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Celebration of Achievement - 2015
Ms. Jacklene Jones
The Sliman Theatre in downtown New Iberia was awash with excitement last night as we celebrated with 13 of the 26 adults who successfully completed their HiSet exam during the 2014-15 school year!
Thanks go out to all who participated - both actively and in the background - to help make the night a memorable one for our achievers. Special thanks to our master of ceremonies, Mr. Davis Collins, to our keynote speaker, NI School Board Personnel Director Ms. Jacklene Jones, and to United Way of Iberia Director Ms. Corleen Rouly, for her words of congratulations and encouragement.
But most of all, THANKS to the adults for allowing PEPI to be a part of this phase of their education - a stepping stone to their future.
CONGRATULATIONS - Hannah Aucoin, Joshua Basden, Stephen Fruge, Chris Gregoire, Kelly Hebert, Julie Lapointe, Aaron Loftin, Anthony Loosa, Chris Loosa, Marcos Rodriguez, Geroy Scott, Janet Soukaroun & Mariah Suire.
We look forward to hearing great things about your future endeavors.
Thanks go out to all who participated - both actively and in the background - to help make the night a memorable one for our achievers. Special thanks to our master of ceremonies, Mr. Davis Collins, to our keynote speaker, NI School Board Personnel Director Ms. Jacklene Jones, and to United Way of Iberia Director Ms. Corleen Rouly, for her words of congratulations and encouragement.
But most of all, THANKS to the adults for allowing PEPI to be a part of this phase of their education - a stepping stone to their future.
CONGRATULATIONS - Hannah Aucoin, Joshua Basden, Stephen Fruge, Chris Gregoire, Kelly Hebert, Julie Lapointe, Aaron Loftin, Anthony Loosa, Chris Loosa, Marcos Rodriguez, Geroy Scott, Janet Soukaroun & Mariah Suire.
We look forward to hearing great things about your future endeavors.
Reading Jeopardy Comes to PEPI
Sister Mary Ellen Theriot and Mrs. Shelby Fondal teamed up to produce PEPI's very own version of Reading Jeopardy. Their goal was to provide an interesting review of topics reading students have studied and need to know for the HISET exam.
Reading Jeopardy was held on Wednesday, January 21, and Thursday, January 22. The rules of Jeopardy were followed closely. Student teams rang bells to be the first to answer. Three teams of two or three students competed each day. Mrs. Fondal acted as game show host,
Categories in the first round of Reading Jeopardy were Synonyms and Antonyms, Fact or Opinion, Fiction or Nonfiction, Simile or Metaphor, and Cause and Effect. The Jeopardy board was shown on the large screen TV in the SLCC conference room as were the questions and answers, so that all the students attending could check their knowledge.
Categories in the Double Jeopardy round included harder categories: Types of Conflict, Author's Purpose, Words in Context, Fact or Opinion and All Mixed Up. Points awarded were also doubled. The Final Jeopardy Round offered teams a chance to gamble points in order to win big. Reading Jeopardy turned out to be a fun way for the teams AND the audience to review reading skills.
Reading Jeopardy was held on Wednesday, January 21, and Thursday, January 22. The rules of Jeopardy were followed closely. Student teams rang bells to be the first to answer. Three teams of two or three students competed each day. Mrs. Fondal acted as game show host,
Categories in the first round of Reading Jeopardy were Synonyms and Antonyms, Fact or Opinion, Fiction or Nonfiction, Simile or Metaphor, and Cause and Effect. The Jeopardy board was shown on the large screen TV in the SLCC conference room as were the questions and answers, so that all the students attending could check their knowledge.
Categories in the Double Jeopardy round included harder categories: Types of Conflict, Author's Purpose, Words in Context, Fact or Opinion and All Mixed Up. Points awarded were also doubled. The Final Jeopardy Round offered teams a chance to gamble points in order to win big. Reading Jeopardy turned out to be a fun way for the teams AND the audience to review reading skills.
Jeopardy contestants consider their answers to questions on the giant TV screen.
PEPI Expanded Computer Lab Opens
An empty classroom and a need for more space combined to set in motion the dream of a bigger computer lab for PEPI students. The South Louisiana had a classroom with 20 computers that once housed remedial classes but was no longer being used. PEPI wanted to enlarge class size to serve more learners but only had room for 13 computers in the old PEPI instruction area. Sister Barbara was able to speak to SLCC officials and ask if they would consider letting PEPI use the classroom and computers. The answer was yes!
