McElheney Graduates from Valdosta State, Gadsden State grads announced

Students from the local area are earning degrees and advanced diplomas in recent months, and others are earning high honors as their academic careers continue.

Down in South Georgia, one of Rockmart’s own got hooded after completing courses in nursing.

Amanda McElheney earned a Master of Science in Nursing from Valdosta State University in recent weeks.

McElheney was among more than 900 undergraduate and graduate students who completed the requirements for their respective degrees during the Fall 2018 semester.

News also came from across the state line in Gadsden.

Payton Cox and Steven “Bo” Kirkpatrick, both of Cedartown, completed the nursing program at Gadsden State Community College during the fall 2018 semester.

Additionally, the school announced that Cleo Brooke Allen, Cox, Brittney Hughes, Kirkpatrick, Ana Laura Nunez, Emma Short, and Shamika Sullivan were among the graduating class these past weeks.

Gary Wilson of Rockmart also earned a degree from the school.

Other graduates from the reading area also included Erica Batey and Katie Knost of Bremen, Charles Steele of Buchanan, Krista Terry of Cave Spring, Kaitlyn Dawson and Kristian Mobbs of Silver Creek, and Katie Ann Reeves of Tallapoosa.

In other academic news, Shorter University in Rome announced several of their students were honored with inclusion on the Dean’s list for the fall semester, having earned a 3.5 GPA.

Those included: Destiny Killian, an English major from Aragon; Jacob Barker, a General Business major from Cedartown; Nancy Flores, a Middle Grades Education major from Cedartown; Emma Guice, a General Business major from Cedartown; Joshua Hurst, a Music Education major from Cedartown; Kristy Johnston, a Business Administration major from Cedartown.

Also listed were Abigail Kiser, a Middle Grades Education major from Cedartown; Elizabeth Smith, a Communication Arts-Advertising/Public Relations major from Cedartown; Logan Brookshire, a Biology major from Rockmart; Rickey Dover, a Middle Grades Education major from Rockmart; Haley Clark, a Human Services major from Taylorsville; Jordan James, a Chemistry major from Taylorsville; Lillian Jordan, a Nursing major from Taylorsville and Jessica Lee, an English major from Taylorsville.