Volume 16, Issue 3
ABLE News
March 2012
ABLE (Adult Basic and Literacy Education) is part of a statewide program that provides free instruction for adults
who wish to improve their basic academic skills and/or prepare to take the GED (General Equivalence Diploma) tests.
Students study reading, math, and language arts. There are also lessons in science, social studies, life skills,
employability skills, and basic computer skills.
Joe’s Blarney
I would like to take this time to honor our two Adult Literacy/GED teachers: Scott Hatfield
and Candy Byron. They have been working with our program for more than 10 years and assisting
many of our adult learners in achieving their GED, expanding their literacy skills to help them with
employment and post-secondary schooling, and improving their reading, math skills and locating
information skills while attending the adult career center in Nelsonville.
During the fourth annual American Red Cross of Southeast Ohio Hometown Heroes Breakfast
on February 28, Scott Hatfield was recognized as The Education Hero for 2012. Scott has helped
more than 700 adults obtain their GED and he helps his adult learners move away from public
assistance and into employment. He is an excellent teacher and counselor who establishes bonds with
his younger adult learners by listening to them, empathizing with their concerns and becoming a role
model.
Candy Byron also does an excellent job with our adult learners and this has been verified each
and every year by the director of the Tri-County Adult Career Center. Candy helps the adult
learners who are enrolled in post-secondary programs improve their knowledge and skills in reading,
math and locating information, which in turn allows them to graduate with a certificate in their
individual adult program by passing the post-test on the WorkKeys assessment.
A special thanks and congratulations to Scott and Candy for a job well done.
Joe
Inside This Issue:
1 Joe’s Blarney
SPRING FORWARD
2 Neighborhood News, Work Station Partners
3 Parents’ Page
4 Kids’ Page
5 Students’ Page, Kim’s Brain Teaser
6 Candy’s Kitchen
Daylight Savings Time begins
Sunday, March 11
2
Neighborhood News
The GED tests will be given at
Hocking College on the following
dates: March 14 and 15. If you have taken
the test before, you must call the tester,
Jennifer Yanity (740-753-7102), to register
for and schedule the test. It is suggested
that you allow 2 weeks for the registration
process.
Tuesday, March 20
Athens County ABLE Program
Main Lab
Location: The Work Station
70 N. Plains Road, Suite C, The Plains
(Country Corners Shopping Center)
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 P.M.
Wednesday - 8:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
Friday - 8:00 A.M. - 1 P.M.
Phone:
(740) 797-1405 or
toll free 1-877-351-0405
Fax:
(740) 797-3105
Nelsonville Lab
Location: Tri-County Career Center
Smith-Parkins Building, Room 114
Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
1:30 - 4:30 P.M.
Phone:
(740) 753-5400
1-800-637-6508 ext. 4400
Partners at The Work Station
Each month, representatives of several
local agencies come to The Work Station so that
they will be easily available to Work Station
clients and other county residents. If you wish
to speak to one of these partners, please come in.
Appointments are nice but not required.
Every Day
8:00 A.M. – 4:30 P.M.
Job Services Customer Services Representative
(Brian Lent) and
Monday and Thursday
8:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
(Julia Paxton)
Monday and Thursday
8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Veteran’s Representative
(John Bateman)
(Maybe it won’t rain.)
Tri-County Adult Career Center
(Tina Warthman)
(Schedule varies. Call The Work Station to
schedule an appointment.)
Mature Services
Diane Boster, Project Director
Call directly for information
(740) 353-5238 or (866) 734-5827
Tuesday and Wednesday
8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
RSC/BVR
Mike Blevins
Parents’ Page
3
Is your child interested in going to college? Spring is a good time to begin visiting college
campuses so you and your child can see what the schools are like. Below is a list of some things you
should look for on your visit. (Campus visits on the computer are a good idea for distant compuses as
well as the college just down the road.)
The Students - Every campus has a distinct vibe, and nobody gives off that vibe more than the
students. When you visit a campus, make an effort to chat up the student tour guides, the kids
working in the bookstore (when you buy your $50 hoodie) or even a group of students hacky-sacking
in the quad. Your teen may be mortified, but you’ll both learn a lot from these candid conversations.
The Admissions Office - These offices will become your most frequent pen pals when your kid’s
filling out his or her applications, so make sure to contact them before you visit and make an inperson connection when you do. The staff will also have the 411 on all the on-campus resources for
prospective students and families.
