College and Career News

Hello FCAE!!

Whew -- we're in the home stretch! It's our 4th Quarter: a time to keep pushing to reach your most important goals at FCAE! We will start it the best way on Tuesday, April 9 with a Community Celebration, aka Celebration of Champions, as we close out March Madness and all that our students accomplished in the months of winter and early spring. Those of you who attend morning classes regularly at McClenaghan will not want to miss it...awards for March Madness winners, making TABE Gains, earning a WIN credential, passing a GED test, and completing at least five HSD credits! The event begins at 10:00 AM and ends with visits from special guests and a FREE taco bar lunch from the FS1 Food Truck. Good stuff happening here!!

There are many other events on our April calendar. We hope you will participate in numerous opportunities for support and resources! Nationally, April is also both Child Abuse Prevention and Autism Awareness Month. Both initiatives use "Blue" as a color to raise awareness, so we are happy to sponsor "Wear Blue Wednesdays" on April 10, 17, and 24. We will have blue lapel pins available beginning on Wednesday, April 10. We hope everyone will support these two worthy causes!

May and June will be here before we know it...a time for celebrations and graduations! Make sure you are ready by using April to water your garden! Remember, April showers bring May flowers!

Wishing you all the best and success,

Dr. Justice

How interested are you in hands-on, active work in a professional, indoor, clean work environment that includes consistent hours and a family-supportive pay scale? YOU may be interested in a job in manufacturing! Many industries in Flornce County require a year's experience in manufacturing before they will consider hiring an applicant. Manufirst SC Certification is a 70-hour course that waives that eligibility requirement for many companies. This course is being offered, through scholarship, to interested, eligible adults. Requirements for enrollment follow:

-Must be employable in SC

-Must attend 100% of classes

-For the scholarship, must be a FCAE graduate OR have already earned a high school diploma or GED

Training, provided by FDTC Corporate and Workforce Development, will be offered in the afternoons from 1-4:30 p.m. beginning Monday, April 29 and ending Thursday, May 30, with employer interviews on the morning of Friday, May 31. Classes will be held at the McClenaghan Annex, 500 S. Dargan St., Florence, SC 29506.

Anyone interested must apply before classes begin. We welcome any of our graduates AND other community members who have already earned a GED or diploma. Please contact Anne Stone as soon as possible at Anne.stone@fsd1.org or 843.758.6406.

Are you considering a career in the military? Take the ASVAB at McClenaghan on Tuesday, April 23 at 8:30 a.m. The results are only official if you are pleased with your scores and want them to count. GED and HSD students are both encouraged to try this test, which is a great indicator of career aptitudes both in and out of the military. Additionally, high scores could earn you a career readiness cord!

We honor our graduates who choose to serve in the military, including Alex Arroyo, U.S. Army, who graduated in the fall of 2023.

Do you need to get your South Carolina beginning driver's permit? Join us at McClenaghan on April 8 and April 15 from 12-1:30 p.m. for two "lunch and learn" classes as we prepare to take the SC Driver's Permit test. We will grab our school lunches and then meet in room 102 for information, questions and answers, and games. We thank SCHP Sgt.Cherry for his assistance with this class in March! To register, contact Anne Stone.

Please see flyers below for Lake City Lifelong Learning Center offerings in April!

Students and their families are attended the Florence County Adult Education Resource Fair on Tuesday, March 5 from 10 a.m.-noon. Representatives from many agencies offered services. DHEC flu shots were available. In addition, Lighthouse Ministries, Naomi House, Lifeline Free Cell Wireless Phones, Pee Dee Coalition, Hope Health, FDTC, WTC, and many other agencies met with students and their families. We thank our community partners for their presence and support.

On March 25, Lake City LIfelong Learning Center hosted a Community Luncheon. Mayor Yameika Robinson was the honored guest speaker. She told the students to DREAM BIG and never give up. In addition to parents and students, others in attendance included a representative from DHEC, a retired guidance counselor and a retired principal. Dr. Justice introduced herself and spoke on the importance and benefits of Adult Education. Students shared their short and long term goals. DHEC will be returning soon to share how our students can benefit from the program. A parent offered to share her career exploration with the students. All 23 guests enjoyed the delicious and informative event.

The F1S STEM Starlab visited McClenaghan on March 11 and 12. The Starlab, a mobile planetarium that can be used by students of all ages to experience constellations, space travel, physics, and other STEM topics, was based in the Yellow Jacket Room and each class had a turn to visit. Students enjoyed the experience. Thanks to F1S for sharing this technology with adult education students.

Florence County Adult Education students traveled to the Barnes Street Activity Center in Florence to experience the Be Pro Be Proud Mobile Workshop on Thursday, March 21 at 8:30 a.m.

The Be Pro Be Proud SC project, modeled after the Arkansas Be Pro Be Proud initiative that began in 2016, was created and launched in 2020 to close the gap between job seekers and employers as companies seek to retain and replenish a qualified workforce as more experienced workers begin to retire. Taking a unique, targeted approach to removing the stigma from “blue-collar” jobs, its goal is to educate students and the public on the appeal and the importance of these jobs for our economy.

