ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, May 18, 1990                   TAG: 9005180807
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: MARGIE FISHER RICHMOND BUREAU
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Short


WILDER LAUDS TEENS GOING THE EXTRA MILE

Two vans full of Roanoke and Lexington area young people drove more than 300 miles Thursday to spend less than 10 minutes with Gov. Douglas Wilder.

But they got their picture taken with him and received his commendation for going the extra mile - to get a high school diploma.

The governor's visitors included several Roanoke teen-agers who had dropped out of school and are now enrolled in the Total Action Against Poverty high school equivalency teaching program and three 17-year-olds from Lexington who are enrolled in TAP's "Project Pride."

That program identifies potential dropouts and offers them special help, including one-on-one counseling and more individual attention from teachers to encourage them to stay in school.

Another Roanoke teen on the trip is taking part in Project Discovery, a program that encourages and helps prepare minority students to attend college.

Wilder congratulated the young people for having the good judgment to have "grabbed again" the opportunity for education "that might have slipped through your fingers."

He told them the importance of an education is more than just job preparation. It's self-esteem.



 by CNB