By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Pathfinders graduates chose "a road less traveled. Their road in education has had a few curves and some bumps and some obstacles," Superintendent Larry Crandall said Wednesday night. "Perhaps their car has even broken down a couple of times along the way.
Crandall then reviewed the alphabet - particularly letters S and C.
His four S's in speechmaking are "stand up, speak up, shut up and sit down."
Crandall continued, "People who are successful have compassion for their fellow man and others who might be less fortunate than they are. They are people who are willing to go out and get involved in their communities. Volunteering. Helping someone else out.
The ceremony at Southwestern Michigan College's Mathews Conference Center West was the first such commencement since 1999.
Pathfinders Alternative/Community Education Director Larry Schmidt said in 2000 the program got a new curriculum, staff and building.
The Dowagiac Board of Education invested more than $300,000 refurbishing an airplane hangar across from Union High School that had been used as a small factory.
Class speaker Taylor Falk said, "This is a really special night for all of us. For myself it's bittersweet. When I was asked about my experience at Pathfinders, I kind of put off writing my speech until the last minute because it made it too real. These people have really become like a family to me. The ink is actually still drying on my cards here, so I really did put it off.
Falk especially thanked Schmidt "for making me aware of the many opportunities available to me, for believing in me and for making things happen," Karen Pugh for "helping me get a head start on my college education through dual enrollment at SMC," Jodi Badder, for whom Taylor worked as a student secretary since January and "learned a lot about the real world," and her grandmother, Leona Falk, "for being my motivation and my inspiration. To my fellow graduates, congratulations and good luck … I hope your memories of Pathfinders are as fond as mine."
Schmidt singled out in the audience Guadalupe Castaneda, who was in the program about three years working on a GED certificate. They crossed paths often enough to say hello.
Castaneda approached Schmidt one day in the fall of 2003 and said, "I've been thinking. Maybe I should shift gears and get a high school diploma."
Lacking a recognition ceremony on a par with the June 1 graduation before school administrators, board members and staff, Castaneda's diploma was prepared and he was invited in to receive it in a photograph with Schmidt and Assistant Superintendent Peg Stowers. He came accompanied by an entourage that Schmidt joked included "in-laws and outlaws. It was great. The kids were all dressed up. He took a lot of pictures and shook a lot of hands. It was really an exciting time for him and we were really pleased he brought the whole family."
The scene impressed upon Schmidt that "we've got to do this a different way." Wednesday night at SMC "is the different way."
Castaneda decided to attend SMC. "Lupe keeps me posted as he goes," Schmidt said. "He's completed two semesters and he's in the auto program. He's completed 35 credits with a GPA of 3.77 - and his kids are even cuter than they were last year."
Board of Education President Randy Cuthbert distributed diplomas as Jodi Badder turned mortarboard tassels.
Schmidt noted one thing they learned in planning the new event is that since the Pathfinders Center is shared with the Athletic Department, it was probably not a good idea to have the ceremony so close to tonight's All-Sports Banquet. "Not smart," he said. "We're a little bit on overload in that building right now."
Staff members on hand included: Carole Gillesby, GED test administrator; Ken Bollivar, Pathfinders alternative ed instructor; Mary Ziemke, Pathfinders instructor; Russ Bergemann, Pathfinders alternative/community ed instructor; and Connie Burrus, behavioral/intervention specialist.
Trustee Faye Edwards also represented the school board.
Trooper Rob Herbstreith of the Michigan State Police, who gives presentations at the center, attended. "He's tremendously supportive of our students and we really appreciated it when he said he'd be here tonight," Schmidt said, also introducing Dee Duszynski of Zero to Five and Karen Pugh, a former Dowagiac teacher now with Educational Talent Search (ETS) alternative schools adviser at SMC.
Pugh said all five graduates have taken advantage of SMC's offer of a free class spring or summer "and sometimes fall if there's some scholarship money left over. Across the board, this is a great opportunity for them to be exposed to a college experience, earn college credit and have it apply toward their graduation. Taylor Falk not only did everything I badgered her to do in applying for financial aid, but did such a good job she's registered for fall.