New Maine program to support GED students
PRESQUE ISLE — Presque Isle Adult Education Center and Syntiro’s Maine High School Equivalency Program (HEP) are teaming up to offer an educational opportunity for GED preparation for migrant, temporary or seasonal farm workers qualifying for the Maine HEP program.
Students who are accepted into the program take classes at the adult education center and receive support and mentoring from HEP staff, as well as have opportunities to attend cultural events, go on college visits, participate in leadership development, and receive career counseling. Additionally, Maine HEP students can earn travel and childcare money while attending classes, receive free school supplies and also earn a weekly stipend to support their studies. Once Maine HEP students have passed the GED exam, the program helps them find a better job, enter higher education or the military.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
‘SHARP’-LOOKING CAR — What do you get when you give a couple girls several cases of Sharpie markers, lots of free time and a friend’s entry in the annual Demolition Derby? You get the Prettiest Car winner at the 2011 Northern Maine Fair event. Pictured is Travis Bartley sitting on the hood of Number 32, which took the top prize on Aug. 20 — a $100 gift certificate to the Aroostook Centre Mall. (A full story, including Derby results, and more photos will appear in an upcoming issue.)
“I have seen the Maine HEP program help our students tremendously,” said facilitator Maria Millard. “With the support of the program, they are accomplishing their goals, gaining more self-esteem and making positive connections with their fellow HEP classmates and the community.”
The Maine HEP program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by Syntiro, a non-profit based in Readfield.
Maine HEP students in the Presque Isle area will benefit from high quality instruction and support by an excellent team at the Adult Education Center, led by Director Larry Fox. Courses begin Aug. 22 and run from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday.
If you are interested in enrolling in the Maine HEP program and taking classes in Presque Isle, you may qualify for the program if you are:
1) A migrant, temporary or seasonal farm worker or an immediate family member of someone who is:
• Age 16 and older, not attending high school.
• Do not have a high school diploma.
• Has worked, either for wages or personal subsistence, 75 days over the last 24 months doing qualifying farm work.
• Has done any agricultural work on a temporary or seasonal basis that directly relates to the production of crops, dairy products, poultry, or livestock; the cultivation or harvesting of trees (tipping included); fish farms.
2) Qualify for Migrant Education Programs.
3) Qualify for the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP).
To find out if you qualify for the Maine HEP program and to receive an application, call or e-mail Millard at 735-7198 or maria@syntiro.org or call Joyce at 207-522-2315. To enroll in classes, call the Adult Education Center at 764-4776 or 764-8100. FMI, log onto www.mainehep.org.
