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| Kevin Casey with his GEDD Award in front of the GEDD Wall of Fame. |
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CVTC News Article
Radio Personality Kevin Casey Wins GEDD Award
Story from the Calhoun Times by John Willis
Kevin Casey makes his living in front of a microphone, so he’s usually not at a loss for words.
Thursday, however, all he could get out was “Wow!” when he was named this year’s winner of the GEDD Award by the Calhoun-Gordon Council for a Literate Community.
Casey, an on-air personality at WEBS-AM in Calhoun and the voice of WZOZ radio in Summerville, was recognized as a graduate of Coosa Valley Technical College’s Adult Education program who has achieved success after receiving his General Education Development diploma.
Casey dropped out of Calhoun High School during the final quarter of his senior year, received his GED in 2000.
“I thought I knew it all then,” Casey said. “I promised my father before he passed away that I would go back to school. It took a couple of years, but I did it.”
Casey called the award a humbling experience.
“I want to thank all of the people at this institution,” he said. I could not have completed my GED if not for the encouragement of my wife and my employer Ken Payne.”
Casey encouraged about 50 Adult Education students attending the award ceremony to continue their education.
“Don’t let anyone or anything stand in your way,” he said. “You can do it.”
This is the second year that the GEDD Award has been presented. The concept was developed by several GED instructors at CVTC, including Coleen Brooks, Lisa McKinney, Spence Ramsey, and Wayne Minshew, director of the Calhoun-Gordon Council for a Literate Community.
The acronym GEDD stands for Goals, which students must set in order to achieve; Excellence, the goal of each student before and after receiving the GED; Determination and Difference.
Susan Hackney, chair of the GEDD Award selection committee, said about one in seven of every high school diplomas earned in the United States is awarded to an adult learner through the GED program.
“We always advocate young people staying in school until they graduate, but it doesn’t always work out that way,” Hackney said. “The GED is a vital program for adults to move ahead with their education.”
Casey was one of four finalists for this year’s GEDD award. The others are:- Jennifer Epperson, an assistant customer service manager at Food Lion in Adairsville who received her GED in 2001. She goes to local high schools to encourage students to stay in school.
- Toni Hill, who works at Dean and Moore Insurance and received her GED in 1997. Hill went on to receive a Business and Office Technology diploma from CVTC in 2002.
- Yolanda Vilches, a family representative at Tallatoona’s Head Start program who received her GED in 2002. She first attended CVTC as an English as a Second Language student.
After the awards ceremony, Casey unveiled a plaque with his name on the GEDD Wall of Honor in the Adult Education office.
The annual award is sponsored by Mannington Commercial.
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Below: GEDD Finalists Yolanda Vilches, Toni Hill, and Jennifer Epperson
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