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Washington Irving
Educational Center
June 11 2010
Washington Irving Celebrates Success of Adult Students
54 Students Cross Stage in GED Graduation Ceremony
 Congratulations
to the 54 students who walked across the stage last night in cap
and gown at the Washington Irving Adult and Continuing Education
Center’s GED graduation ceremony. About 250 friends and family
members of the graduates, acting Schenectady Mayor Gary
McCarthy, Assemblyman James Tedisco, Superintendent John
Yagielski and board of education members Andrew Chestnut, Gary
Farkas and Ronald Lindsay were on hand for the ceremony which
resembled that of a high school graduation.
 “What
a big deal today is,” said Jesse Roylance, director of the adult
and continuing education center. “There are tens of thousands
of people who do not have what you have.”
Roylance told the
students this is not just a piece of paper. “You worked your
tails off to get this today,” he said. “This is a big deal.”
Earning a GED
(General Educational Development) certificate is a significant
accomplishment for many of the students who did not graduate
from high school.
 Orachorn
Meyer and Leah Johnson are just two of many students who
overcame challenges in order to obtain the GED certificate.
Meyer, a student from Thailand worked her way through the ESL
(English as a Second Language) program from a non-speaker of
English to fluency. She enrolled in the GED program and
successfully earned the GED. She was honored by the New York
Association of Continuing and Community Education (NYACCE) as a
finalist for the “Student of the Year” award.
Leah Johnson, a
blind student, is the second student at Washington Irving to
ever take the test in Braille and earn her GED. “I can not
begin to tell you the challenges faced by his young lady and her
teachers,” said Roylance. Johnson proudly stood before the
audience who acknowledged her with a thunderous standing
ovation.
 In
order to earn a GED certificate, students must pass a test
battery covering five area including language arts, both reading
and writing, social studies, science and mathematics. “It’s
like taking five Regents exams at once,” said Roylance.
“Congratulations,
this is a big day in your life,” McCarthy told the students.
“Education is an ongoing process.” He told the students that
what they have achieved required perseverance and dedication.
“This hasn’t been an easy process,” he said. “You are now
positioned to go out into the world with a skill set that others
do not have.”
Lindsay, vice president of the board of education, congratulated
the students for their “drive, courage and commitment.”
 “You
have made a difference,” said Lindsay. “Look at what you have
done. Look at what you can do.”
“You are being
given a great gift,” said Assemblyman James Tedisco. “Now you
have an obligation. Make yourself the best human being you can
be.”
When called by
name, each student took a stroll across the stage to receive
hugs and handshakes from their teachers and the school staff.
Friends and family members applauded and snapped photos.
After each student
was introduced, Roylance instructed them to shift their tassels
which meant they graduated. They cheered and applauded.
A reception was
held for the students and their families immediately following
the ceremony. Price Chopper Supermarkets, Hannaford
Supermarket, BJ’s Wholesale Club and the Roots and Wisdom
program made generous donations.
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