So began the task of cleaning and clearing out the classroom to be used by PEPI learners. PEPI provided rewiring for all the computers and moving day finally came.
Shortly after the Christmas break, computer classes began in the new and improved computer lab. The lab now can serve 27 students with the same computer programs that teach job skills and support learning in Reading, Language and Math. Students love the new lab, especially the comfortable office chairs.
So began the task of cleaning and clearing out the classroom to be used by PEPI learners. PEPI provided rewiring for all the computers and moving day finally came.
Shortly after the Christmas break, computer classes began in the new and improved computer lab. The lab now can serve 27 students with the same computer programs that teach job skills and support learning in Reading, Language and Math. Students love the new lab, especially the comfortable office chairs.
PEPI Christmas Party Very Merry
The PEPI annual Christmas party began with prayer and continued with much merriment as students and staff members gathered in friendship and fun. Games of the day included "hot potato" --a sitting down version of musical chairs, Christmas Bingo, computer games and everybody's favorite, Bunco! The traditional gift selection of new or "adoptable" gifts provided every one who attended the party with one or more gifts! Much good food and delectable Christmas sweets ended the day of fun and sharing that was a great kickoff to the Christmas school holidays.
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PACE Program Offers Opportunities for Dual Enrollment at SLCC
PEPI students attend a presentation in the monthly speakers program about the new PACE program which will offer opportunities for dual enrollment in PEPI and South Louisiana Community College. Sponsored by the Department of Labor, the PACE (Pathways for Advancement in Career Education) offers the opportunities to students who are currently enrolled in a HISET preparation program and recent graduates to take courses that will lead to professional certificates and training in three career areas that are much in demand in the Acadiana area: machinist, industrial technology, and medical assistant and coding.
Students are offered six hours of college credits with all tuition waived. The student only has to pay fees which amount to about $80 for each 3 college credit course. Mr. Ledet and Ms. Courtney, who spearhead the PACE program, explained to students that other supporting help is offered for students who enroll in PACE. "We will provide support services for students who need help with transportation problems, child care and help securing employment. Also there will be special assistants in each class who will offer academic support for students who need it, " explained Ms. Courtney.
Students are offered six hours of college credits with all tuition waived. The student only has to pay fees which amount to about $80 for each 3 college credit course. Mr. Ledet and Ms. Courtney, who spearhead the PACE program, explained to students that other supporting help is offered for students who enroll in PACE. "We will provide support services for students who need help with transportation problems, child care and help securing employment. Also there will be special assistants in each class who will offer academic support for students who need it, " explained Ms. Courtney.
PEPI Holds Annual Craft SaleEach year friends of PEPI donate handmade items to be sold to benefit PEPI. The items are then offered to PEPI students and friends, this year in a four day sale, December 8-11. The prices are reasonable and the sellers are helpful and the proceeds all going to helping PEPI with continuing needs. Thank you to all who helped to make this year's sale successful and enjoyable.
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Daily Iberian's "Help the Helpers" article about PEPI published on December 9, 2015
Salinda Bushinelle, left, and Rachel Eskine, right, listen to instructions from teacher Shelby Fondal recently in PEPI classroom.
BY JEFF ZERINGUE | THE DAILY IBERIAN
The importance of a high school diploma is emphasized through much of a child’s educational experience, but that message is ignored by at least 29 percent of Louisiana students.
That’s the dropout rate, according to 2011 rates from government data compiled by the website governing.com.
According to those figures, that leaves the Progressive Education Program Inc. with many potential students in need of achieving the equivalency of a high school diploma.
PEPI is a nonprofit organization that helps adults of all ages achieve that equivalency. It is one of the 10 local agencies selected by The Daily Iberian to be part of the the newspaper’s annual Help the Helpers program. The United Way partner relies heavily on the generosity of local people.
“(PEPI) gives people a second chance,” said Sister Barbara Kraus, PEPI’s director.
Second chances through this program began in 1970 under the name of Plantation Adult Basic Education Program, sponsored by the Southern Mutual Help Association. In 1979, the program was incorporated as the Plantation Education Program Inc. by the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Over the years, it has undergone some changes, including a change to being operated by the School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province. The province — the region of the United States from the Mississippi River to the West Coast — consists of about 1,300 sisters dedicated to educating the poor. There are three sisters in Acadiana, including Kraus.
In 1997, the program’s name was changed to Progressive Education Program Inc.
