LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — For Paige Sizemore, the day was bittersweet.

Sizemore was one of nearly 50 GED graduates to walk through Laurel County Adult Education and Literary (LCAEL) commencement ceremonies Thursday at the London Community Center.

Sizemore would have loved to have shared the day with her father, Ronnie, who made her promise she would one day go to college.  But Ronnie Sizemore passed away in May 2009 when she was 18.

 “I swore to him I’d go to college and do what he hadn’t done,” Sizemore wrote in an essay which won her a $500 LCAEL scholarship.  “The day I dropped out of school, I broke my promise to my dad.”

Grieving, Sizemore said she felt lost and gave up, dropping out of high school.

“I know he is right here with me today,” she said.  “Nothing makes me happier than to do this for him.”

Sizemore has already been accepted to Somerset Community College where she will pursue a degree in communication and web design.

From July 2011 to now, 183 Laurel Countains earned their GED, 40 more than last year, said Kathryn Hardman, LCAEL executive director.

“The reasons (they) didn’t finish high school the first time are as varied as they are.  For some, this moment is everything,” Hardman said.  

Graduate Arthur Rodenwold barely made it to commencement ceremonies this year.  He passed his GED test Wednesday.  

“It was something I needed to get done,” he said.  “Unfinished business.”

Rodenwold, 54, went into the military at age 15, but was kicked out of the U.S. Army shortly thereafter because he was too young.  At 17, the minimum age to enlist, he joined the Navy, and he has been a coal miner for the past 15 years.  He and his wife, Jami, have four children – Vincent, James, Hannah and Jacob.

Rodenwold was also one of nine honors graduates this year. Other National Adult Education Honor Society graduates include: Ashley Cole, John Delph, Madely Gutierrez, Kayla Hensley, Madison Minard, Shelby Pennington, Sarah Shackelford and Austin Thompson.  To be an honors graduate, students must have scored a 2600 or higher. A score of 2250 is the minimum for passing the GED.  

The GED is actually a series of five tests, Hardman explained, in the areas of writing, social studies, science, reading and math.

While the state requires a 450 average per test across all five subjects, the Laurel County Adult Education holds their students to a higher standard, she said. LCAEL requires students receiving free testing to earn a 480 or higher in all subjects.

“We make you prove yourself,” Hardman said.  “It’s an investment, for us and for you. And we like to make wise investments with our limited funds.”

With the funds raised through their annual Trivia Bee, LCAEL sponsored five $500 scholarships this year.  Each of the scholarship winners were required to write an essay.  The recipients were: Rebekah Miller, Brandi Swafford, Tiffany Baker, Madely Gutierrez and Paige Sizemore.

Gutierrez wrote she had learned a lot about herself during the GED process.  She wanted to earn her GED to be able to financially support her family and to be a good role model for her son.

Another scholarship to be given Thursday — the Ann Messer Scholarship — went to Jasmine Riley, who hopes to become a registered nurse. Riley, 20, was surrounded by friends and family as she received her GED.

“She’s the mother of two — Jordyn and Davieon — and she’s worked hard,” said Michelle Jackson, Riley’s mother.  

“I’m so proud of her,” her husband, Zach Williams, said.

The Simon Mortimer Scholarship went to Madison Minard.

Minard, 17, scored over 3600 on her GED test, one of the highest scores ever, Hardman noted. She was homeschooled throughout her youth and used the GED program as an alternative for graduating high school.  She will be attending Somerset Community College to pursue a degree in medical information technology.

Three memorial scholarships were given by the family of Kathy Claiborne.  Recipients were: Kelly Cardeman, Jalonda Davis and Shelby Pennington.

Cardeman, 42, plans to get her master’s degree in nursing, a field she has always had a passion for.

After she lost her job as a nurse’s aid, her son, Michael Philpot, encouraged her to get her GED.  The North Laurel High School freshman said he was “very proud” to see his mother walk through graduation.

Prior to getting his GED, graduate Ronnie Blevins, 57, found it difficult to find jobs because he did not have his high school diploma.  

“I had applied for several jobs and they couldn’t hire me,” he said.

He found the Laurel County Adult Education program while working though Experience Works, an employment program for seniors, and earned his GED in March.

“I was working painting barn quilts through Experience Works,” Blevins said. “They were giving computer classes at the adult education building and I wanted to take them. You have to do an entrance exam when you go in.  Angela Petrey, who was over Experience Works at the time, came up to me one day after computer class and told me I had done really good on my entrance exam and asked if I ever thought about getting my GED.”

It took him six months to complete the program, and he is so proud he did.

“When you are younger, you don’t think much about small accomplishments, but, when you’re older, they’re big,” he said.



editor@sentinel-echo.com