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Resident among Georgia School for the Deaf graduates - WaltonTribune.com: Education
For five seniors at the Georgia School for the Deaf, their senior year became an endurance test they all eventually passed with flying colors. Having earned the credits for completing the required coursework, the only obstacle to graduation was the Georgia High School Graduation Tests, which have always been challenging and often difficult for deaf students.
New expectations for participating in graduation exercises at the school meant no student would be permitted to graduate unless the student was a special education student or had earned a regular diploma. With the promise of a December graduation ceremony if they earned their regular diplomas, the “Fab Five” continued to take classes, study and retake the graduation tests until they were successful.
Davion Gilling, of Loganville, is one of the five students whom the school celebrated at an event recently in Cave Spring. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alden Gilling and is also the class valedictorian. Gilling is currently enrolled at Georgia Northwestern Technical College in Rome and plans to transfer to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, N.Y., next year.
“We call them ‘senior’ seniors because they’ve been in high school well past four years,” said GSD Director Lee Shiver. “They made up their minds they were not going to accept a special education diploma or a certificate of attendance when they and all of us knew they were capable of earning a regular diploma.”
Raising expectations for the students who wanted to graduate and be eligible for postsecondary education opportunities has become standard for most students who now attend GSD. For the school, which did not award any regular diplomas to any students in 2005 or 2006, the first ever December graduation ceremony is a cause for celebration. It’s also an accomplishment that Shiver wants all of his students to understand and admire.
“That’s why we’re doing this during the school day,” said Shiver. “I want all of our students, from kindergarten to high school, to understand how important this is and why this should be their goal as well. All five of these students are well liked and are wonderful role models for our kids.”
For five seniors at the Georgia School for the Deaf, their senior year became an endurance test they all eventually passed with flying colors. Having earned the credits for completing the required coursework, the only obstacle to graduation was the Georgia High School Graduation Tests, which have always been challenging and often difficult for deaf students.
New expectations for participating in graduation exercises at the school meant no student would be permitted to graduate unless the student was a special education student or had earned a regular diploma. With the promise of a December graduation ceremony if they earned their regular diplomas, the “Fab Five” continued to take classes, study and retake the graduation tests until they were successful.
Davion Gilling, of Loganville, is one of the five students whom the school celebrated at an event recently in Cave Spring. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alden Gilling and is also the class valedictorian. Gilling is currently enrolled at Georgia Northwestern Technical College in Rome and plans to transfer to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, N.Y., next year.
“We call them ‘senior’ seniors because they’ve been in high school well past four years,” said GSD Director Lee Shiver. “They made up their minds they were not going to accept a special education diploma or a certificate of attendance when they and all of us knew they were capable of earning a regular diploma.”
Raising expectations for the students who wanted to graduate and be eligible for postsecondary education opportunities has become standard for most students who now attend GSD. For the school, which did not award any regular diplomas to any students in 2005 or 2006, the first ever December graduation ceremony is a cause for celebration. It’s also an accomplishment that Shiver wants all of his students to understand and admire.
“That’s why we’re doing this during the school day,” said Shiver. “I want all of our students, from kindergarten to high school, to understand how important this is and why this should be their goal as well. All five of these students are well liked and are wonderful role models for our kids.”
