Five Students Graduate from Adult High School

Five students received their diplomas through the adult high school program in a special graduation ceremony Monday evening at the DCHS cafeteria.
Cody Chastain, Paul Gilliam, Justin Cantrell, Jerica Wilkins, and Alisha Davis were recognized for completing the program.
Coordinator and Instructor Susan Hinton said the accomplishments of these individuals is certainly something worth celebrating. “This evening was to honor and to celebrate the five students who previously had no high school diploma and now have a high school diploma to go out into the world”, she said.
Director of Schools Mark Willoughby also commended the adult high school graduates on their achievements. ” I think people need to remember that a DeKalb County Adult High School diploma is a high school diploma. So many of the doors that were locked before a high school diploma are now open for these five people and they have opportunities out there in front of them that they didn’t have before. Regardless of what some people think, when you get an adult high school diploma, you have worked for it. It doesn’t come easy. It’s very difficult. There’s no quick way to get a high school diploma. It comes with a lot of hard work and I congratulate all the students for the work they’ve done and to Mrs. Hinton for the superb job she does,” said Willoughby
If you didn’t complete your high school education, you can go back to school through the adult high school program. Students graduate as they finish their course work.
Hinton said “I get many calls from people wanting to get into the program, but I refer them to DCHS School counselor. Call 615- 597-2243 or set up an appointment. The school counselor will go through your record and determine how many credits that you have. There are different qualifications depending upon what years you were enrolled in high school,” said Hinton
Hinton said students who attend the adult high school are not taking a short cut to obtaining their diploma. “Each student is independent in their subjects, so they’re pretty much self guided. Each course has it’s own set of criteria, depending upon what subject the student is working in. I also do career counseling with them and we have guests in from time to time to talk to them about various careers. There’s not a short cut. They have to do the work to match the clock hours. They have to pass that subject. In other words, if they sit in there and they do the time and don’t do the work or pass then they will fail. I also have had some high school students who have already had a course and did not complete it for credit. So for them there is what is called Credit Recovery and sometimes they can go back and pick up a class by doing computer work that matches that class. But even that is quite a bit of work. That is not a short cut either. There is no short cut to getting a high school diploma,” she added.
Long time educator W.C. Braswell is also an instructor in the adult high school.
For more information call the high school guidance department at 615- 597-2243 or the adult high school at 615-597-2254.
(Pictured: Teacher W.C. Braswell, Cody Chastain, Paul Gilliam, Justin Cantrell, Jerica Wilkins, Alisha Davis, and Coordinator/Instructor Susan Hinton)