MOUNT VERNON – Their graduating class might have been the smallest in Ohio but no one anywhere worked harder to earn the right to put on a cap and gown.
On May 15 Eddie Atkinson and Colton Young, both 22, said goodbye to Transition U, a program for students with learning disabilities and other special needs, located within the Knox Learning Center. The goal is for each student to achieve the basic life and employment skills needed to live independently.
Families, friends and Learning Center staff assembled in the Mount Vernon Nazarene University dining hall to applaud the graduates.
Atkinson, whose home school is North Fork, had been at Transition U for four years. Young, from Lexington, had participated for two years.
Transition U graduates have met all academic requirements for graduation at their home schools but their diplomas were deferred until they were deemed to be prepared to live on their own and be gainfully employed.
Enrolling them in Transition U is a joint decision by the students, their parents, home schools and the Learning Center.
Operated by the Knox Educational Service Center, the Learning Center is a K-12 alternative school that serves students from Knox County and surrounding districts.
Hood praised both young men, whose tenures at Transition U included learning entry-level job skills at local businesses and classroom instruction in meal preparation, laundry, money management and other areas.
“Eddie is a joy to be around. He is always willing to help,” Hood said, noting that Atkinson is working two days a week at Goodwill.
“Colton was pleasant to have in class. He has learned to try things that are out of his comfort zone,” she said.
A third student, Cohan Bafford of Granville, turned 22 and left Transition U in April. He did not participate in Friday’s graduation program.
The menu for Friday’s commencement – prepared by the MVNU food service staff — was chosen by Atkinson and Young, Hood said. It included breaded chicken tenders, mac and cheese, corn, French fries and a salad bar.
Transition U serves students 18 through 21. Length of stay depends on a student’s progress. Participants leave when they turn 22.