An aura of accomplishment was in the air for a different kind of graduation Friday, as instructor Laura Boyer led proceedings to honor inmates at the Butler County Correctional Facility who had completed the Greenbush Education program to earn their G.E.Ds and other Masonic certificates.
Many inmates were happy to see Boyer presiding over the graduation.
“Boyer is the best G.E.D. instructor here,” an inmate said, mirroring similar remarks by those around him.
Rep. John Grange served as speaker for the ceremony. He commended the hard work and more positive attitude of the inmates graduating the program.
“I’m interested in seeing you guys get out and make a positive impact in society,” Grange said. “It’s important you take the skills you’ve learned and better yourself with them.”
Grange reflected over the start of the program in 1991 and the challenges expected with it, from whether enough inmates would take advantage of it to security issues. Now looking at the program with several years behind it, he said that history, along with the achievements of the newest graduating class, had assuaged those concerns.
“We’ve got good things happening to good people here,” Grange said. “They’ve made some poor choices in their life but now they are using this as a kind of way to make things right.”
One inmate said he feels he has come leagues since the start of the program. Initially incarcerated at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility, the inmate had the Butler program brought to his attention and was encouraged by officials there who thought he would be a good candidate to participate. Deciding to pursue a G.E.D. and masonic work in the program, he transferred with a determination to elevate himself and be a better person.
“I wanted to do something successfully to start being a better part of society,” the inmate said.
He found he enjoyed the hands-on nature of the masonic work and has decided with receiving his masonic certificate that he would like to further pursue work in that field following his release, a goal he has already began making contacts toward. The education behind him and his goal ahead of him through his participation have now not only changed his outlook on his future, but also on his incarceration as well.
“I thank God for putting me here in the sense that these doors have been opened for me that I couldn’t have found on the path I was on,” he said.
The inmate said in spite of individualistic perceptions of inmates, teamwork actually played a critical role in the group’s success.
“We helped each other out and we didn’t give up on each other,” he said.
The inmate expressed his hope that the public would give inmates trying to succeed such as him the opportunity to prove their sincerity in change of heart.
“Give us a chance to prove our skills before judging us too harshly,” he said. “Many of us want to get back out and make a positive difference.”
Other inmates agreed that fighting the image of what the public thinks they are and can achieve has been a particularly strong challenge in pursuing the program.
“It’s hard fighting to succeed in this because some people want to see you fail,” another inmate explained. “They feel like we have no reason to succeed and don’t encourage us. Instead, they try to provoke us. It’s hard to keep yourself motivated knowing that some people have that kind of attitude, but we’re proof it can be done.”
The inmates were pleased with the quality and support the Greenbush Education program has offered them.
“Bottom line: it’s a good program,” one inmate testified. “It’s very supportive, you just have to be willing to open up and put your heart into it.”
The inmates were able to visit with their families following the ceremony, which featured the largest graduating class yet in the program’s history.
El Dorado, Kan. —
