The Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School is a public charter school in the state of Pennsylvania. Our school is funded by state tax dollars and governed by Pennsylvania public school, charter school, cyber charter school and applicable federal laws. The school’s initial charter from September 2001 to June 30, 2006 was granted by the Norristown School District. Since the renewal of the school’s charter, the Pennsylvania Department of Education serves as our charter authorizer and monitors PAVCS’ compliance with the stipulations of its charter. The school’s current charter is for a period of five years from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2011. The school Charter Application, Charter Renewal Application, Master Agreement and Annual Reports for 2002 – 2006 are available on this web site in the Our Community: Accountability section.
PAVCS has a Board of Trustees comprised of parents and community members who are passionate about providing educational options to students in Pennsylvania. The role of the Board of Trustees is to develop policies to ensure the school operates in compliance with applicable local, state and federal laws; provide fiduciary oversight of the school’s administration and accounting of public funds; and set goals for and monitor student achievement.
The PAVCS Board of Trustees holds regularly scheduled meetings every other month. The Board convenes on special occasions as needed. In compliance with the Sunshine Law, Board meetings are advertised in newspapers, the school’s calendar, the web site and Blackboard. Board meetings are open to the public. Members of the PAVCS community are encouraged to attend Board meetings. The minutes for Board meetings are available on Blackboard in the School Office section or by writing the Administrative Office in Norristown. To find out when the next Board of Trustees Meeting is, please click here.
Contact the Board at bot@pavcsk12.org. Copies of the minutes of Board meetings can be obtained by submitting a written request to Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School.
Sheldon Thorpe, President
Michael Kello, Vice President
Melinda Morrison, Secretary/Treasurer
Mark Graham
John McElvenny
Bonnie Schaeffer
Dr. Mark Graham is a history professor at Grove City College, and has taught at Michigan State University and Stanford University. He has Ph.D. from Michigan State University, an M.A. from the University of South Carolina, and a B.A. from Bob Jones University. He is a member of the Association of Ancient Historians, the Society for Late Antiquity and Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Society. Dr. Graham is conversant in four ancient and modern languages; has published many articles, and has recently published his first book, "News and Frontier Consciousness in the Late Roman Empire" with the University of Michigan Press. He and his wife Becky have three daughters.
to the topMichael Kello is currently a public school assistant principal at the Pleasant Valley School District, and has owned and operated his own computer training and consultation business. He has a B.S. from West Chester University, a Masters in Educational Technology and a Masters in Educational Leadership, both from Wilkes University. He recently received training from Gene Bedley, CEO of the National Character Education Center. The training allows Mr. Kello to present character education seminars to educators on behalf of the Keystone Teachers Association (KEYTA) and the Association of American Educators (AAE). He is a member of Keystone Teachers Association, Association of American Educators, Character Education Partnership, Beltzville Flying Machine Society, Ashfield Flying Club, AOPA, and Saints Peter and Paul Church. Mr. Kello and his wife Paula have a son who is enrolled in the third grade at PAVCS.
to the topJohn McElvenny is the president of J.P. McElvenny Co. Inc. He is a 1978 graduate of Devon Prep School and a 1982 graduate of the University of Delaware with a Bachelor's in Marketing. He has been a member of the First West Chester Fire Co. since 1978, and was involved with the West Chester Jaycees from 1983 to 1988 serving as Chapter Vice President. Mr. McElvenny currently serves as vice president of public awareness for the Foundation Fighting Blindness (Philadelphia affiliate) and has been the chairman of the "Blind" Wine Testing Gala. Mr. McElvenny and his wife Linda have two children.
to the topBonnie M. Schaefer, in addition to serving as a Trustee of PAVCS, has taught her son in our school since 2001. She holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. in Marketing, from Temple University. Ms. Schaefer has particular expertise in growing startup technology companies, having done this for Dun and Bradstreet and several smaller high tech companies. She has taught marketing at the college level and has been named in numerous "Who's Who" publications. Ms. Schaefer and her husband Paul also have a daughter.
to the topSheldon Thorpe is the Director, Human Resources for Graham Packaging in York, PA. He earned a BS in Industrial Engineering from GMI Engineering and Management Institute in Flint, MI and an MS in Decision Sciences from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. He and his wife Sandy live in Lancaster County with their five children, who are all enrolled at PAVCS. The Thorpes are a pioneer PAVCS family, enrolling their oldest three children in 2001, the first year of the school's operation.
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