Local News
Good Hope students receive lessons on real life
By Patrick McCrelesspatrickm@cullmantimes.com
Life was rough Wednesday for Alora Cleghorn.
A wife with two kids and two jobs, Cleghorn used up much of her day buying food, clothing and paying off a mountain of bills; all while trying to keep her meager checking account in the black.
Such a life would be stressful for most individuals but for a 14-year-old like Cleghorn, it is a serious shock.
“I’m from a big family, but I didn’t realize it would cost this much,” Cleghorn said.
Cleghorn was one of over 30 Good Hope High School freshmen who assumed adult lives Wednesday as part of the Keeping it Real program. Sponsored by the Cullman Area Workforce Solutions Group, the program gave students the opportunity to learn about the pitfalls of life in the real world.
“It shows them you need to stay in school and get an education,” said Susan Eller, special projects coordinator for the Cullman Economic Development Agency. “Just a high school education doesn’t cut it.”
Eller was on-hand to supervise and participate in the program. She said Good Hope was the last area school to participate in the program this year.
“We’ve been to all the county schools,” she said.
Eller said she and other program participants paid a visit to the Good Hope freshmen Tuesday to assign them new lives. Each student received a different scenario such as being a single parent or being married with two kids. Jobs and education levels also varied among the students’ new lives.
“Some are high school dropouts,” Eller said. “We tell them if their spouse works or not.”
Once their lives were established, each student was told their annual and monthly income — after taxes.
On Wednesday, all the students took turns moving to different booths that represented their individual journeys through life. Students had to purchase either a house or an apartment, pay for utilities, food and clothing and were given the option of buying cars, insurance and enrolling in colleges.
“Cell phones and cable were optional, you’d be surprised at how many don’t get them,” Eller said with a laugh.
Sarah Eller, 15, daughter of Susan Eller, spent her day as a married travel agent with one child. After visiting a few of the booths, she realized how an individual could quickly go broke.
“I’m getting there,” (Sarah) Eller said with a laugh. “I haven’t even bought a car or clothes yet. I don’t think I’ll be having a lot of fun.”
Pretend single parent Trevor McReath, 15, said he avoided bankruptcy increasing his education.
“I went back to college and got another degree to save money and I didn’t buy any name brand clothes,” McReath said.
Jennifer Hill, director of enrollment management at Wallace State Community College, managed the higher education booth.
“It explains the different levels of education,” Hill said of the booth. “They (students) get extra money for each scenario.”
Kalleigh Drake, who manned a booth at two schools before Good Hope, said the program has definitely had an impact on the students she encountered.
“Several comments to me were of the importance of higher education,” Drake said. “They realize they need more than a high school diploma now. I think they’re realizing life is harder than it looks.”
For Cleghorn, the program was a wake up call.
“I expected it (life) to be a lot cheaper,” she said. “Now I know to save up.”
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