Ivy Ladd, a student in the Midcoast Adult and Community Education, stands with the programs five of the programs six graduates after a ceremony at Medomak Valley High School on Thursday, June 12 in Waldoboro. From left: Ivy Ladd, Zeb Wentzell-Brehme, Ellie McLeod, Roxanne Miller, Joel Barrett, and John Coxen. (Sherwood Olin photo)
With a small crowd of family and friends looking on, Midcoast Adult and Community Education celebrated the graduation of six adult learners during a brief ceremony in the Medomak Valley High School library on Thursday, June 12 in Waldoboro.
The six graduates completed their HiSET, or high school equivalency tests, to earn their diplomas. Five live or lived within RSU 40 and one lived within RSU 12.
Graduates included Joel Barrett, six Portland; John Coxen, of Warren; Jaxon Day, of Somerville; Eliana McLeod, of Warren; Roxanne Miller, of South Bristol; and Zeb Wentzell-Brehme, of Waldoboro.
Day, who could not attend the ceremony due to a work commitment, picked up his diploma Wednesday, June 11.
Ellie McLeod, of Warren, is all smiles after picking up her diploma at Medomak Valley High School during a ceremony on Thursday, June 12. McLeod is one of six graduates to receive their diplomas through Midcoast Adult and Community Education this year. (Sherwood Olin photo)
Addressing the graduates, RSU 40 Superintendent Steve Nolan offered his congratulations and encouraged the students to continue their education beyond high school. Education widens career opportunities, increases income potential, and is linked to better health outcomes, Nolan said.
“I want you to know this accomplishment is a stepping stone to even greater things, and we can’t wait to see where this new path takes you,” Nolan said.
Midcoast Adult and Community Education Director Raye Leonard recalled her parents’ own struggles to finish high school, saying she knew it was not easy for the current graduates.
Adult learners pursuing their equivalency diploma have to overcome whatever previous education issues they may have had while simultaneously managing real-world commitments like parenthood and employment, Leonard said.
“When you made the choice to come back to finish, you did a brave thing,” Leonard said. “That was just the beginning of your story, that day when I met you the first time, and today does not mark the end. Today, you become not just high school graduates, but high school graduates who overcame any challenges to get here.”
At the time he left high school in 2010, Coxen said he was “not a good student,” struggling with his mental health and a saddled with a poor work ethic.
“I found it was incredibly challenging just to make though the day,” he said. “Getting any education at that point felt as likely as being visited by an alien. Fifteen years later, I am a graduate.”
Diploma in hand, Coxen said he plans to pursue higher education focusing on business, with the goal of obtaining financial security while building businesses that operate in an ethical manner.
After Coxen’s remarks, Leonard bestowed several awards to the graduates followed by the awarding of diplomas.
Jaxon Day, of Somerville, picks up his diploma from Midcoast Adult and Community Education on Wednesday, June 11. Day was unable to attend the graduation ceremony scheduled for the following day, at which the programs five other graduates were recognized. (Photo courtesy Midcoast Adult and Community Education)
Barrett and Miller each received the Persistence in High School Completion Award, recognizing their “exceptional commitment to achieving their educational goals while juggling multiple other commitments.”
Ladd received the Persistence in Maine College and Career Access Award for making steady progress throughout the program year toward her goal of enrolling in a veterinary assistant program.
Coxen was presented with the Lifelong Learner Award for “persistence, plus curiosity, determination, desire to learn, humility, and a positive attitude.”
The graduation ceremony culminated in cake, conversation, and photos.
Midcoast Adult and Community Education offers high school completion, career and college advising, workforce preparation, and enrichment courses to adults in RSU 40 and RSU 12, serving the communities of Alna, Chelsea, Friendship, Palermo, Somerville, Union, Waldoboro, Warren, Washington, Westport Island, Whitefield, Windsor, and the region at large.
For more information, go to mace.maineadulted.org or email raye_leonard@rsu40.org.
