her family and loves to read.

I joined Mrs. S. Burnam Hoyt’s PE class and one student in the class said, “Hey Dr. Grant, ‘I missed you.’” I was shocked to hear that a student recognized me, when I saw his face and name, I remembered that he was a former student from Manatee Cove Elementary.

Parent/Guardian Account  Virtual School Administrator (flvs.net)                        

1. Login to your account at- FLVS Login

We are rapidly approaching the end of the first nine weeks. Please ask your child where they are in their courses to ensure they will complete all required assignments by 3:00 PM on Friday, October 13th. Please have your child schedule their required DBAs early to ensure they are complete prior to this deadline. Report card grades will be issued based on student’s progress or lack thereof for each course listed on their schedule (this includes special area and elective courses). 

Join us for VOL’s Drive Thru Trunk or Treat event on Friday, October 20th from 5:30-6:30 PM at Deltona Middle School. Our staff can’t wait to see you! Happy Howie’s Ice Cream Truck will also be onsite for purchases. 

This year, Coach Burnam-Hoyt is excited to host social events/activities for VOL students. These activities are designed to provide VOL students, families and staff the opportunity to gather and participate in a variety of events. These events are designed to promote physical and fun activities for all ages. The benefits of being physically active improve brain health, encourage positive social interactions, enhance your mood, boost confidence, generate more physical energy, and improve overall ability to participate in everyday activities. Please complete the brief survey to help us guide our upcoming VOL Unplugged events and activities to be more convenient, inclusive, and accessible.  Get Unplugged! Stay Active! Stay Healthy!  

Attention parents of Seniors, it is not too late to book senior portraits with Dean Stewart Photography (www.dsp-photo.com). This week our School Board finalized graduation dates. Please mark your calendars now for:

We are asking all Seniors to complete a brief Senior Survey to share their thoughts about upcoming senior meetings and activities. Please click the link below: https://forms.gle/K51VbuUDxmuYxhRR6

Copyright Notice

Reproduction of this material, either written or electronically, including the general layout, graphics, analyses, and content topics without the express approval of Target Performance Systems, Inc., a Florida corporation, and Volusia Online Learning is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of the Volusia County Schools and especially Volusia Online Learning. Please contact Dr. Serianni at aaserian@volusia.k12.fl.us with any questions related to the program.

Volusia Online Learning | Dr. Serianni, Principal | 386.506.0014 | VOL Website