By By MARCIA STEFFENS / Niles Daily Star
MISHAWAKA, Ind. – Sometimes it takes a little more effort and time to receive that high school diploma.
Those graduating from the Cassopolis Adult Education program last week on Thursday, had mothers and fathers just as proud as any other parent of a graduating senior.
At a special dinner, graduates celebrated with their families and the staff of seven whom they have come to know so well.
There were 41 graduates this year from the program who each received an actual Cassopolis Public Schools diploma and 58 others obtained their GED certificates.
Teacher Helene Hoover was especially proud of James Stout of Niles, who was presented with a lifetime learning scholarship from Southwestern Michigan College (SMC). Full books and tuition are paid with the scholarship renewable for four years.
Stout actually completed his diploma requirements a few months ago and has already some SMC credits under his belt, Hoover said.
He plans on studying electronics and manufacturing and is interested in robotics.
His story is one of perserverance, as are many of these adult graduates.
He was in a serious hunting accident in November of 2004. After falling out of a tree stand behind United Fixtures in Niles, where he worked, he lay on the ground from Sunday morning until Monday night. A co-worker found him and he was in intensive care for a week with a broken femur, which still has a metal rod, broken ribs and a brain bleed.
"I may have been climbing down," Stout said, but he really doesn't remember. He had worked 60 hours on the second shift.
"I went home and washed with scent away and woke up a week later," he said.
He is still a little upset that his expensive hunting clothes were cut off in the emergency room.
"I lost 27 pounds," he added.
His mother, Audrey Matlock of Niles, manager at Goodwill on Portage, was all smiles as her son received the scholarship, as was his father, Charles Stout of Fort Wayne, Ind.
Stout joined the Cassopolis program after he had heard such good things about it and the teachers.
Stout gave his yellow rose to his teacher, while the other lifetime learning award recipient, Kerri Smith of South Bend, Ind., gave hers to her daughter, Ali.
Other special awards were also presented by staff members.
The Outstanding Student Award went to Abigail Butrick of Edwardsburg. She also had suffered injuries due to a back car accident.
The most improved student award went to Justin Glon of South Bend, Ind.
Each year an award is also given in the name of Georgia Davis, a Cassopolis woman who died in a car accident on Nov. 19, 2003.
Davis had returned to school in the 1990s, determined even at age 74 to receive a diploma. She had dropped out after the eighth grade and never finished.
Smith also received the Georgia Davis Award. She had dropped out of school at age 17 in 1999. She would come and take a class or two and finally finished with a grade point average of 3.58.