At Coco Chapman’s very first ice skating competition, she fumbled. She began dancing before her music turned on, and she didn’t catch the mistake until she heard the soundtrack kick in. Her immediate reaction was to stop. Her parents saw their little girl freeze from the bleachers, but a quick signal from her coach allowed Coco to recover and continue dancing. If she had not resumed dancing, Coco would have been disqualified from the competition. Instead, she came in third. She learned a very important lesson that day- to always keep going.

Coco, whose full name is Coral Rose Chapman, is a seventh grader at Laurel Springs Gifted and Talented Academy, an accredited online private school where she is enrolled in ninth grade level courses. And, as much as her dedication to ice-skating and piano have served as a platform for academic success, her academics also allow her to be the dedicated pianist and skater that she is.

At Laurel Springs all students are required to take an Academy Symposium, a course that introduces them to powerful figures in society. Coco took Jane Goodall’s lessons about work ethic and grit to heart.

“In school, I was taught to break up daunting tasks into more manageable parts that could be tackled individually as a means to completing a larger assignment,” she explains. “Similarly, when I skate or practice piano, I avoid feeling overwhelmed by focusing on individual milestones, such as landing a particular jump or mastering a specific measure of a song.”

Three years ago, Coco took up ice-skating, attending group lessons at the local rink, Valley Children’s Ice Center of Bakersfield. Since then, she has moved to private lessons and began competing in both state and national competitions. In 2017, Coco earned two silver medals at her first international show.

Coco will compete at the State Games of America in August 2019.

While ice-skating is a favorite past time of Coco’s, her first love is piano. Coco started playing piano nine years ago at Harmony Road Music School. She was 5 when she composed her first song. It was only 30 seconds long, but Coco’s teacher liked the song enough to submit it to the Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) for their annual evaluations of student compositions. She was the youngest student selected to perform his or her composition at MTAC’s annual convention that summer.

Every year since then, Coco has submitted a composition for review and every year her piece has been selected. Last year, she performed five pieces at the event.

“Performing my original music at MTAC’s annual convention each summer has become an annual tradition for me and one that I look forward to all year,” Coco shares.

After high school, Coco wants to study music composition and become a music composer. “My dream is to attend a top music school such as The Julliard School in New York City or Berklee College of Music in Boston,” says Coco, adding that she hopes to double-major in math, as well.

At both schools, Coco would be allowed to attend an Ivy League school to obtain her second degree concurrently.

Coco’s parents are not just pleased with her extra-curricular activities, but also with the young academic’s performance at Laurel Springs. Her parents turned to the online private school looking for a customized curriculum for Coco, one that would challenge her and allow her to move at her own pace.

Because the school is both self-paced and mastery-based, Coco has been able to move through two math grades almost every year, and also take electives including French, art, coding, and American Music Appreciation.

Coco’s mom, Lara Chapman, sees the connection between her daughter’s academics and extra curricular activities, and agrees each informs the other when it comes to Coco’s successes.

“I hope that these activities will reinforce the work ethic that she has already acquired through her rigorous academic schooling,” Lara says. “I expect that her experience at piano festivals and figure skating competitions will develop her fighting spirit and instill good sportsmanship, which will serve her well in future academic and professional endeavors.”