Ged

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Waynesboro Adult Learning Center will hold its 13th annual GED graduation at 5 p.m. Saturday at Waynesboro Middle School. L. Michael Ross, president of Franklin County Area Development Corp., will speak on employment opportunities and expectations in the Cumberland Valley. A dinner will follow the ceremony at Savoy Restaurant in Waynesboro for graduates and their guests. For information about the ceremony or about earning a GED, call William H. Witherow at 1-717-762-1191.

by RIC DUGAN / staff photographer enlargement By BRENDAN KIRBY / Staff Writer It's not every day that a graduate's father and grandchildren are on hand for high school graduation. But when Les and Jean Milburn walked across the stage at South Hagerstown High School Wednesday night, their supporters - including Jean Milburn's father and five of their nine grandchildren, ranging in age from 11 to 18 - cheered them on at the graduation ceremony. --cont from news -- Both dropped out of high school in the 1950s and didn't look back until years later.

Washington County has the highest percentage of people passing the General Educational Development (GED) test in the state, according to statistics released by the Maryland State Department of Education. The pass rate at the county's testing center, Hagerstown Community College, was 75.42 percent for the 12-month period that ended June 30, 1999. Frederick County's rate was a close second with 75.25 percent. The state average was 52.5 percent. The Maryland State Department of Education computes pass rates by dividing the number of people who passed by the total tested, minus incompletes.

Gelwicks-Tosten Lindsay Ranee Gelwicks and James Wellington Tosten announce their engagement. Miss Gelwicks is the daughter of Robert and Sonya Gelwicks of Hagerstown, formerly of Thurmont, Md. She is a 2003 graduate of Catoctin High School. She is the operations manager for her family business, G&G Drywall Services Inc., of Hagerstown. Mr. Tosten is the son of Linda Pierre of Hagerstown. He attended South Hagerstown High School, and obtained his GED in 2001. He is lead drywall technician for G&G Drywall Services Inc. The wedding is planned for today.

8 Roxbury Institution employees get awards Photo: RICHARD T. MEAGHER Staff Photographer Pictured from left are Roxbury Correctional Institution service award recipients: Edward J. Testa, James r. Mahone Jr., Fran Kauffman, Denise Gelsinger, Gary Heerd Jr., Bernadette Raimondi, and Vernell Doyle. Not picture is James Sword IV. The following employees were honored recently as the Roxbury Correctional Institution's Employees of the Year 2001.

The Barr Construction Institute, the education division of the Cumberland Valley Chapter of Associated Builders & Contractors, is accepting applications for apprenticeship/craft training classes. Training is offered in carpentry, electrical, HVAC-R, industrial maintenance, masonry and plumbing. The program is registered with the U.S. Department of Labor, the Maryland and Pennsylvania Apprenticeship & Training Councils and the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is accredited through the National Center of Construction Education and Research, an affiliate of the University of Florida.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.VA. -- A man was struck and killed by a train last weekend while camping with friends in Morgan County on the CSX Trail. Travis Daniel Lee, 26, of Martinsburg Road in Berkeley Springs, was found dead Sunday morning by friends about 200 feet from the campsite, Morgan County Sheriff Vince Shambaugh said.   His friends told deputies that Lee went up the railroad bank near the train tracks at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday night to use his cell phone, Shambaugh said.

Virginia Wilson's life has been about education. In the latest chapter, she and her daughter, Leesa Mercer, started a year-round program at Life House West Church to help people prepare for the General Education Development, or GED, tests. The program is also for English as a Second Language, or ESL, students and to tutor children after school. “I feel that it's important to invest in people, the person,” Wilson said. The nonprofit program, called Community Life Institute, has grown exponentially by word-of-mouth.

Hagerstown Community College held its annual Adult Education Commencement ceremony May 18 in the ARCC. Following remarks from HCC President Guy Altieri, attendees heard from Judith Oleks, vice president of academic affairs; and two students, Freedom Davis and Erik Boone. GED program graduates included: Big Pool - Brittney Summers Boonsboro - Elesha Hurley, Kelly Hutchinson, Kaitlin Latimer Cascade - Lorretta Kline Clear Spring -Charles Bryan, Robert Hare, Stephen Peplinski Fairplay - Ronald Creager Hagerstown - Kelly Baker, Christopher Branham, Sabrina Clem, Sean Coffin, John Combs, Michelle Conover, Corey Dorsey, Crystal Ebersole, Amber Fraser, Donald French, Robert Griffith Jr., Stephanie Grove, Barbara Hamilton, David Jenkins, Patrick Kemmerer, Craig Kennedy Jr., Ryan Kleckner, William Kline, Andrew Kuhlman, Bobbi Lady, Erica McCormick, Sasiluck Muangpetch, Joshua Myers, Alisha Nicewarner, Joshua Norton, Holly Peters, Jennifer Reed, Christopher Shindle, Brett Smith, Brittany Walter, Jennifer Wiles, Laddaka Wilson, Tyler Wood, Meighan Young, Jessica Youngbar, Michael Zarefoss Hancock - Lee McCauley Knoxville, Md. - Travis Dillman Sharpsburg: - Seth Jarrell Smithsburg - Dustin Clever, Adriane Johnson, Bradley Jump, Kenneth Lapole, Douglas Shirk, Patricia Shirk Williamsport - Jessica Kegley, Amanda Smith, Cierra Spigler, Eric Toman External Diploma Program graduates included: Cascade - Karin...

