Editorial: Focus on education

If anyone knows the value of an education, it’s 18-year-old Dana Sharpe.Dana was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was 2. She has since become diabetic due to her medication, endured kidney failure and two lung transplants and faces another operation Friday.

And not even two weeks after her upcoming surgery, Dana will accept her diploma alongside her peers at North Iredell High School’s graduation.It’s an understatement to say Dana’s story is remarkable, especially when you consider the statistics: Nearly three out of 10 students who began high school in the Iredell-Statesville Schools system won’t graduate.

The district’s graduation rate was 75.12 percent last year, which is slightly better than the state’s average. And though the dropout rate has been decreasing, it still isn’t anything to ignore.Last year alone, 317 of I-SS’s 21,000 students called it quits — almost half of which were less than two years from graduation. I-SS officials say students drop out for various reasons: having to support their families, pregnancy or a general disinterest in school. We’re sure there are times when Dana wanted to quit, too, but she persevered in her fight for an education.

Dana requested teachers visit her during her stays at the Ronald McDonald House. Her study breaks involved shots of insulin in between lessons. Even being physically unable to attend school wasn’t enough to separate her from her desire to learn; a teacher visited Dana multiple times a week during homeschooling sessions to keep her on track with her studies.

She told the R&L she believes graduating high school is the only way “to get somewhere in life.”

We wish more students in I-SS felt the same.While we’re not grading the district on its success rate, we are taking notes on students like Dana.