As of Dec. 1, PEPI locally has 108 students enrolled and seven students enrolled in its English as a Second Language program. A staff of 10, including full- and part-time workers, offer two sessions for the adult students. One session is held on Mondays and Wednesdays, the other on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Many of the high school students who made poor choices are paying the price for those decisions, Kraus, 69, said.
“They can’t get good jobs without that high school diploma, or the equivalency of one,” she said. “They don’t need to be punished the rest of their life for it.”
PEPI offers those adults who want the second chance an opportunity to complete high school education, as well as pursue higher education through South Louisiana Community College, where the program is houses on Ember Drive in New Iberia. Some PEPI students are able to participate in dual enrollment program at SLCC.
Poor choices in high school, however, aren’t always the reasons students do not obtain a diploma. Sometimes, it just isn’t available.
Traci Darby, 44, who has dyslexia, said she was one of the special education students who received a certificate of completion, not a diploma. Now she is enrolled at PEPI and hopes to pass the HiSET exam, which recently replaced the GED.
“I’ve learned a lot … more than I’d learned in regular school,” the mother of three boys said. “It’s not easy. It’s hard, but I’m doing my best.”
Darby said she does not have plans to go on to community college, nor does the stay-at-home mom intend to seek a job outside her home, right now.
“It’s just something that has been missing,” she said, and she wants to achieve getting a diploma.
For those men and women wanting to continue their education, being at SLCC has improved those chances. Kraus said more PEPI students are taking advantage of attending SLCC and some are graduating, including two who will graduate this month.
Those wishing to donate to PEPI through Help the Helpers can do so by sending a donation to Help the Helpers, care of The Daily Iberian, P.O. Box 9290, New Iberia, LA 70562. Checks should be made out to Help the Helpers, with a note indicating PEPI as the recipient. Donations not indicating a specific nonprofit agency, will be divided among participating groups.
The importance of a high school diploma is emphasized through much of a child’s educational experience, but that message is ignored by at least 29 percent of Louisiana students.
That’s the dropout rate, according to 2011 rates from government data compiled by the website governing.com.
According to those figures, that leaves the Progressive Education Program Inc. with many potential students in need of achieving the equivalency of a high school diploma.
PEPI is a nonprofit organization that helps adults of all ages achieve that equivalency. It is one of the 10 local agencies selected by The Daily Iberian to be part of the the newspaper’s annual Help the Helpers program. The United Way partner relies heavily on the generosity of local people.
“(PEPI) gives people a second chance,” said Sister Barbara Kraus, PEPI’s director.
Second chances through this program began in 1970 under the name of Plantation Adult Basic Education Program, sponsored by the Southern Mutual Help Association. In 1979, the program was incorporated as the Plantation Education Program Inc. by the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Over the years, it has undergone some changes, including a change to being operated by the School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province. The province — the region of the United States from the Mississippi River to the West Coast — consists of about 1,300 sisters dedicated to educating the poor. There are three sisters in Acadiana, including Kraus.
In 1997, the program’s name was changed to Progressive Education Program Inc.
As of Dec. 1, PEPI locally has 108 students enrolled and seven students enrolled in its English as a Second Language program. A staff of 10, including full- and part-time workers, offer two sessions for the adult students. One session is held on Mondays and Wednesdays, the other on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Many of the high school students who made poor choices are paying the price for those decisions, Kraus, 69, said.
“They can’t get good jobs without that high school diploma, or the equivalency of one,” she said. “They don’t need to be punished the rest of their life for it.”
PEPI offers those adults who want the second chance an opportunity to complete high school education, as well as pursue higher education through South Louisiana Community College, where the program is houses on Ember Drive in New Iberia. Some PEPI students are able to participate in dual enrollment program at SLCC.
Poor choices in high school, however, aren’t always the reasons students do not obtain a diploma. Sometimes, it just isn’t available.
Traci Darby, 44, who has dyslexia, said she was one of the special education students who received a certificate of completion, not a diploma. Now she is enrolled at PEPI and hopes to pass the HiSET exam, which recently replaced the GED.
“I’ve learned a lot … more than I’d learned in regular school,” the mother of three boys said. “It’s not easy. It’s hard, but I’m doing my best.”
Darby said she does not have plans to go on to community college, nor does the stay-at-home mom intend to seek a job outside her home, right now.
“It’s just something that has been missing,” she said, and she wants to achieve getting a diploma.
