Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 24, 1994 TAG: 9406290020
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By JESSIE HENSLEY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The graduates will mark the completion of their secondary education by receiving high school diplomas or General Educational Development certificates at Montgomery County Schools' fifth annual adult graduation ceremony.
Meanwhile, 40 students will don caps and gowns in Dublin tomorrow night to receive their GED certificates in the fourth annual regional GED graduation.
For many, the graduations mean a chance for new opportunities and a new start.
Lois Dunn, 31, said finishing high school would set a better example for her 12-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter and would also make it possible for her to be promoted at work.
"I knew I could go no further without my diploma," Dunn said.
She said her decision was practically made for her when her son questioned the value of his own education.
"He said, 'Well, Mama, you didn't finish school. Why should I?' I couldn't argue with that," Dunn said.
Dunn, who left high school at the age of 16 because of "too many hard times," earned her GED certificate by attending classes offered by Montgomery County Schools' adult GED program.
"A lot of people look down on you because you quit school," she said, and deciding to return was hard. But once she attended the adult education classes, she believed she had done the right thing. She said that listening to the teachers talk to the class about the sense of pride a diploma provides made her feel more confident.
Ronna Spacone, Adult Literacy Coordinator for Montgomery County Schools, said there are many advantages to completing a high school education: increased self-esteem, personal growth and independence, job opportunities, continuing education and training opportunities. Also, the students become a positive influence on family and friends.
Dudley Smith went back to school for the job opportunities.
He had seen a job listing at Corning Glass Works that required a high school diploma, he said, and he wanted his GED. Tonight, he'll get it.
Smith said he left high school at 16 because he wasn't getting along with his assistant principal. He "wanted to put me out," Smith said. "I didn't want to give him that opportunity."
Smith earned his GED through Even Start, Montgomery County's family-centered learning program, and his instructor, Elizabeth Cochran, said he enjoyed it.
"Dudley was already a model for his children, but in the program he was a model for the other participants, by enjoying learning," Cochran said.
"You can do it at your own pace," Smith said. "It wasn't anything like going to school."
Connie Woolwine, 47, decided to go back to school and earn a high school diploma "for myself, for my self-esteem."
Woolwine, who left school at 16 to get married, said making the decision to go back to school was easy.
"It was just like a light went on when I saw this ad [for the Night High School program] in the paper. I wanted to go back and do it right," Woolwine said.
Woolwine said she would encourage any adult who has not yet earned their diploma to take the time to do it. She said she felt self-conscious about her age at first, but "it felt good to be in class."
"I don't think anybody should be afraid to go out and do this," Woolwine said.
Friday night's recipients of high school diplomas attended Montgomery County's Night High School, a traditional high school credit program for adults who need only a few credits to graduate.
GED graduates earned their certificate by either studying on their own or by attending GED classes, offered free in Montgomery and other counties.
GED recipients must pass five separate tests and exceed a specified average score to earn a GED diploma.
Montgomery County's adult graduation ceremony will be held tonight at 7:30 in the Christiansburg High School auditorium.
Dunn will speak about the adult education program.
Sen. Madison E. Marye, D-Shawsville, will present the graduation address and Richard Ballengee, supervisor of Montgomery County Schools' secondary education, will give the welcoming remarks and present the graduates.
A reception will follow the ceremony.
For more information on Montgomery County's Night High School and Adult Basic Education/GED programs call 381-6125.
The Dublin ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday at New River Community College on the lawn in front of Godbey Hall. Teresa Normandin, a GED diploma recipient who went on to graduate with honors from NRCC, Radford University and the University of Virginia, will be the speaker. Edwin Barnes, president of NRCC, will give the welcome.
For more information, contact Marfesa Clark, Regional Adult Education coordinator, at 674-3652.
by CNB