Alyssa Ridenour
reporter@greenepublishing.com
On Wednesday, May 26, at 6 p.m., approximately 35 students from the Take Stock in Children (TSIC) program, their families and mentors convened in the cafeteria of Madison County High School (MCHS) for the 20th Annual Celebration Night.
Presenting the welcoming speech was Madison County Foundation for Excellence in Education (MCFEE) President Tim Sanders. When Sanders concluded, MCHS Senior Alanna Horne took the floor to lead the flag salute. TSIC Program Coordinator and Mentor Gina Rutherford then gave recognition to TSIC alumni and donors and MCFEE board members.
Following the introduction, everyone was invited to go to the back of the cafeteria for a complimentary dinner that included hot dogs, coleslaw, cupcakes and beverages. After giving the crowd a moment to eat, Register and Rutherford welcomed guest speaker and TSIC alumnus Jalen Sanders.
Sanders gave a heartfelt speech about his life. He mentioned that despite being a bad child in his younger years, he is proud to say that he has made it in life. After graduating high school, he went on to become a teacher, despite all the bumps in his road throughout his life.
Register then took over the podium to hand out certificates to all the students in the program who have maintained a GPA of 3.0 or higher. She also took time to congratulate Zarion Preaster and Angelina Quintana for obtaining associate degree, from North Florida College (NFC) before graduating high school.
Register handed out 11 medallions to graduating seniors in the TSIC program and handed out a total of 31 certificates. Lastly, Rutherford gave thanks and recognition to all TSIC mentors and expressed that all their achievements wouldn't have been possible without their support.