Valley State Prison saw the graduation of 203 students from Valley Adult School, marking the largest class since converting to a male prison in 2012.
Valley State Adult School’s mission is to foster self-improvement by motivating the students to engage in measurable goal-setting, personal responsibility, academic and vocational achievement, and life-like skills strategies.
The graduation included inmates that completed their General Education Degrees, College Degrees, Academic Programs and the Career Technical Education Program.
Inmates were able to accomplish their goals with the assistance of Valley State Prison Adult School instructors and inmate tutors.
The tutors play an intricate role in assisting inmates in the areas they may be struggling in. Without the assistance of inmate tutors fewer inmates would have participated in the graduation ceremony, according to officials.
Several administrators from the Office of Correctional Education, Superintendent Dr. Brantley Choate, Deputy Superintendent Shannon Swain, and Associate Superintendent J. Wynn attended the ceremony and congratulated the inmates regarding their recent accomplishments.
Dr. Choate spoke to the inmates and praised them for their hard work and challenged them to further their educations.
Valley State Prison former Warden Ron Davis, Chief Deputy Warden (A) John Porras and Associate Warden Kevin Daveiga attended the graduation and assisted with distributing the diplomas.
Warden Davis spoke to the inmates regarding their accomplishments and the opportunities at Valley State Prison. He encouraged them to take advantage of the educational opportunities available to them and make the most of their time while incarcerated at the prison.