R.E.A.D. honors students with picnic lunch

GED students took some time away from their studies to celebrate.

On Thursday, the Reading Education Association of Dawson County (R.E.A.D.), hosted a picnic at the Lanier Tech campus in Dawsonville.

Walmart provided hotdogs and a cake for the event.

Some of the graduates attending the picnic said theyre planning careers in the medical field.

Courtney Allison said she is planning to attend Lanier Tech to become a medical assistant. She said she's also looking forward to getting married next year.

Meschelle Kirby also plans to attend Lanier Tech and wants to be an EMT.

Sharon and James Wilson are new students to the GED program. The couple, who have been married for 30 years, have been taking classes for five weeks.

They decided to complete their diplomas after the plant James worked for moved its operations to Florida. It was then they realized they needed more education.

"These days, you have to have a GED to get anywhere, so we decided to do it," Sharon said.

Sharon said she dropped out of school in 12th grade to take care of her grandmother. James quit school to work and take care of his mother.

The couple now attend classes four days a week. "We'd go on Fridays if they were there," Sharon said.

Sharon said that at first, she worried about going back to get her diploma, but the teachers at the Adult Learning Center eased her mind.

"The teachers there, I just love them, she said. Being our age, I was afraid. I get nervous real easy. They are just wonderful teachers."