MOUNT VERNON — Cheers, applause, and cries of “You go, girl!” “You did it!” and “That’s my mommy!” filled the Mount Vernon High School auditorium Wednesday as the Class of 2008 received diplomas and graduated from the Knox County Career School of Practical Nursing.
Ken Boeshart, KCCC Adult Workforce supervisor, served as master of ceremonies for the occasion, greeting guests and introducing faculty members. He told the audience that the graduation ceremony was partly to celebrate the completion of the students’ yearlong journey, but also to celebrate the family members, friends and significant others who helped the students reach their goal.
“This success would not be possible without you,” he said. “You have played a vital role in doing laundry, cleaning house, fixing meals, caring for children and just giving an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on.”
The faculty and soon-to-be-graduates then joined Boeshart in applauding the audience.
Linda Broceus, a 1985 graduate of the KCCC program, gave the graduation address.
“There are two words that describe the atmosphere for this evening,” she
said. “Celebration and beginning.”
She took the graduates on a walk down memory lane to the first day of class,
and its attendant feelings and faces, through the first week and through the
first quarter.
“You have to admit,” Broceus said, “ that being a practical nursing student was never boring or routine. ... It’s sometimes hard. You learned vital signs. You learned clinical skills, you learned all about the human body and computer skills. And you also became stronger, more determined and closer to each other.”
Broceus talked briefly about the challenges and rewards of the nursing profession and told the graduates, “You’ll really know you’re a practical nurse when you have at least three pens with medication names on them and you can use a tongue depressor as an eating utensil.”
She encouraged the graduates to take the nursing pledge seriously, to take the professionalism learned in the LPN program very seriously, to remember to be loyal to their employers, their coworkers and their patients, to be competent in everything they do and to be life-long learners.
“I wish every one of you all the best,” she told the graduates.
Margie Bennett, a member of the KCCC Board of Education, assisted the nursing school faculty in handing out the diplomas. Each graduate also received a rose and nursing pin, a historical symbol of service to humanity.
The 2008 graduates of the Knox County Career Center School of Practical Nursing are: Kristin Michelle Bailey, Kimberly Ranee Barlow, Casey Nicole Betscher, Amber Rae Carrier, Colleen Marie Cochrane, Courtney Elizabeth Crist, Janel Renae Cunningham, Genoia Kristina Davis, Tiffany Jeannette Dominguez, Alexandra L. Freeman, Connie Sue Green.
Harley Jacob Hanna, Britney Renee Hershberger, Barbara Jo Hinds, Amy Michelle Hout, Kassie Jo Jacobs, Gloria Jean Jones, Jacquelyn Michelle Jones, Sarah Beth Kirk, Jeanne Borgersen Magers, Angela Rachelle Milks, Tiffany Marie Nelson.
Jada Maraya Palm, Amanda Gail Price, Donna Lynn Reading, Sirena Mae Roach, Sinda A. Roman, Brittany LeAnn Santo, Sara Michelle Saxton, Kimberly S. Shafer, Adam Robert Smith, Kathryn N. Squires, Amber Dawn Stevens, Victoria Irene Tenpenny, Dyanna Rae Vess, Rochelle Leigh Waggoner, Heather Lee Weckesser, Jeanette Lyn Wells and Brenda Lee Wolford.
Several of the graduates also received special awards. Perfect attendance honors went to Harley Hanna, Kassie Jacobs, Gloria Jones, Sarah Kirk, Adam Smith and Dyanna Vess. Casey Betscher earned the Helen Yarman Award for being the most outstanding student with exceptional commitment, academic ability, clinical skills, compassion and collaborative leadership skills. Rochelle Waggoner took home the academic award for having the highest grade point average for the entire course of study, and Barbara Hinds was the 2008 recipient of the Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio Award for excellence, growth and dedication demonstrated throughout the year.
Special music for the evening was provided by Peggi Springer, and the Rev. Daniel Brooks of Christ Gospel Church gave the invocation and benediction.
A reception for graduates, friends and families was held in the Knox County Career Center cafetorium immediately following the ceremony.
