iQ Academy Washington marked the official statewide expansion of its online school for Washington students in grades 7-12 on Friday, July 18 as one of the school's administrators pursued a Guinness World Record for scuba diving with a laptop -- the first known attempt at such a feat.

"We wanted to take a unique approach to demonstrating the freedom and flexibility online education offers students to complete schoolwork anytime, anywhere ... literally!" said Pamela Kislak, an iQ Academy administrator. "The World Record attempt was a fun way to accomplish this and mark the official expansion of our online school, which will open its virtual doors to students across the state for the 2008-09 school year this September."

iQ Academy Washington is a division of KC Distance Learning, Inc, and operates as a program of the Evergreen Public School District. iQ Academy Washington will build on the success of Evergreen Internet Academy, an online school that has been serving high school students in the Evergreen Public School District since 1999, and expand to offer its award-winning program to students statewide beginning this Fall.

Anton Leof, an iQ Academy administrator, successfully completed the scuba dive with a laptop across a cove in Puget Sound, and even demonstrated a mock homework assignment with his laptop at the bottom of the cove. Other staff members also participated in the event, cheering him on from shore. Spectators were able to watch Leof's progress across the cove using a live surface-level tracking device. The dive is now pending review by the Guinness Book of World Records for the official World Record title.

iQ Academy Washington is a nationally recognized online school offering a high-quality, tuition-free education option for students in grades 7-12. Students can excel at their own pace and work with Washington-certified teachers who are specially trained in online instruction. The award-winning curriculum offers core courses such as English and math, along with extensive Advanced Placement classes. Unique curriculum offerings -- such as virtual science labs and a wide-range of world language courses for everything from Spanish to Mandarin Chinese -- provide students with unparalleled educational opportunities. Once enrolled, students receive textbooks as required for their courses, a monthly Internet stipend and optional use of a laptop computer. As in traditional public schools, these learning tools are provided to students at no cost for as long as they are enrolled in iQ Academy Washington.

iQ Academy Washington will host a series of open houses throughout the state for local families to learn more about this unique education option and view a demonstration of the virtual classroom setting. For a complete list of open house dates and locations or more information, please visit or call 1-877-702-4792.

iQ ACADEMY LAUNCHES ONLINE TALENT CONTEST

To further demonstrate the freedom and flexibility of the online school program, iQ Academy has launched an online talent contest called "30 Seconds of Fame with iQ Academy." The contest is intended to highlight how the online education environment provides an ideal setting for students to pursue their passions and hobbies, such as acting, performing, athletics, music, volunteerism, and travel. The contest is open to all students in grades 6 - 12 who can enter a YouTube video to win savings bonds, cash and prizes now through July 31, 2008. For more details, visit

ABOUT iQ ACADEMY WASHINGTON

iQ Academy Washington, a program of the Evergreen School District, offers an alternative to traditional classroom-based learning: a tuition-free online school serving grades 7-12 that meets the needs of students and families while setting the highest standards of academic quality. iQ Academy is the only online school with over 30 years of distance learning experience. Certified teachers provide small-group instruction and individualized feedback, and students benefit from frequent interaction with teachers and peers. The program serves college- and career-bound students, and graduates earn high school diplomas accepted at colleges and technical schools throughout the U.S.

EVERGREEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Evergreen Public Schools is one of the fastest-growing large school districts in Washington and the fifth largest of the 296 districts in the state, educating more than 25,000 students in grades K-12. In Evergreen Public Schools, we declare that all students will have the opportunity to attain the skills necessary to be world-competitive upon graduation. In Evergreen Public Schools, we believe: that no child is expendable; that all students, given the right environment, will learn and excel; that students are our priority; that a world-competitive school system is dependent on the unique talents and perspectives of staff, parents and community members; and that all students will develop the skills needed to face moral and ethical life challenges with integrity, honesty and self-respect.

ABOUT KC DISTANCE LEARNING, INC.

KC Distance Learning is the leading provider of online learning programs for middle and high school students including core, honors, world language, AP and credit recovery courses. For over 30 years, KC Distance Learning has enriched the lives of over 200,000 students through high quality online and correspondence education programs. KCDL partners with public school districts to operate iQ Academies, offering a public, state-wide tuition-free online education for middle and high school students who want an alternative to a traditional school. For more information, please visit .

For more information:

Erin Gannon, (414) 390-5500