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'Stars' shine Saturday during first-ever GED prom night

By Rose Hooper
Crowing the Queens? Crowing Royalty - Southwestern Community College President Cecil Groves, left, crowns Chris Carver, center, and Connie Mills, right, during the "You're A Star" GED prom Saturday night at the Family Resource Center. Although the rain lightly misted outside - just enough to "frizz" the elegant beauty shop curls - the stars shone brightly and proudly Saturday night.

AmeriCorps VISTA members converted the Family Resource Center into a starlit evening with stars of all sizes and brilliance swinging from the ceiling of the former Webster school. Along with Southwestern Community College, the FRC hosted the first-ever Jackson County GED prom.

"We chose the theme 'You're a Star,'" said coordinator Sharon Wyatt, "because each of our graduates accomplished so much to achieve this sense of stardom. The prom is our way of celebrating their accomplishments."

"These graduates, or 'stars,' deserve their own prom. Many of them have worked harder for a degree than those who stay in school and receive a regular high school diploma," said GED instructor Bill Lee, who thinks the FRC's idea of a GED prom will catch on with other GED instruction centers.

GED graduate Connie Mills, crowned queen of the prom, agreed that achieving her GED "wasn't easy. It was hard for me, a lot hard than regular school because I have been out of school for so long, and so much, especially the math, has changed."

You go!

Lee Smith, right, tries a dip with Elly Winstead at Saturday's GED prom.

 Mills quit school in 1992 when she was in the ninth grade.

"I quit when I had my first child, but now my children are the reason I went back to school," said this mother of four ­ Corey, 9; Matthew, 8; Wesley, 5; and Kayla, 3.

"I want my children to know that you can get your education despite hardships like quitting school," Mills said. "But I want it easier for them, so even now when they are young I encourage them to stay in school. It's my hope that they go straight through."

Her son Corey plans to be a veterinarian.

"I tell him how important an education is for that job... that he needs to stay in school," said Mills, who frequently reads to her children. "Literacy is a skill all of my children need to function in today's society. That's why I read so much to them, especially at night."

Mills even encouraged her husband, Bill, to go back and get his GED.

"I quit school in 1988 and Connie talked me into going for my GED in 1993. It was harder than just going straight through school. I get better jobs when an employer knows I have my GED," said Bill Mills, who equated his GED with a sense of respect.

SCC President Cecil Groves, who brought his wife to the prom, crowned the king and queen during the evening's festivities.

"The FRC's program is a plus for SCC," Groves said. "Many of the GED graduates come to SCC for our advanced degree programs. We're glad to have them enrolled in our college because they've already shown their commitment and their willingness to work hard."

Back to Archive: 08/02/01.