GED RECIPIENTS AND ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE STUDENTS
HONORED AT SCC’S ADULT EDUCATION AND LITERACY
RECOGNITION CEREMONY  

Students in the Adult Education and Literacy program at St. Charles Community College were honored during a recognition ceremony on Wednesday, June 17.
 
Students were recognized for receiving their General Education Development certificate, and for achievement, improvement, and attendance in the ESL program. Three students, one from Venezuela, one from Mexico, and one from Peru, were recognized for becoming U.S. citizens.
 
During the 2008-09 academic year, 375 SCC students received their GED and more than 500 SCC students took part in the English as a Second Language program.
 
Shantell Behnke, 36, addressed honorees, families, and friends during the ceremony. Behnke received her GED certificate in 2004, and is proud of the influence her education is having on her children. “I applaud every last one of you,” Behnke told GED recipients. “It’s a big accomplishment.” Behnke currently owns her own business and is taking classes at SCC.
 
Yordanos Gates, a 35-year-old from Eritrea in northeast Africa, spoke on behalf of the ESL students. “Many of us dream to earn a degree in the U.S.,” Gates said. “English will help us to get a job and communicate better in our personal life and with our families.”
 
“For many students, this is the first step toward a better job and a better life,” said Diane Schroeder, associate dean of the Adult Education and Literacy program at SCC. “Adult students face many challenges when they decide to return to school, and this ceremony celebrates their success.”
 
The Adult Education and Literacy program at St. Charles Community College teaches basic reading, math, and writing skills to prepare people to take the GED tests and to assist non-native speakers in gaining English proficiency. The program extends to four counties (St. Charles, Warren, Lincoln, and Pike), and free day and evening classes are available.
 
For more information about the AEL program at SCC, call 636-922-8411 or visit www.stchas.edu/ael.

St. Charles Community College is a public, comprehensive two-year community college with associate degrees and certificate programs in the arts, business, sciences, and career-technical fields. SCC provides workforce training and community-based personal and professional development as well as cultural, recreational, and entertainment opportunities. For more information, visit www.stchas.edu.

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