Modules simulating the actual work in various sectors are housed within the workshop, which travels throughout the state to schools, fairs, career centers, conventions, government events, military re-entry programs, and more.

Be Pro Be Proud SC is made possible through a public-private collaboration of leaders of the Associated Industries of South Carolina Foundation (AISCF) and the Department of Employment & Workforce (DEW), and other state education, workforce, and economic development agencies. Capital to build the mobile workshop and provide the job simulators comes from the private sector. DEW and other public sectors fund the campaign’s operation.

Thanks to PDRTA for transportation to this event and to SC DEW for including Florence County Adult Education in the experience.

Feelings of grief and loss do not always center around death. According to Psycholgy Today, a loss can be a "painful or debilitating experience(s) that do(es) not involve death." Almost everyone experiences some type of loss. On Tuesday, March 26, day and evening McClenaghan students were able to "paint through grief". Led by grief therapist Ms. Janice Alford, participants painted, shared, and dealt with grief. Lake City Lifelong Learning students experienced this workshop in the Fall. We thank Ms. Janice Alford of Agape Care for spending the day at McClenaghan.

On Monday, March 4, Petty Officer Tunnell visited McClenaghan to speak with interested students and share the latest recruitment initiatives, answer questions, and provide information about enlisting in the U.S. Navy. We have at least three students working towards enlistment in the armed forces, with several already serving. Interested students are encouraged to take the ASVAB at McClenaghan on April 23 at 8:30 a.m. (see flyer above for more information).

March Madness included several initiatives this year. Students and community members were encouraged to try up to two practice tests. Students and graduates were also challenged to take the WIN test (Earning a WIN credential gives a graduate the right to wear a "career readiness cord" at graduation). Finally, the GED and ESL students enjoyed a civics/government academic challenge! The competition was close, and all students enjoyed practicing their civics/government knowledge for both the GED and the US Citizenship tests.

Congratulations to all students who have earned workforce credentials such as forklift, CNA, CPR, first aid, welding, CDL, Manufirst, and others! Recently, five FCAE students earned forklift certifications. Thanks to Selena Powell who shared photos with us.

Upskills, IET, and other workforce credential earners, please remember to share a copy of your credential with your CCN! This step is extremely important to our record-keeping and accountability.

Below, please find contact information for each CCN. You may text or email a photo, or you may bring it in so we can make a copy. This will help us secure funding for adult education students NEXT YEAR. Thank you for "paying it forward" AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Dana Marsh dmarsh@fsd1.org 843.992.8051

Anne Stone anne.stone@fsd1.org 843.758.6406

Janice Howard jhoward@fsd1.org

The McClenaghan ESL class continues to learn actively through experiences! Goals of class members include improving spoken and written English, connecting with members of the international community here from throughout the Pee Dee, and learning to navigate procedures, customs, and laws in the USA while speaking English. In March, in addition to celebrating St. Patrick's Day, class members continued with presentations about their home countries and participated in a "March Madness" civics and government tournament with the daytime GED students. The group also traveled to the Florence Downtown Farmer's Market to discuss involvement in a cultural garden at the location. Several members of the group are planning to become involved with the planting and cultivation Hispanic Cultural Garden and with cooking signature dishes for the capstone event in September (See photos).

ESL classes meet at McClenaghan on Monday through Thursday from 9-12 and on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 5-8. To enroll, students should come to class during those times. McClenaghan is located at 500 S. Dargan St., Florence, SC 29506. Childcare for students who enroll in Family Literacy is available during the daytime class.

On Thursday, March 7 at 11 a.m., our county-wide Google Meet featured several Florence County Adult Education Alumni who shared information about their college/career pathways after graduation. We thank Samantha Locklair, Sursheka Ebron, Thomas Jackson, Raeshawn Williams, and Shatara Mosley for sharing their stories and encouraging other students to persist towards their goals.

In both Florence and Lake City, Generational Family Services welcomes nursery-age children to our child care centers while their parents attend classes. Periodically, parents and children participate in special activities focused on increasing family literacy. In Florence, parents, grandparents, and children travel to the Florence County Library for a story time tailored especially for the group. This month, students, parents, and grandparents enjoyed activities centered around "Read Across America with Dr. Seuss" and St. Patrick's Day. If you have children who are not yet school-aged, we want to honor and support you during this formative time. Contact your CCN or Family Literacy Coach for more information.

To date, 66 Florence County Adult Education students have earned a High School Equivalency Diploma (GED) or a High School Diploma.... with more to come! Graduation is scheduled for June 20, 2024 at 6:00 p.m.

""Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom." –George Washington Carver

Several McClenaghan students have asked for information about free tax preparation. While the AARP will NOT be meeting with taxpayers at McClenaghan, they WILL be available to assist. To make an appointment, use this link: https://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp_taxaide/locations/

All are invited to attend the First Friday event below. The event is similar to our "resource fair" in which many agencies gather under one roof to serve clients efficiently.