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The Barnwell/Bamberg Adult Ed Class of 2023.
Marlena Isaac (guest speaker, Denmark Technical College), Antonio Johnson (Grad), and Harvey Hayes (adult ed instructor).
Marlena Isaac, Bryanna Dodson, and Harvey Hayes.
Marlena Isaac, Brittany Hutson, and Harvey Hayes.
Gracie Gleaton (left), daughter of BBAE director Joye Hallman, helps serve food at the reception.
Marlena Isaac, Zachery Owens, and Harvey Hayes.
Marlena Isaac, Kyle Hudson, and Harvey Hayes.
Director of the BBAE, Joye Hallman, said the 2023 class is filled with “students that will forever hold a special place in our hearts.”
Faith Kay and Faylyne Placide celebrate and proudly show their diplomas.
The Barnwell/Bamberg Adult Education program held their 2023 graduation ceremony on Tuesday, June 13th at the Barnwell State Park Community Building.
Friends, family, coworkers, and representatives from local colleges turned out to celebrate the 43 graduates of the class of 2023. The graduates ranged in age from 17 to 66 years old.
“The 2022-2023 school year has been filled with students that will forever hold a special place in our hearts. We are proud of each of our graduates and their accomplishments. Many of our students this year juggled families, employment, studying for their GED or high school diploma, and postsecondary training. Each graduate will certainly be missed,” said BBAE Director Joye Hallman, who has worked with Adult Education for 15 years and taught traditional K-12 school for 19 years.
Hallman opened the ceremonies and emphasized that it was not about the path taken or how each student realized their graduation goal, but the fact that they persevered and were successful, even if it was not in the traditional manner.
Guest speaker Marlena Isaac is the Workforce Development and Continuing Education Director at Denmark Technical College. She quoted Langston Hughes and asked “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?...” She continued highlighting the group’s journey by taking words from the Katy Perry song “Firework” saying, “You don’t have to feel like a waste of space. You’re original, cannot be replaced... Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed, so you could open one that leads you to the perfect road... your heart will glow and when it’s time, you’ll know. You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine... ’Cause baby, you’re a firework.”
The GED (General Education Development) test has been updated to make sure it measures what graduating high school seniors know and what colleges and employers will expect. It is under the umbrella of the State Department of Education and overseen by the State Superintendent of Education. There are four parts: Reasoning Through Language Arts, Mathematical Reasoning, Science, and Social Studies. The four tests take a total of over seven hours to complete.
The 2022-2023 Barnwell/Bamberg Adult Education graduates are: Shallimar Abella-Perez, Halle Bradford, Jasavion Busby, Faith Carver, Rashawn Chapman, Dalandin Clement, Jordon Cooper, Riley Cooper, Sahaad Dean, Bryanna Dodson, Blasdimir Garzon, Qyimel Grant, Olivia Hartzog, Kyle Hudson, Brittany Hutson, Stephen Jackson, Le’Sean Jessie, Antonio Johnson, Faith Kay, Douglas Kinard, Joshua Lyles, David Nathans, Zackery Owens, Amyiah Pettway, Faylyne Placide, Brenden Roy, Shawen Scott, Rahman Shakir, Shea Sligh, Ashley Springer, Aimsley Stone, Bernard Stone, Aleigh Thomas, Kornisha Twitty, George Washington III, Carson Wiles, Kimberly Williams, Christopher Wingard, Rachel Wolfe, Rebecca Youmans, Matthew Ziegler, Benjamin Zook, and Deborah Zook.
Hallman thanked her staff for all their hard work in helping these students reach their goal. Her staff and key people involved include Rebecca Guerry, Stephanie Williams, Gracie Gleaton, John Haskell, Harvey Hayes, Paul Morse, Son Seeah Parler, Jackie Schultz, and Carroll Brabham.
