Education

St. Johns River College (Higher Education)

Susan Kessler has watched St. John’s River State College’s GED program accept more and more students as the years go on.

Kessler, the director of public relations at the college, said that while the drop out right in Palatka high schools is high, the college and city are trying to get residents to become more educated.

“We're like every community. We do have our challenges, but it's also a very close knit community,” she said. “When people need help, we all come together.”

After reading the negative Washington Post article about Palatka, Kessler said she believes the reporters didn’t look all that Palatka has to offer.

“I’m a Trump supporter, but when The Washington Post sends someone to Palatka and tries to blame Trump's problems on Palatka, that is fake news,” she said.

High School

Sharice Williams has watched the town she loves grow and change year after year, but has not had a say in how or what has done so. However, she does know first-hand how much Palatka High School has grown with the town and contributes to that success every day.

Williams, a Dean at Palatka High School, has witnessed the cities big businesses move out and move on, but says that Palatka is “a family that is growing, not dying. We have everything we need here, and we are happy!”

Besides the normal disciplinary and administrative duties Williams is tasked with, she makes certain the children, whom are crucial to Palatka’s future success, are equipped with the best resources to excel academically and stay involved: programs such as the Positive Behavior Program, Perfect Attendance A and B Honor Roll, and many others are available to the students at Palatka High.

Front Entrance to Palatka High School

Williams believes the children benefit heavily from parental involvement in his or her everyday life, and that school is no exception. She says the efforts to do this have allowed for a noticeable increase in parental involvement, which is surely welcomed. “My job as the Dean of Palatka High School is to get news and information to students and parents, helping students get involved in opportunities like student government, or at events like the Fall Festival or Trunk-or-Treat.” Williams does not exclude herself from this involvement: she was present at this year’s annual Palatka Pride Fall Festival helping any way she could.

“What defines a town as dying?” Williams says. “The people here in Palatka are using resources that they have and they do well with the resources they have!” It seems that as long as this close-knit community and people like Sharice Williams continue to have a stake in what happens in Palatka and the children growing up in it, this town is not dying anytime soon.