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22 local residents earn GEDs By Lugene Hudson It may have been family problems. It may have been a move to another school district. Or perhaps the student�s grades were plummeting. The reasons for not graduating from high school are varied. For those who didn�t, it is a momentous occasion to at last receive a high school equivalency certificate. Renee Bissell was forced to quit school when she learned she was pregnant. Now 24, with a six-year-old, a one-year-old and pregnant with her third child, Bissell knew the importance of education. So she enrolled in a program sponsored by the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV, Adult Literacy Lawrence County Choices and Lawrence County Career Link. On Wednesday, she was among 22 people who received a GED certificate during a ceremony at the New Castle Playhouse. It�s a decision she is glad she made, and she juggled raising children, working and attending classes five days a week. Now that she has completed the courses necessary to receive a GED, Bissell is considering becoming a nurse�s aid and then a licensed practical nurse. �I think education is very necessary and I wanted my kids to know that,� she said. �The best part was the accomplishment of succeeding after all the hard times. I never gave up. �With a little bit of help, everyone can do it,� Bissell said. �I feel wonderful.� Bissell is especially pleased the intermediate unit has made receiving a GED more valuable by presenting it at an actual ceremony. �The best thing the Midwestern Unit has ever done is hold the ceremony,� she said. �It�s the personal satisfaction that comes from getting a diploma.� The GED recognition program is similar to a high school graduation with a prelude, procession, invocation, presentation of certificates and speakers, said Lorinda Hess, director of continuing education for the intermediate unit. �To receive an invitation to a graduation ceremony becomes more meaningful,� Hess said. The educational experience also helps the students become self-sufficient and boosts their self esteem, she explained. �We help them overcome different obstacles, gain self-confidence and show them they can succeed in any endeavors.� Hess said classes prepare students to read and write, and for the GED or high school equivalency exam. For Lisa Valentino, 18, high school was stressful, so she dropped out last year. But the Ellwood City resident was determined to further her education, so just three months after she quit school, she enrolled in a GED class. Valentino believes attending those classes was one of the best decisions she ever made and credits instructor Patty Panico for offering more one-on-one teaching. �I needed to do this to go forward with my life and be complete and better myself,� Valentino said. Not only did she receive her GED diploma, Valentino also landed a job working at the front desk of the Holiday Inn in Beaver Falls and plans to attend a two-year hospitality service program at the Pittsburgh Technical Institute. Because Valentino believes her future looks so bright, she put on a pair of sunglasses as she accepted her diploma at Wednesday�s ceremony. While she doesn�t encourage others to drop out of school, Valentino said that if they do, striving to get a diploma or GED should be at the top of the priority list. �You can�t get any kind of decent job without an education.� Add a comment  |
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