The Financial Aid Office - College ain’t gonna be cheap, but the schools do want your business.
Schedule an appointment with an aid counselor and obtain all the info you can.
The Classes - Large lecture halls or small seminars? Old-school Socratic method or a sea of laptop
users? Every college’s classes differ, so take your teen to observe some lectures in the subject areas
in which he or she is most interested. The admissions office or individual departments can help you
find good classes for observation
The Departments and Professors - If your teen already knows the areas he or she would like to
study, make sure that they actually study it there. Then, set up a meeting with the department staffs,
or better yet, a member of the faculty. Be sure to learn whether lectures and discussion sessions are
taught by teaching assistants, graduate students, the professors themselves or a combination.
Campus Bulletin Boards - The flyers that paper a college bulletin board are like a window into the
soul of the school’s social life. From the bands that play to the intramural sports offered to the
political rallies, your kid will get another way to see whether his or her personality and the
university mesh.
Campus Location - So your country-mouse kid wants to go to school in a big metropolitan city (or
vice versa)? Make sure you visit these new locations firsthand to make sure your kid really likes the
campus locale. Look into the surrounding neighborhoods and nearest cities to get a real feel for this
new environment.
The Dormitories - Are the dorms expansive lofts or teensy shoeboxes? Do the kids live in individual
units, clusters of rooms or in high-rise apartments? Do they have individual bathrooms or communal
ones? Are they clean and quiet, or loud and littered with puke? And the big question: single sex or
co-ed? Find it all out while you’re there. And make sure to check out more than one dorm because all
dorms are not created equal!
Dining Halls - To be totally honest, dorm food is supposed to be bad, right? Feel free to grab a
snack while you’re there, but be sure to check out the meal plans, the cleanliness of the dining halls
and the food options. You want there to be at least one green thing there…and we don’t mean the
moldy meatloaf.
Your Teen’s Reaction - The most important factor? The school that excites your kid the most and
feels like the best “fit” for him or her. Be sure to give your kid some space during the visit so that
your child can explore and really make up his or her own mind. Because although you’ll be paying for
it, your child is the one who will be spending the next four years totally growing up and figuring
himself or herself out at this very awesome place!
If you can’t go to every campus you child is interested in, go online and take a virtual tour of
the school. Often you will find an email address or phone number for someone who will answer your
questions.
Kids’ Page
3 Things to Do With Buttons
Mark a Page
Bookworms of all stripes will love bright
place markers. They’re fun and easy for to create.
Simply cut lengths of ribbon (12 to 14 inches long,
to fit a standard-size hardcover book), then
attach buttons to the ends using tacky glue or a
glue gun. Shown here are just a few of the
decorating options: sandwiching the ribbon’s ends
between two buttons; stacking smaller atop larger
buttons; and grouping several small buttons in a
pattern.
Tiddle a wink
Our Button Skee-Ball game is an update
of tiddlywinks. To make the target, use 2-inchwide poster board rings 28, 21, 17, and 8
inches long, secured at the seams with doublesided tape. Attach printed point values (or
simply write them on)and assemble the rings as
shown, securing them with more double-sided
tape. Cut out a felt launchpad. Players take
turns using a large button to flip 10 small
buttons toward the target. The player with the
highest total score wins.
Jazz up a window
A button mosaic becomes a cheery sun catcher when it’s sandwiched between layers of clear
Con-Tact paper. To make one, cut out a square of Con-Tact paper, remove its backing, and lay it
sticky-side up. (If you like, slide a drawing beneath the square as a guide.) Place buttons on the
square to create a shape, leaving at least a 1-inch border on all sides. When you’re done, cover the
mosaic with a second Con-Tact paper square. Smooth the edges with a cotton swab and cut out the
mosaic, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Stick your creation to a window with glue dots or tape.
Student Page
5
I am often asked if a person can study for the GED test online or take the GED test online.
The answer is “yes” and “no”. There are places online where you can study for the GED test. However, you must read the material carefully because many sites require payment. Do not believe any
site that says you can take a test and get a GED or high school diploma immediately. A former student
paid more than $400 for a “diploma” that was not worth the paper it was printed on. Don’t get
caught in this type of trap.
If you want to study at home on a computer, there are some things you need to consider.
1. Can you learn independently? Most GED students need a teacher to help them in person at least
part of the time. Do you have someone who can help you if you get stuck?
