WS Chronicle

City native Dominique Adams made it all the way to his senior year at Carver High School, but said he was forced to drop out when his daughter,

Center Director Bryant McCorkle

Destiney, was born.

“I came out of school because I had a daughter,” the 20 year-old explained. “I was trying to support my baby.”

Adams landed a job to help support his baby, but said he wasn’t satisfied. The idea of going back to school has lingered in his mind.

“I was doing construction, and it just wasn’t all that for me,” he commented. “I’ve been saying I want to get back to school.”

Adams had enrolled in a GED program at Forsyth Technical Community College, but said he wasn’t able to complete the program because he doesn’t have transportation. Before he could lose hope, opportunity came knocking again. Adams learned that WR Anderson Recreation Center – which is walking distance from his home – will soon be offering GED classes. Adams, the oldest of three children, wasted no time in signing up. He said he is excited to finally get a chance to finish what he started.

“I always wanted to finish school,” he declared. “I never wanted to drop out and just do nothing.”

The Anderson Center is offering GED classes for the first time in well over a decade.

“It’s needed within the community because you find a lot of people who drop out of school because they had kids and had to go to work, or had challenges in school,” said Center Director Bryant McCorkle. “Here, we’re going to be pushing them, trying to help them also. You’re going to have that supportive environment.”

The center is partnering with Forsyth Tech’s Adult Basic Education program to offer the classes, which Johnson said the center hopes to begin within the next month. Forsyth Tech will supply the instructors, and the recreation center will provide the facility, which Recreation Leader Patrice Johnson hopes will be a convenient location for many community residents who are thinking about going back to school.

“We’re just trying to help people achieve their goals and I feel that a lot of it starts from the high school level in order to maintain and go further,” said the Winston-Salem State University alumna. 

The GED program will be offered Monday – Thursday for three hours a day at the center. Nine people have already signed up for the program, but Johnson says she is hoping to attract many more students to the center in the coming months. She said the center will launch new classes according to demand.

The Anderson program will join seven other off campuses GED programs that are currently being offered by Forsyth Tech, explained Pamela Glenn, the coordinator of Compensatory Education and Community Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. The community college provides the instructor and the materials, at no cost to the students or the center, explained Glenn, an alumna of Winston-Salem State and NC A&T State universities. The GED program is offered in two eight week sessions, and requires between 50-60 hours of class time each session, Glenn said. Forsyth Tech is equipped to continue offering classes there as long as there is a demand, Glenn said.

The city native stated that she already has a strong working relationship with the recreation center and she is excited about bringing a GED program there.

Enrolling in the GED program at the Anderson Center has already given Adams a renewed sense of confidence and optimism about the future. Once he earns his GED, he has set his sights on obtaining a business degree at a four year university. He said his daughter has inspired him to reach for higher heights in life.

“She’s very encouraging because I want better for her. Ever since I had her, she’s all I think about,” he confessed. “If something ever happens to me, I just want to make sure that I finished school and got a good job … just so I can take care of her.”

McCorkle and Johnson said they want to enroll as many people as possible in the program.

“If we have to, we’ll put it in the gym,” McCorkle said of the classes. “It’s needed in this day and time.”

Patrice Johnson stands outside the Anderson Recreation Center

There will be an interest meeting about the GED classes on Tuesday Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. For more information, call 336-650-7684.