Nine area residents graduated Thursday evening, November 5 from the Laclede County Literacy Council’s HiSet program, a local high school equivalency effort for furthering literacy in this area.
As the director of the program, Dr. Carol Barsby noted in her remarks for the evening, “there are lots of reasons why people do not complete their high school diploma requirements when they are in school. And the truth of the matter is the requirements for completing the HiSet just like the requirements for completing the 100 questions for the US Citizen test, which we also teach, are much more difficult than what most Americans, including those in attendance here tonight, could pass on the first try. And for that reason alone, we are so proud of our graduates here tonight.
“This local literacy program was established in Lebanon three decades ago and the first graduate to obtain her high school diploma was a 60 year old lady. Many people come to us who are not interested in that particular degree but tell us they just want to be able to read their Bible or to read to their grandchildren. That is basic literacy and we teach that as well. We have ESL, English as a Second Language classes for those who need to improve their English speaking skills and we even have Spanish classes going at the moment. All of those classes are free to the public.”
Misty Warren who was featured as the speaker for the evening is a graduate of the HiSet classes and went on to be a tutor for the literacy program for some time. Today, she has a full-time job at the Genesis House, a local residential facility for special needs adults. Like so many past graduates of this program she has found that means a full-time job with benefits.
