Oct 26, 2006

Orange Lutheran Online is "a really good program for people in the business," says actress

Micah Williams and Laivan Greene met in Toronto while working on the upcoming Disney Channel film "Jump In!" Thousands of miles away from Southern California, they worked together for two months before realizing they attended thre same high school.

“One day, Micah and I were walking down the street, and I asked him what school he went to,” Greene explained. “He said he took online classes from Orange Lutheran, and I said, ‘You’re kidding: I go to Orange Lutheran, too.’”

She hadn’t recognized Williams’ face from the hallways of Lutheran High School of Orange County because he didn’t actually attend his classes on campus; he took them all online from his computer.

Williams is one of 39 students who attend Orange Lutheran exclusively online. He said attending Orange Lutheran Online (OLO) is a good fit for his actor’s schedule, since classes are held asynchronously, allowing students to participate whenever they choose. Williams was so enthusiastic about the program, in fact, that Greene decided to start taking some of her classes online.

“It’s a really good program for people in the business,” said Greene. “It’s really flexible, and the set teacher can help me with the online classes.”

Laivan is currently working over forty hours a week on the set of the sitcom “All of Us,” which airs Monday nights at 8:30 on the new CW network (KTLA-5 in the Los Angeles area). Gaylind Greene, Laivan’s mother, said that Orange Lutheran Online has been an excellent match for her daughter’s needs.

“It’s an awesome program,” she said. “On the set, you never have a predetermined schedule. You need the flexibility of OLO, since your schedule can change anytime depending on script changes or how the shooting is going. When you go back and forth between the classroom and the set, you need to work at your own pace.”

Laivan still takes three of her classes at Lutheran High’s physical campus in Orange. She’s one of hundreds of students who take only part of their workload online—and that’s the way her mother wants it. A 1984 graduate of Lutheran High, Gaylind Greene said that the availability of the physical Lutheran High campus is just as important to her as the flexibility of the online classes.

“It’s good for Laivan to keep in regular contact with her friends and to see them face-to-face,” she said.

Micah Williams feels the same way, and a recent visit to the Lutheran High campus convinced him to participate in some extra-curricular activities. He hopes to play basketball for the Orange Lutheran Lancers this winter and is also exploring Orange Lutheran’s band and musical theatre programs.

Greene’s and Williams’ film is scheduled to air next year on the Disney Channel. It stars Corbin Bleu (“High School Musical”) as a boxer who joins a double-dutch jump rope team.                                                                                                                             

“Jump In!” is not the first screen appearance for either actor. Greene has appeared in “Without a Trace” and “The Bernie Mac Show.” Williams has appeared in “Bruce Almighty,” “The Ron Clark Story,” “Like Mike 2,” and “Joan of Arcadia.”

Although the two have no current plans to appear together again on screen, they will perform together on the stage—at an upcoming midnight fundraiser for the Orange Lutheran basketball team, when they will sing a duet of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

"Jump In!"

Airs: Yet to be determined date on the Disney Channel

Laivan Greene’s role: Keisha-Ray, a member of a double-dutch jump rope team

Micah Williams’ role: a boxer and friend of Izzy Daniels (Corbin Bleu)

"All of Us"

Airs: Monday nights at 8:30 on the CW (KTLA-5)

Laivan Greene’s role: Courtney, Dirk Black’s (Tony Rock) newfound 13-year-old daughter

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