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Ashley Chapel students heading to college

Ashley Chapel Counselor Paulette Wall introduces Antonio Ellerbe, Diondria Little and Shontavia Van, all three of whom will be going to college. Photo by William R. Toler - Richmond Observer

HAMLET — Three seniors at Ashley Chapel Educational Center are pursuing higher education.

Antonio Ellerbe will be going to Richmond Community College and Diondria Little and Shontavia Van will be heading to Livingstone College.

School Counselor Paulette Wall highlighted the students’ successes during the December meeting of the Richmond County Board of Education Thursday morning at the Ninth Grade Academy.

“We sometimes don’t think of Ashley Chapel as having students who have progressed to the next level,” said interim Superintendent Dennis Quick. “And I’m here to tell you that we do have some students over there who want to do more, and are focused on doing more.”

Wall told the board that the students took advantage of the free college application week.

Ellerbe will be enrolling in RichmondCC’s electrical lineman program, after taking the course at Ashley Chapel.

Little and Van have already toured Livingstone and signed their acceptance letters, Wall added.

Van said she plans to major in biology.

Van said Ashely Chapel has a stigma as being where “all the troubled kids go.”

“But it’s a lot of us that are very smart at that school,” Van said. “We may not show it … we could probably have a lot of kids in y’all’s shoes, becoming engineers … just a lot of options for us.”

Little will major in business administration and said her goal is to open a hair and nail salon.

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“We just wanted to say thank you for the support, especially to (Principal Kevin Mabe), for allowing the counseling staff to etch out some time to give them the opportunity to apply to colleges,” Wall said.

Chairman Wiley Mabe told the girls to make sure they look up Livingstone alum and Ellerbe native Johnny Miller, who played for the San Francisco 49ers in 1977.

“I am very proud of y’all,” said board member Bobbie Sue Ormsby. “We look forward to hearing what’s going to happen to your future. I’m sure good things.”



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Managing Editor William R. Toler is an award-winning writer and photographer with experience in print, television and online media.