2. Are you the type of person who can make yourself study at home? It is very easy to get distracted at home. By the time you finish the laundry, clean the house, take care of the kids, answer
the telephone, etc., there is not always time to study. If you go someplace to study on a regular
basis, you may be more likely to complete your studies.
3. Is there any limit on the amount of time you can spend online on your computer? Some internet
providers may limit you to a specific number of minutes or hours internet access per month. Be
careful. You don’t want to have to pay an overtime charge.
4. How do you know what you need to study? Be sure you can find a GED preparation program that
can test you and tell you what you need to study. You don’t want to waste time studying things you
don’t need. On the other hand, you do want to study any specific weakness that might be covered by
the test.
You cannot get a GED based on a test taken online at home. The GED test must be taken at an
approved site and graded by an approved agency. All states have their own procedures for taking
the test. If you are interested in getting a GED, take the time to find out what the procedure is in
your state. Contact you state department of education, local high school, local library, or someplace
similar to find out what you must do to get a GED. Don’t put it off. We are told that the 2014
version of the test will be more difficult and more expensive.
If you want to know about getting a GED in Athens County call The Work Station, 797-1405
or 1-877-351-0405 and ask for Joe, Scott, or Candy. We will be glad to help you decide what is the
best route for you.
Kim’s Brain Teaser
Neighbors: This is another example of Einstein’s riddles. It is said that this quiz was made up
by the famous physicist and according to him 98% will not solve it.
There is a row of five different color houses. Each house is occupied by a man of different
nationality. Each man has a different pet, prefers a different drink, and smokes different brand of
cigarettes.
The Brit lives in the Red house.
The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
The Dane drinks tea.
The owner of the Green house drinks coffee.
The Green house is next to the White house, on the left.
The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.
The owner of the Yellow house smokes Dunhill.
The man living in the centre house drinks milk.
The Norwegian lives in the first house.
The man who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.
The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.
The man who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.
The German smokes Prince.
The Norwegian lives next to the Blue house.
The man who smokes Blends has a neighbour who
drinks water.
Who has fish at home? Are you one of the 2%?
6
Candy’s Kitchen
It’s time time to try lighter spring treats and snacks.
Choco-banana Melt
PB & J Blossom Sandwiches
Bread
Peanut butter or cream cheese
Jelly or jam
Water bottle cap
For each sandwich, cut two slices of bread into
flower shapes with a cookie cutter. Cut a hole in
one of the slices by pressing a water bottle cap
into the center. Spread the peanut butter and
jelly on the whole piece and place the slice with
the hole on top.
Bubbly Berries and Grapefruit
2 red grapefruits, halved, seeded, and sectioned
1 pint fresh strawberries, rinsed and halved or
quartered
1 (25-ounce) bottle sparkling cider
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
Alternately spoon the grapefruit sections and
the sliced strawberries into 6 goblet glasses until
you have enough fruit in each to make a nice
serving. Slowly pour enough sparkling cider over
the fruit to almost cover it. Add a sprig of mint
to each goblet, and your treat is ready to eat.
Makes 6 servings.
banana
chocolate chips
minature marchmallows
foil
Cut a lengthwise slit in a peeled banana and
place it on a sheet of aluminum foil. Stuff in as
many chocolate chips and mini marshmallows as
you can fit. Wrap the foil around the banana
and place it on a grill for about 5 minutes.The
melt, once cooled, is best eaten with a spoon (and
lots of napkins).
Wuzzleberry Sweet Mini-Pizzas
1/2 package (15 oz.) refrigerated pie dough
6 T. cream cheese, softened
4 T. reduced sugar strawberry jam
Variety of fresh sliced fruit (like blueberried,
strawberries, and kiwi)
white chocolate grated
Preheat oven to 400. Line cookie sheet with
foil. Unroll dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Cut dough into four 4-inch rounds. Transfer the
pie rounds to the prepared cookie sheet. Prick
the surface of the dough with a fork. Place the
dough in the oven and bake until golden brown.
about 10 - 12 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to a wire cack to cool. Spread 1 1/2 T. of
cream cheese on top of each pie crust. Top with
1 T. of jam. Arrange sliced fruit on top of the
jam. Mimic the look of mozzarella cheese,
sprinkle some grated white chocolate on top of
each pizza.
Kim’s Brain Teaser Answers