Diploma will help 18-year-old to achieve goals

By Nick Carter

I want to earn my GED® diploma, so I can better my life and get a decent job, so I can support myself for the future. Getting my diploma is very important to me, because I am now 18 years old and am still being supported by my mother. I need this diploma, so I can start supporting myself and make my life better.

I also need this diploma, so I can achieve my goals in life and not worry about money. I was inspired by my uncle to get my diploma because he went through some of the same things I have. He got his GED® diploma and is now the foreman of a paving company.

I am going to get my GED® diploma, so I can have a better life and not worry about money issues or having problems getting a job. I also need my diploma, so I can do something with my life and be happy with what I do. Getting my diploma will be a big achievement for me and will help me get to where I want to be in the future.

Nick enrolled in the Adult Education program in February 2012 and began Official GED® Testing in May. To start your GED® program, call the Adult Education program at 474-7553.

Posted by Patte Bowman  on May 8, 2012 | Read more in: News

Scholarship benefits adults going to college

SKOWHEGAN – Current or former RSU 54 / MSAD 54 Adult Education students pursuing post-secondary education or training may apply for the Alice Haiss Scholarship.

Eligible recipients must have successfully completed at least one academic class through RSU 54 / MSAD 54 Adult and Community Education in Skowhegan. The money can be used to assist in the payment of tuition and fees, textbooks, application fees, and prerequisite courses. This may include tuition reimbursement for successfully completed courses or the courses’ associated direct expenses or scholarship toward future course expenses.

“The scholarship can be used to help with any type of training or education beyond high school, such as college, Commercial Driver’s License or Certified Nursing Assistant course,” said Adult Education Director Patte Bowman.

Scholarships will be awarded at the Adult Education graduation ceremony at 7 p.m. on June 13^th at Skowhegan Area High School.

Alice Haiss of Skowhegan worked as an adult education teacher for many years as part of the Somerset County Basic Skills Program. She taught literacy, basic skills, GED Preparation and English as a Second Language at the program’s Learning Center. She also taught GED Preparation, basic and life skills at the Somerset County Jail for many years. During that period she took part in a three-year federal grant project called The Esteem Machine that combined the teaching of life skills with basic reading, writing, and math skills.

Completed applications (typed applications are preferred) are due by May 25, 2012. Forms can be downloaded by clicking Alice Haiss Scholarship. For more information, call RSU54/MSAD 54 Adult and Community Education at 474-7553.

Posted by Patte Bowman  on May 3, 2012 | Read more in: News

UM Cooperative Extension in Somerset County announces gardening series

Master Gardener Volunteers will teach you how to go from start to finish, or more appropriately, from boards to harvest.  In this series you will learn, hands-on, how to build, plant, maintain and harvest from raised bed square foot gardens and containers.

Objective:
Local Master Gardeners will care for the garden as a group and give monthly classes to show local county citizens how to successfully grow produce vegetables in a raised bed or container garden.

Session 1 – Building a Raised Bed
Thursday May 10th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Rain Date: Friday May 11th at 3:00 pm

Session 2 – Starting your Garden
Thursday June 7th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Rain Date: Friday June 8th at 3:00 pm

Session 3 – Caring for Your Garden
Thursday July 12th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Rain Date: Friday July 13th at 3:00 pm

Session 4 – Using Your Harvest
Thursday August 9th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Rain Date: Friday August 10th at 3:00 pm
With special guest Gail Cardarelli, Nutrition Associate

Session 5 – Putting Your Garden to Bed
Thursday September 13th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Rain Date: Friday September 14th at 3:00 pm

To register for sessions, please call the office at (207) 474-9622 or 1-800-287-1495 to register for the sessions you are interested in. There is no charge for this course.  If you are a person with a disability and will need accommodations to participate in this program, please call Tom Goodspeed at 1-800-287-1495 to discuss your needs. Receiving requests for accommodations at least 10 days before the program provides a reasonable amount of time to meet the request, however all requests will be accepted.

Posted by Patte Bowman  on April 3, 2012 | Read more in: News

Adult Education program gives 55-year-old a new beginning

by Sarah Clemons

Going back to school at age 55 is not what it was as a teenager! As a teen, I thought I knew it all, but as an adult I worried that I had forgotten everything that I had learned. This essay is about my own personal experience with the GED^® Program.

          My decision to finally go back to school to get my diploma came at a very difficult time in my life, just a few months after losing my husband of 31 years after a two-year battle with cancer. I was lost, devastated and afraid with no real focus or purpose. I needed something constructive to occupy my time.

          I was terrified the day I walked into the Adult Ed Office…doubting my decision, fearing failure and feeling completely out of my comfort zone. My fears were soon put to rest and I found myself beginning to get excited about the program. The instructors are friendly, supportive and helpful…with the patience of saints! It wasn’t long before I realized this was going to be a great experience.

          The GED^® Program is giving me the opportunity to realize my own potential; I have been amazed with my test scores, my self-esteem has improved tremendously and I have gained a sense of accomplishment, as well as an urgency to push myself to learn even more.

          In conclusion, all I can say is that this experience has been very rewarding and fun for me; I would highly recommend it to anyone. My personal goal is to get my diploma and continue on to further my education. It is true that “This is the first day of the rest of your life” and what you choose to do with it is entirely up to you. Set your goals and strive to reach them. For me, the new beginning has started with the GED^® Program.

Sarah Clemons recently completed Official GED^® Testing and earned a Maine High School Equivalency Diploma from the State of Maine at RSU 54 / MSAD 54 Adult and Community Education in Skowhegan. Copyright and ownership of this article is the property of the author. Copying of this article without express written permission from the author is prohibited.

RSU 54 / MSAD 54 Adult and Community Education is an Official GED Testing Center™ in Maine authorized by GED Testing Service^®.

The GED^® credential earned by passing the GED^® test in Maine is called the Maine High School Equivalency Diploma.

GED^® and GED Testing Service^® are registered trademarks of the American Council on Education (ACE). They may not be used or reproduced without expressed written permission of ACE or GED Testing Service. The GED^® and GED Testing Service^® brands are administered by GED Testing Service LLC under license from the American Council on Education.

Posted by Patte Bowman  on December 15, 2011 | Read more in: News