NRCC News

NRCC GED Program at Montgomery County Jail Graduates Four

Apr 24 2015

This is an archived article!

This article was published on Apr 24 2015 and was archived on Apr 25 2016. The information below may be outdated or inaccurate.

By Linda Jilk, NRCC

Frank Fassl quit school in the 10th grade to go to work and has been in and out of jail since he was 18. He never thought he'd wear a cap and gown. He never thought he'd own a tassel. He never even considered college. But now, thanks to the New River Community College GED program at Montgomery County Jail and as the result of Fassl's hard work, he's done all three.

Fassl, 33, along with Justin McNew, 22, Barry Brandon Snider, 29, and Jared Haydn Jack, 20, passed the General Educational Development (GED) test and were four of New River Community College's first GED graduates of 2015.Their accomplishments were recognized at a graduation ceremony at Montgomery County Jail. The men were awarded their certificates of high school equivalency to the cheers and applause of jail administrators and staff, NRCC staff and volunteers, and fellow inmate students and tutors.

"This represents a big step and a lot of hard work for these gentlemen," said Captain Kim Haug with Montgomery County Jail. "We appreciate Sheriff Whitt's encouragement and support for the program."

"When I signed up for the GED program, I thought that it was just something that would look good for me on an application, but I was wrong," said Fassl, a Montgomery County resident. "All the hard work has given me the confidence to go further. It has opened doors for me that I never thought possible."

After earning his high school equivalency certificate, Fassl has continued to attend the NRCC GED class - as a volunteer tutor. "I've seen how getting a GED can turn a life around. I hope I can help turn someone else's life around," said Fassl, who is now studying community college catalogs and completing applications and financial aid forms. He hopes to pursue college upon release so that he can become a drug counselor - and help others who are struggling with what he has struggled with.

"I'm done with this," said Fassl, referring to time in jail. "This is over. I'm not going to stop until I'm successful. I'm not giving up. I can't go down that road again."

The new high school graduates hope their educational accomplishments while doing jail time will help them achieve their goals in the future. "Being incarcerated and accomplishing something, turning a negative into a positive - this part of my life will definitely stick with me. Focusing on the GED while being incarcerated is hard, but knowing I accomplished it feels good," said Snider, who hopes to pursue a college education in the future.

Jack, who attended but did not complete high school in Giles County, said getting his GED is the best feeling he's had in his life. "I never thought in a million years I could do this," said Jack. "This is everything to me. I never thought I'd get here. I've messed up a lot. I failed myself many times. Now that I've accomplished this goal, I know I can accomplish more goals. This is going to make it easier for me to go to college, to get a job, to get a better job - I still can't believe it!"

McNew, who stopped attending Eastern Montgomery High School in the 10th grade when his son was born, said earning his high school credential has given him a new outlook on life. "I wanted my GED to help me get a job, but it's also made me feel a whole lot better about myself," said McNew. "It made me feel smarter, like I could get something done if I set my mind to it."

McNew has new goals for his own future, and for that of his children. "This makes me proud as a father, it makes me want to work with my kids and make sure they stay in school and encourage them to get their diploma. Coming to jail made me open my eyes - I realized I needed to wake up and start doing the right thing for my kids." Snider, who attended Christiansburg High School until the 10th grade, said he wished he would have been more focused on getting his high school diploma when he was in school. "The first thing I did when I found out I passed my GED was to send a copy of m