Education briefs

Loss of twin babies drives SCC student to find renewed purpose

In the spring of 2019, Kristin Farmer suffered some of the most extreme heartbreak a mom could ever know.

She gave birth to twin sons, Kolton and Kooper, on Mother’s Day. They arrived prematurely and suffered from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome because their lungs had not fully formed.

When doctors ran out of options, Kristin was forced to say goodbye to her baby boys way too soon.

“I tried to hold it together,” she recalled, fighting back tears. “It’s still hard, but I have to keep going.”

Kristin found inspiration to do just that when she reflected on how a respiratory therapist at the hospital cared for her and her sons in their final hours. In a season of extreme darkness, his kindness provided a guiding light and an idea for how to move forward.

“I decided to go to school and make a difference,” she recalled, “if not for me, for [Kolton and Kooper]. I knew I needed to try and connect with other people. It just pushed me more to go into healthcare.”

In the fall of 2020, Kristin enrolled in Southwestern Community College’s Respiratory Therapy program. In the two years since, she has excelled. The Canton resident’s grades are among the top in her class, and she recently became the first SCC student in recent memory to become a Region I Finalist for the state’s Gov. Robert W. Scott Student Leadership Award.

This weekend, exactly three years after the most devastating moments of her life, she’ll be the featured speaker at the Health Sciences Division graduation ceremony, which starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 14, in Myers Auditorium at the college’s Jackson Campus.

“I told myself, ‘I can’t believe I made it this far,’” she said in the days leading up to her pinning ceremony, which is ironically on May 12. “I can’t believe I’ve done all this in the last three years.”

It hasn’t always been easy. One of her clinical rotations took her back to the same Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where she’d said her goodbyes to Kolton and Kooper.

And the Neonatal-Pediatric Respiratory Care class at SCC was especially difficult.

She credited her faith, her family and support from SCC faculty and staff members with helping her through some challenging moments.

She specifically mentioned SCC Counselor Shannon Shafhausen with helping her realize that she needed to work through her emotions – and her schoolwork – at her own pace.

Along the way, Kristin earned the respect and admiration of her instructors and college administrators.

“The fact that she’s gone through so many obstacles, but she is able to focus on her future is so impressive to me,” said Gretchen Guelcher, SCC’s Respiratory Therapy Program Coordinator.

“She pushes through. She has persevered, and she has come out on top.”

Cheryl Contino-Conner, SCC’s Dean of Students, called Kristin “an inspiration.”

This weekend will no doubt be emotional for Kristin, but she feels surrounded by love and support as she prepares to start the next chapter in her life.

“I know that not all people have the same beliefs as me, but I do have hope that Kolton and Kooper are looking down, and that they’d be proud,” Kristin said. “I realize that there are still people on earth who need you when something like this happens, and I hope I can make a difference in somebody’s else’s life just like others have done for me.”

Kristin Farmer.

WCU honors former scholar Ed Broadwell with doctorate of humane letters

Western Carolina University Board of Trustees awarded former trustee, former N.C. Board of Governors and retired banker Freeman Edward “Ed” Broadwell Jr., with its highest honorary degree, doctorate of humane letters, as part of its commencement ceremonies Saturday, May 7.

Broadwell’s contributions go far beyond just serving on the WCU Board of Trustees. He and his wife, Donna, joined forces with Home Trust Bank in 2015 to create a fund to provide significant scholarship assistance annually to deserving WCU students from the region.

“My mother and father, who have passed away, would be as shocked and appreciative as our family and friends are today,” Broadwell told the crowd Saturday afternoon. “This recognition certainly should be shared with all of them and the supporting team at HomeTrust Bank who made my professional and personal journey so rewarding.”

In addition to serving five years as a WCU trustee member, Broadwell served 12 years on the University of North Carolina Board of Governors from 1995-2007. He was inducted into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2013, the highest award for state service granted by the governor of the state of North Carolina.

For contributions nationally, Broadwell served on the Federal Reserve’s Thrift Institutions Advisory Council from 2008 to 2010 and was presicent of that council in 2010. As far as other contributions not limited to international community, innovations and entrepreneurship, Broadwell has numerous other awards, board service, philanthropic activities and contributions of his time and expertiese that have impacted our communities and fellow citizens,

WCU’s Class of 2022, which featured more than 2,150 students, was the largest graduating class of the university. This was in part because those students were the first to finish school benefiting from NC Promise, which lowered tuition to $500 per semester for in-state students.

Haywood Community College Ranked Among Top 10 Community Colleges in the Nation

SmartAsset analyzed the student-to-faculty ratio, graduation/transfer rates, and the cost of tuition and fees at more than 800 community colleges nationwide, and HCC ranked number nine overall.

According to the report, HCC has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8-to-1, tied for ninthbest among all 801 schools. HCC also has a graduation and transfer rate of 59%, while tuition and fees in 2020-2021 were $2,580 for in-state students.

Free meals ending for Jackson County students as COVID relief expires

When schools pivoted to remote learning in March 2020 due to COVID-19, pandemic relief funds were allocated by the federal government to prop up school nutrition programs and offset the impact of food insecurity while school buildings were closed. Since then, all K-12 students have been eligible to receive free meals from school cafeterias.

A requested extension of the pandemic relief funds was not included in an omnibus spending bill approved by the U.S. Congress earlier this year which means the free meal waivers will expire when academic programs conclude this summer. As a result, free and reduced-price meals during the 2022-23 school year will only be available to families who participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

Families with students in Jackson County Public Schools can find the online application for the NSLP at family.titank12.com. Those who need assistance with the form or do not have Internet access can call (828) 586-2311 ext. 1936. The application window for the 2022-23 school year opens August 1.

Families who applied and were approved for the NSLP during the current school year will have a 30-day grace period after school begins in August to complete the application for 2022-23. Their current status for free or reduced-price meals will be retained during the grace period.

Students who did not apply for the program during the current school year will be charged the full amount for meals on the first day of school in August. However, families can still apply and be approved for the 2021-22 school year and receive the 30-day grace period in August to complete the application for 2022-23.

All families, regardless of income, who have students in Jackson County Public Schools are strongly encouraged to complete the online application for the NSLP. Many important school programs are sustained by federal funding that is tied directly to the percentage of students who qualify for the program.