HAMLET — Thirty-one pre-K graduates from two classrooms received promotion certificates Friday morning at Monroe Avenue Elementary School.
Principal Dawn Terry stood at the foot of the stage waiting to shake each student’s hand and wish them well. The four-year-olds appeared to take their march around the gymnasium as seriously as the senior high school graduates of Raider Stadium.
Pre-K teaching assistant Diane Widmer, originally from Moore County, said she is impressed by the changes she has observed since beginning her job with Richmond County Schools in March.
“The most enjoyable experience I’ve had so far would be watching them grow from March to June,” she said. “It’s been a memorable experience watching their growth in so short a time, academically and socially.”
Terry described the importance of higher education, remembering her mother’s lifelong encouragement.
“My mother was a high school dropout, but she always wanted to go back to school and earn her diploma,” she said. “And she did, when I was twelve or thirteen years old. As a toddler I remember she talked about the importance of college. She was thinking of college even before she got her high school diploma. She knew it would change our lives if we went on to get our education. She was ahead of her time.”
Donning caps and gowns, the Monroe Avenue Tigers paid close attention to their steps and kept a quiet line as a recording of “Pomp and Circumstance” played through the speaker system.
This was the big finale to a graduation program that began shortly after 9 a.m. and featured most of the hallmarks of a high school graduation, including an end-of-year speech by Dobbins Heights Mayor Antonio Blue.
“Parents, we are living in different times,” Blue said. “If we want our students to be successful, we must invest in them and in education. If you don’t have a 529 (college savings) plan, start one. Because education is not cheap.”
Blue emphasized that a bachelor’s degree alone is increasingly insufficient to ensure security in the jobs market and encouraged students and parents to strive for a graduate’s degree and “even higher” academic credentials.
Reach reporter Melonie McLaurin at 910-817-2673 and follow her on Twitter @meloniemclaurin.
