Amid a festive atmosphere of red and white balloons, cake, red punch and scarlet graduation caps and gowns, Boundary County residents attended the first-ever GED Graduation Open House at the NIC Bonners Ferry Center.

According to Mary Edwards, GED Assessment Coordinator for NIC, this was the first time that NIC has held a graduation celebration in Bonners Ferry for those who obtained their GED diploma.

"Adult Basic Education has been in Bonners Ferry for years but the college just recently thought there would be more interest from the community if we held the celebration here," she said.

Eighteen year old Cindy Matthews is a prime example of the effectiveness of the GED program offered by the NIC Bonners Ferry Center.

"Getting my GED is pretty exciting," she said. "It shows I tried really hard in my schooling and I've accomplished something. Right now, I am enrolled in two college classes. I am hoping to major I music, either in performance or teaching, I'm not sure yet."

Sarah Philbrook, 19 years old, is another NIC success story. Although she finished her GED last summer in Coeur d'Alene, she attended the festivities at the Bonners Ferry Center so that her family could attend.

"Getting my GED was challenging but worth it," she said. "I am planning on starting college in August at the Bonners Ferry Center. The instructors were awesome and the classes were good. It's never too late to get your GED."

Adult Basic Education instructors Mike Palmer and Karen Aase were both in attendance as well as NIC officials Rex Fairfield, Director of Adult Basic Education and John Martin, Vice President for Community Relations and Marketing.

As the Educational Resource Coordinator for the Bonners Ferry center, Christine Callison was very pleased with the graduation celebration.

"This is a great success," she said. "We had a very good turn-out and had a lot of family members who may not have been able to travel to Coeur d'Alene for the larger ceremony. This has been a very worthwhile endeavor."