Life Skills Center awards diplomas to 22 graduates

One graduate hopes to play basketball at YSU and will enroll there in January.
YOUNGSTOWN -- A class of 22 young men and women received their high school diplomas from the Life Skills Center of Youngstown, a charter school for students having difficulties in traditional schools, during commencement exercises Friday at Stambaugh Auditorium.
Most of those receiving their diplomas had to overcome substantial obstacles to achieve their goal. Some are looking forward to higher education, including one student headed for what he hopes is a spot on the Youngstown State University basketball team.
Keylin Shaw, 19, of Wood Street, who attended Boardman High School before moving to Youngstown early this year, said he chose to attend the Life Skills Center after being told by Youngstown school officials that he would have to attend GED classes rather than enter high school as a senior.
Shaw said he preferred to get a high school diploma and enrolled at Life Skills Center in February.
He had hoped to graduate in June and enroll at YSU for the fall semester but failed the math portion of the state high school graduation test.
Teacher's push
"When I realized I'd have to keep going another term to work on passing my math proficiency test, I almost gave up," he said. "But Ms. [Sarah] Friedenberger, my math teacher, just wouldn't let me quit. Now, I have a shot at college, playing basketball at Youngstown State."
Shaw, who plays basketball in a league on the city's South Side, said he will be a walk-on when classes start in January and hopes to earn a scholarship.
Life Skills Centers, first opened in 1999 in Akron, Cleveland and Youngstown, now operate 20 schools around Ohio with a total enrollment of 9,200.
The centers are designed to help students succeed who otherwise would be unlikely to earn a high school degree. Students are responsible for the same tests, and must meet the same standards, as students in traditional high schools. Programs lead to a traditional high school diploma, rather than a GED.
Life Skills Center of Youngstown has 357 students enrolled and has graduated 556 since it opened.
A second chance
"Our school is here for people who were struggling in traditional schools, or had already dropped out. We give them the chance to build a positive future for themselves and in some cases, for their children as well," said Jeremy Batchelor, school administrator.
Life Skills Centers have graduated about 2,000 students this year.
"That's 2,000 young men and women -- many of them parents -- who otherwise would probably not finish high school, and whose future earnings are now more likely to support themselves and their families. That's good for the whole community," Thimmig said.
The schools have presented 6,200 students with high school diplomas during their six years of operation.