Over 18 and no diploma? Students offered a Gateway

BYLINE: Cindy Kranz ckranz@enquirer.com

On-campus program speeds them to earn credits and pass Ohio test

BATAVIA - Tabitha Gregory is living proof of the adage: So near and yet so far.

The 19-year-old Colerain Township woman was just a half credit shy of getting her high school diploma.

She tried a credit recovery program that mailed her books and assignments, but she found that to be a hassle. "It was just horrendous trying to find time to mail everything back and schedule it," she said.

Then, Gregory enrolled in Gateway to Success, a new program offered by Great Oaks Career Campuses at the University of Cincinnati's Clermont College. In a month's time, she had completed her work and last week became the first graduate of the program.

"I absolutely loved it," said Gregory, who is preparing to enlist in the Navy.

"I would always recommend that you just get your diploma the first time, because it has been a very hard process going through everything and just trying to make a living without it."

Gateway to Success was launched last September.

Students can enroll anytime and leave when they've completed their credits. A summer program also is in the works.

Students, who come from school districts affiliated with Great Oaks, must be 18 to 21 years old and out of high school for at least a year.

They are required to be on site at least 20 hours a week. Students can come anytime between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment on Saturdays.

Most lessons are computer-based, but there are some offline assignments. Three teachers help students with their work and prepare them for the Ohio Graduation Test, which they must pass to graduate.

"I like the hours," said 19-year-old Christi Slone. She dropped out of Milford High School because of credit and class scheduling problems after moving from Indiana. She needs three credits to graduate.

"I like that if I need help they're right there to help me," Slone said of Gateway's teachers. "You work on one lesson. You don't work on seven classes a day. You can get it done faster, and you understand it more."

Twenty-six students are enrolled in the free program. All are at different stages in their progression toward a diploma.

Tyler Rhoads, 18, dropped out of Lynchburg-Clay High School in Highland County. He started falling behind in his freshman year when his parents split up.

"It was hard to really pay attention to my work," Rhoads said. "My freshman year, I didn't even get a full credit."

He was short six credits when he enrolled in Gateway. "I love it. It's laid back. They don't hassle me too much."

One girl walked in the door carrying no credits.

"She had not been in high school," said Nelda Sheafer, coordinator of Gateway to Success. "She is one of our more determined and dedicated students. And the growth, the things that she has learned in her time here, is just amazing, and we can prove it by her test scores."

The students are very capable, Sheafer said, but other issues posed a roadblock.

"A lot of them have family issues that interfered," she said. "There were so many very traumatic issues in their families that they just couldn't handle school and the issues, so they would quit going for awhile. Then at some point, things would be OK in the family and they'd go back to their school and say, 'I want to come back now,' and if they're 18 and most of them are guys, most schools are not very welcoming because that student is a risk, a dropout."

Gateway to Success can offer more than virtual programs, said Michael Fritz, assistant dean of satellites at Great Oaks.

"School is more than just a display and keyboard," Fritz said. "The camaraderie, the interface with an instructor or a mentor - it's hard to supplant that with the digital age."

Gateway's location also is attractive to the students.

"This being housed in a college atmosphere just allows a totally different environment," Sheafer said. "These students are adults, legally. We treat them as adults here. They like the freedom that they have here. They like the flexibility of the schedule. That is just so important to them."

Ashley Brown, 19, dropped out of Norwood High School. Because of hearing problems, she got behind and quit. She had 11 credits when she started the program. "It's probably the best thing I've done in a long time," Brown said. "I learn a lot. I like being independent, the scheduling, the counselors."

Once students complete their high school work, diplomas are granted by their home high schools. Gateway is planning a graduation ceremony for Gregory and other students who will finish this spring. "Many of them miss that," Sheafer said. "That's the thing they talk about it. They want to wear a cap and gown."

And they want pictures and their families there, too, said David O'Toole, a Gateway instructor.

"Even some kids who you would think are kind of cynical and beyond that, oh no, they really light up and get animated when they talk about it," O'Toole said.

"I had to miss walking with my class," said Gregory, who would have been a member of Milford's Class of 2006. "It was very traumatic not to be able to do what you've seen and heard about all of your life and not being able to throw your cap into the air."

To learn more

For more information, call 513-732-8968 or e-mail sheafern@greatoaks.com.

The Enquirer / Gary Landers

Celebratory balloons mark Tabitha Gregory's last day of school. A special program for young adults allows them to earn their high school diploma. Gregory is the program's first graduate.