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - After witnessing steady or climbing school dropout rates in recent years, officials of Jefferson County schools are pleasantly surprised by a decline in the rate, a school official said Monday. The number of students dropping out of school decreased from 104 to 78 between the 1997-98 school year and the 1998-99 year, Sandy Dougherty, attendance officer for the local school system, said. The school district's dropout rate was 3.4 percent last year, above the state average of 2.9 percent.

Free GED classes are coming to Hancock in a few weeks, courtesy of Hagerstown Community College.   Classes will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Hancock Presbyterian Church, 17 E. Main St.  The classes will run from Aug. 7 to Oct. 25. The Interfaith Service Coalition has been asked to handle registration. To sign up, call 301-678-6605.   Vacation Bible school A sizable crowd has been in attendance each evening this week for “Take Me To the Water,” this year's vacation Bible school at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church in Hancock.  If you've missed out, there's still time.

Virginia Wilson's life has been about education. In the latest chapter, she and her daughter, Leesa Mercer, started a year-round program at Life House West Church to help people prepare for the General Education Development, or GED, tests. The program is also for English as a Second Language, or ESL, students and to tutor children after school. “I feel that it's important to invest in people, the person,” Wilson said. The nonprofit program, called Community Life Institute, has grown exponentially by word-of-mouth.

Brigitte Bardot, Sean Connery, Frank Sinatra, Steve McQueen, George Harrison, Gene Hackman, James Garner, Eminem, Peter Jennings, Jerry Lewis and Wayne Turner. Wayne Turner? Wayne Turner grew up and still lives in Shannondale in the mountainous area of Jefferson County. He and those above, plus thousands of others, famous and unknown, have earned their GEDs, or General Education Development certificates. Turner dropped out of seventh grade at age 15, barely able to read.

Wearing a black cap and gown, Samantha Ford stood in front of more than 100 people Sunday afternoon at an event she told them she thought she’d never get to celebrate — graduation. “It has been a struggle all my life. I had my first child at the age of 16,” said Ford, 27, of Hagerstown. At that time, she had just come out of ninth grade at an Anne Arundel County, Md., high school, where she had been reading at third- and fourth-grade levels, she said. On Sunday, she was one of 90 students graduating after completing Hagerstown Community College’s External Diploma Program or earning their General Equivalency Diploma (GED)

Hagerstown Community College held its annual Adult Education Commencement ceremony May 16 in the Athletic, Recreation and Community Center. Following remarks from HCC President Guy Altieri, those in attendance heard from Judith Oleks, vice president of academic affairs and two students, Catrice Davis and Guillermo Perez. Dawn Schoenenberger, director of developmental education and adult literacy services, conducted the presentation of graduates and Altieri, assisted by various members of the HCC Board of Trustees, awarded diplomas.

JAN. 27, 1922-DEC. 6, 2009 Mary Louise (Blickenstaff) Ridenour, died Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. She was born to Ralph and Hattie Eckstine Blickenstaff. She married Howard Cullers (deceased) and they had two children, James Edward and Betty Jane Cullers Miles. Later, she married David Homer Ridenour (deceased) and they had Peggy Ridenour Hardinge. Mary worked for the Greenwalt's on the Terrace as a young girl, later marrying Howard Cullers and moving to Michigan.

Laid-off employees must take positive steps To the editor: The front-page headline announcing the pending closure of the Good Humor-Breyers Ice Cream plant was another one-two blow to a county already reeling from closures, layoffs and record high unemployment. Unlike many who lose their jobs, Good Humor employees are getting the news months in advance of when the actual layoffs begin. One thing that continually strikes me when I begin working with someone in career transition is how little time they have spent managing their career.

BOONSBORO -- Lisa Allen said the decision to ride in the annual Great Bicycle Tour of the C&O Canal, sponsored by San Mar Children's Home in July, was easy. The hard part was trying to figure out how to raise at least $450 to qualify for the fundraising venture. A teacher at San Mar, Allen said she and her workout friend, Joan Bowers, quickly decided to ride, but raising money was a challenge. One day, they were sitting in a restaurant thinking of how to raise $450 each for San Mar. "On two napkins, we listed ideas," Allen said.

BOONSBORO -- Lisa Allen said the decision to ride in the annual Great Bicycle Tour of the C&O Canal sponsored by the San Mar Children's Home in July was easy. The hard part was trying to figure out how to raise at least $450 to qualify for the fundraising venture. A teacher at San Mar, Allen said she and her workout friend, Joan Bowers, quickly decided to ride, but raising money was a challenge. One day, they were sitting in a restaurant thinking of how to raise $450 each for San Mar. "On two napkins, we listed ideas," Allen said.

HAGERSTOWN -- Nearly 70 years after dropping out of high school, Carolyn Hill raised her arms in the air and shouted "I did it!" Hill, 85, spent a lifetime waiting for the moment when she could call herself a high school graduate. "I've wanted to do this," said Hill on Sunday . "I feel great ... I feel brighter. I'm just so happy that I'm able to do this. " The Hagerstown resident was one of 88 students to graduate this year from the Adult Education and Literacy Services program -- a grant-funded program through Hagerstown Community College.