Newspaper Page Text
OUR REGION
Shannon Casas Editor in Chief | 770-718-3417 | news@gainesvilletimes.com
She Strnes
gainesvilletimes com
Sunday, December 30, 2018
Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times
Jessica Kleinhardt and daughter, Addysun Turner, 3, visit the fountain at Brenau University Tuesday Dec. 18. Kleinhardt just received
her GED this year from Goodwill program and is enrolling in online courses at Brenau. Less than half of GED recipients go on to
pursue post-secondary (college or university or trade school) education.
‘It’s never too late’ to get GED
Hall County mom beats odds to attend Brenau University
JOSHUA SILAVENT
jsilavent@gainesvilletimes.com
Less than half of individuals
who pass the General Education
Development test, or GED, a high
school diploma equivalency pro
gram, go on to attend college or
university.
Jessica Kleinhardt, 39, a Hall
County resident and mother, fig
ured she’d be on the lesser side of
that divide.
In fact, she considered getting
a GED pointless — at one point in
time.
“To me, it was like, ‘Why waste
time’”? she said.
According to the GED Testing
Service, which harvested data
from the National Student Clear
inghouse, just 45 percent of GED
earners enrolled in a college cer
tificate or degree program within
three years.
And only one-third enrolled in
post-secondary education.
When Kleinhardt began to study
in a GED test preparation course,
her instructor, Angela Middleton,
knew she’d found a perfect pupil.
Middleton is a former Hall
County educator and coach who
teaches GED prep classes at
the Goodwill Career Center in
Oakwood.
She said Kleinhardt’s attitude
quickly changed.
Kleinhardt agreed.
“Once I got into the classes,
Angela pushed me,” she said. “I
found this new drive.”
There are many GED prep pro
grams across Hall County.
■ Please see GED, 3C
Jessica Kleinhardt and daughter, Addysun Turner, visit
the fountain at Brenau University.
‘People
deserve
a second
chance’
Collins lauds work of
old-school’ legislating
to get justice bill signed
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville said
when looking at criminal justice reform it
came down to good steward
ship of our taxpayer dollars
as well as a valuation of peo
ple who may need a shot at
redemption.
Collins sponsored H.R.
5682, a form of the “FIRST
STEP Act” focusing on
recidivism-reducing pro
grams for federal offenders
that would ultimately pass
as a combination of legislation. The bill was
signed by President Donald Trump on Dec.
21.
“People deserve a second chance. If they
meet certain criteria, they pay their debt
to society, then I think we owe a chance as
well to give them a second chance at life, a
second chance to rejoin their family and to
rejoin society,” he said.
Evidence-based recidivism reduction pro
gram was defined as a number of options,
including family relationship building and
parenting skills, academic classes, mentor
ing, substance abuse treatment, vocational
training, civic engagement and reintegrative
community services and trauma counseling.
■ Please see COLLINS, 3C
Collins
All county roads
reopened after
Friday flooding
All roads have reopened in Hall County fol
lowing heavy rain and subsequent flooding
Friday.
Several roads in the area of West Fork
Little River were closed Friday due to water
over the roadways. Cagle Mill Road and Jim
Hood Road both reopened Friday afternoon
while Belton Bridge Road and Conner Drive
reopened early Saturday, according to a
release from Hall County Public Information
Officer Katie Crumley.
“Smaller streams reached their peaks ear
lier in the day, and larger streams continued
to rise later in the afternoon, which meant
we were constantly having to re-evaluate
the conditions of area roadways,” said Hall
County Engineer Kevin Mclnturff.
Matt Tarver, Gainesville’s deputy director
of public works, said Friday that no roads in
the city closed due to flooding, but crews did
clear drains.
Releases from Buford Dam have been
reduced to control flooding conditions
downstream of Lake Lanier, according to
James Hathorn Jr. of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers.
As of 9:15 p.m. Friday, the water level at
Lake Lanier was 1,072.77, which is 1.77 feet
above full pool.
Compiled from Hall County press release.
Kamili Krew offers young girls dose of empowerment
BY KELSEY RICHARDSON
krichardson@gainesvilletimes.com
Once a girl becomes a member
of Kamili Krew her life changes
instantly.
The organization first met in Octo
ber 2018 at Fair Street International
Academy in Gainesville after a group
of teachers noticed the challenges
facing their female students.
“We wanted to give them that
supplemental support that you don’t
always get in the instructional day,”
Kerry-Ann Holmes, one of Kamili
Krew’s directors said. “We provide
support with emotional skills, mental
skills and also their overall interac
tion with their peers.”
Holmes said the after-school pro
gram meets every other Thursday to
encourage girls on a journey of per
sonal growth and improvement.
The program in Gainesville was
inspired by an older Kamili Krew
group she noticed at a different
school.
The name Kamili in Swahili means
perfect self. The group proudly
wears the colors pink and black as a
symbol of their comradery.
“Pink and black is bold and when
the girls see it they get empowered
and excited,” Holmes said.
Currently the Kamili Krew at Fair
Street has 26 active members. All of
the teachers at Fair Street Interna
tional recommended three girls per
classroom to become a part of the
program.
Holmes said the teachers identify
their students’ specific needs, so
the directors know which direction
to take with the girls. Those chosen
come into the program not knowing
the process behind their selection.
During the first 15 minutes of the
after-school program, the Kamili
Krew girls work on their homework
and receive snacks. The directors
then will lead an hour-long session
that focuses on a certain topic.
Holmes said sach lesson incorpo
rates fun peer-bonding activities.
One of the most recent sessions
involved acting out conflict resolu
tion strategies. Separated by grade,
each group was presented with a sce
nario that would relate to their cur
rent challenges.
■ Please see KREW, 6C
From left, fifth-graders Jacee Dukes and Eyly Turcios decorate cookies during a Kamili Krew session at
Fair Street International on Thursday, Dec. 13.
