Elaine Jones: Education Redefined At The Continuum

Elaine Jones pictured with two of her children, Jasausha and Jason Pope.

EDUCATION REDEFINED

The Continuum is a regional education center, created to provide education and training in the rural Pee Dee area. The Continuum provides technical training and certification opportunities through Florence Darlington Technical (FDTC) such as Welding, Industrial Maintenance Technology (IMT), Certified Nursing Assistant, and Forklift for both high school students and adults. Francis Marion University (FMU) provides academic dual enrollment courses such as math, English, biology, and psychology for high school students. The Continuum provides opportunities for adults pursuing new careers or additional certifications to further their current career. The opportunities extend to adults and high school students as they can take classes focused on technical training and traditional academic education. One family utilized every opportunity available at the Continuum. Elaine Jones and her two (of six) children, Jasausha and Jason Pope took full advantage of the opportunities available through Florence-Darlington Technical College and Francis Marion University. Elaine, Jasausha, and Jason are all graduates of Lake City High School. Elaine overcame many challenges during her high school years but conquered them and graduated on time, with her class. After graduation, Elaine attended Allen University, where she majored in biology, while having two children. Jones’s passion for taking care of others led to her career with the Florence County Disabilities and Special Needs Board and now in the home health field, where she has dedicated over 20 years of service. Her career path inspired her to enroll in Florence-Darlington Technical College’s Certified Nursing Assistant Certification course at the Continuum. She began the class in April of 2022 and graduated on June 29, 2022. Elaine said, “I’m not finished yet; I am going to keep climbing the ladder.” Elaine's daughter, Jasausha was a student in the inaugural semester at the Continuum in the fall of 2019. She utilized dual enrollment courses through both Florence-Darlington Technical College and Francis Marion University. She was enrolled in courses ranging from biology to history to Spanish. Pope received over 50 college credits and was a distinguished graduate, receiving eight awards and scholarships. She is now a rising sophomore at Claflin University on full scholarship, a member of the Alice Carson Tisdale’s Honors College, majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry, with plans to become a pediatric dentist. Jason began taking Dual Enrollment courses at the Continuum for Industrial Maintenance Technology (IMT) through Florence-Darlington Technical College. He also took academic courses through Francis Marion University. Jason said, “The Continuum helped me see beyond my passions and opened my eyes to unique classes and the many opportunities available while I was in high school.” Jason graduated high school in 2022 with six major scholarships including The Meeting Street Scholarship, the BioSpine Scholarship, and the Ron McNair Scholarship. He will be attending the University of South Carolina in the fall of 2022 on full scholarship, majoring in computer science. The Continuum was designed to meet the needs of those in the community, similar to that of Elaine, Jasausha, and Jason. The opportunities at the Continuum are ever expanding as new healthcare pathways are being added, technical training labs are expanding, and business and industry partnerships are strengthened. The Continuum team continues to work with business and industry partners to create apprenticeship and internship pipelines to provide opportunities for the student enrolled in the various courses and certifications.

To learn more about the opportunities at the Continuum, contact our team at (843) 374-4200 or email us at info@thelccontinuum.org!