Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
Parent University's Class of 2023 included 26 parents from Williston-Elko schools. They are pictured with Nancy Brady-Wood, the class's professor, and Dr. Marcella Shaw, the recently retired interim superintendent of the Barnwell County Consolidated School District.
Recently, 26 participants completed Parent University, a program that was included in the Williston-Elko Strategic Plan and Academic Recovery Plan as a way to engage parent involvement. This was the second year that the program was implemented with nearly 60 graduates resulting from the program.
Chris Bottorff, one of this past year’s participants, highly recommends the program. “It is a program that covers relevant topics facing parents in today's world in an effort to expose parents to valuable information that can make parenting a better experience.”
The program is geared towards helping parents become better engaged with their children. For a duration of 16 weeks between November 2022 and March 2023, parents were asked to watch videos on a weekly theme with topics such as mental health, nutrition, goal setting, motivation, bullying, substance abuse, and financial literacy, among others. Parents were then prompted to reflect on how discussions of such topics could help their own families, as well as the families of other parents.
“Week after week, I have been blown away by their honesty, their vulnerability, and their thoughtful, powerful responses,” said Nancy Brady-Wood, the professor for the program. “These graduates are not only outstanding parents; they are top-notch human beings.”
The program is a key component in helping individuals deal with the overwhelming responsibility of being a parent. According to Luther Owens, a parent and educator, the program made him feel less isolated. “Hearing from others who were going through similar issues with their children, made me feel much better because I thought I was the only one going through it.” For Owens, the program was just overall an enjoyable experience. “The motivation and encouraging words from our professor, Mrs. Nancy Brady made everything much at ease. From the updates on how we were doing on lessons, the motivation of winning gift cards and prizes, the laughs when we all said, ‘My child does the same thing,’ and many other moments that were full of fun and learning.”
For Bottorff, the most exciting part was the information that he was given and the benefits that came with it. “Each week I looked forward to the next assignment to be released. Numerous times, I was excited to share the information with our kids and have them watch some of the videos.”
The 26 graduates participated in a graduation ceremony on March 27, marking the importance of continuing the education of parenting.
Luther definitely felt the impact of the program. “Completing this program has not only improved my parental mental health and well-being, but it also improved my communication skills with my children. I hope this program will continue to forever operate and offer parents the tools and strategies to help understand their children’s individual needs.”
Though Parent University has only been for parents of students in Williston-Elko's schools, the Class of 2024 will be opened up to parents in Blackville-Hilda's schools as well.
If you have an interest in participating in the Parent University, visit https://www.bccsd.net/apps/pages/parentuniversity to learn more.