For those men and women wanting to continue their education, being at SLCC has improved those chances. Kraus said more PEPI students are taking advantage of attending SLCC and some are graduating, including two who will graduate this month.
Those wishing to donate to PEPI through Help the Helpers can do so by sending a donation to Help the Helpers, care of The Daily Iberian, P.O. Box 9290, New Iberia, LA 70562. Checks should be made out to Help the Helpers, with a note indicating PEPI as the recipient. Donations not indicating a specific nonprofit agency, will be divided among participating groups.
PEPI Students Seek and Find HiSet Success
Marcos Working on his HiSet Practice Test
Congratulations to three PEPI students who recently passed the HiSet exam and received their High School Equivalency Diploma: Marcos Rodriguez, Latoya Stevens and Chris Loosa. Prayers and good wishes go out to the ten other students who are scheduled to take the test before the end of the year.
PEPI students who have scored well on the TABE (Test of Adult Basic Education) test are moved to the HiSet level where they begin taking practice tests to determine their readiness and to highlight the areas where review work is still needed. When they pass two practice tests and complete practice work for writing the HiSet essay, the students are ready to go online to schedule their test date. Five tests make up the HiSet exam - Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Mathematics and Writing (essay). Tests are scheduled individually so students can take all the tests in one day or spread them over several days.
Whatever happened to the GED? Beginning in January 2014 states could choose the GED test or the high school equivalency tests offered by other companies. Louisiana and other states, including California, have chosen the HiSet test.
PEPI students who have scored well on the TABE (Test of Adult Basic Education) test are moved to the HiSet level where they begin taking practice tests to determine their readiness and to highlight the areas where review work is still needed. When they pass two practice tests and complete practice work for writing the HiSet essay, the students are ready to go online to schedule their test date. Five tests make up the HiSet exam - Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Mathematics and Writing (essay). Tests are scheduled individually so students can take all the tests in one day or spread them over several days.
Whatever happened to the GED? Beginning in January 2014 states could choose the GED test or the high school equivalency tests offered by other companies. Louisiana and other states, including California, have chosen the HiSet test.
Orientation Sessions Prepare Students to Enter PEPI Classes
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Family problems, work conflicts, illness - these are just a few of the many reasons some PEPI students use for giving up on their quest for a high school equivalency diploma. So each month PEPI holds a two-day orientation session for new students to fill the class openings. These sessions -- including testing, guest speakers (like Terri Thompson of SMILE, pictured above left), a tour and meetings with the PEPI instructors -- have received high ratings in the attendees evaluations and produced favorable results in PEPI classes.
If you have ever tried to schedule guest speakers, you know the work that Sister Barbara puts in each month to provide information and inspiration for incoming students. But these well-planned orientation sessions leave students feeling ready to begin to work for their dream and comfortable about a new start in a new place. |
Costume Winners with Sr. Barbara (center)
Halloween Party 2014 Participants
Posted November 1, 2014 |
PEPI Halloween Party Rocks
PEPI students answered a survey and indicated that they would come on Friday, October 31, for fun, games, costume contest, and pizza. The day started with groups playing Halloween Bingo and Hot Potato (a sitting version of musical chairs) and some great costumes. Halloween word search and Halloween computer games were followed by everyone joining in for a spirited Bunco game. After an impromptu line dancing exhibition, costume contest winners were announced. Winners (pictured here with our director, Sr. Barbara Kraus, SSND) were Eboney Wells, Tram Nguyen, Traci Darby and Joe Degeyter. Then everyone dug into a lunch of pizza, egg rolls, Philippine style noodles, chips and dip followed by some very creepy desserts. It was a howling good time for staff and students alike. 
PEPI Staff
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Speaker Series Continues with Marshal Martin
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On Wednesday, October 15, 2014 and Thursday, October 16, 2014, Jeanerette Marshal Fernest Martin came to PEPI to speak to PEPI students. An experienced speaker, familiar with the area, he spoke sincerely about the realities of life today.
"There will be hard times, painful times when you feel down and abandoned. The thing that will determine how you end up is your vision and your refusal to quit." Marshal Martin spoke of his own life, winning a scholarship to an ivy league school through football, playing in the NFL, and enduring injuries and setbacks. He worked hard in law enforcement, inspired by the police officers who were his early coaches, before becoming the first African-American marshal of Jeanerette. "No matter what storms come up in your life, " Marshal Martin encouraged students, "keep driving." Posted October 2014 |
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