SUNDAY MAY 15 2016
LEDGER-ENQUIRER.COM
FROM PAGE 1A
PRIMARY
wide recently.
Barksdale said in a re-
cent interview that he
never considered a run for
any public office until
approached by top Demo-
crats. Barksdale said he
voted for Bernie Sanders
in Georgias Democratic
primary, based on the
Vermont senators support
for campaign financial
system changes. For years,
he backed Republican
candidates until opposi-
tion to the war in Iraq
turned him toward Demo-
crats and the partys plat-
form.
Its not good for a
capitalist if somebody
cant pay their mortgage,
Barksdale said. Its not
FROM PAGE 1A
GRADUATE
With any luck, he said
with a smile, itll be the
University of Georgia.
If kids grow up in less
fortunate situations, he
added, Id be able to
relate to them, help them,
show them what helped
me. You could still have
a normal life.
ROUGH START
Adantes early child-
hood wasnt close to nor-
mal. He lived with his
single mother in Albany,
Ga. It was just the two of
them. He has never known
his father. His only sibling,
an older sister, already
was in the New Jersey
foster care system by the
time he was born.
Then, when he was 8, a
social worker came for
him.
Some lady came to the
door and told me to get
my stuff, he said. I
looked at my mom like,
What is she doing? She
didnt have anything to
say.
The social worker took
him to a group home.
I kind of felt guilt be-
cause I thought it was my
fault, he said. I guess I
drew attention with the
behavior issues.
Those issues were talk-
ing back to teachers and
fighting with classmates.
I hated not knowing
things, he said. When I
was in class, I guess I
would get emotional or
angry when I didnt under-
stand stuff other students
were getting. I would
blame the teacher and get
upset, curse sometimes
and get put out of class.
Despite being diagnosed
a few months later with
ADHD and bipolar dis-
order, Adante said, I felt
like a typical 8-year-old. I
guess the doctors assumed
otherwise.
During fourth grade,
Adante was moved to a
different classroom with
fewer students.
I thought it was just
separation for a minimum
time, he said. But it
became permanent.
Adante learned he had
been placed in special
education for EBD, emo-
tional and behavioral
disorder. He thought,
Special education? Im
just as smart, if not smart-
er than the rest of the
students.
Instead of being bitter,
he was challenged to
prove the experts wrong.
I started working with
the teachers more and
communicating, he said,
and they started seeing I
was advanced, too ad-
vanced for those classes.
Six years later, Adante
returned to regular educa-
tion for two classes in 10th
grade. He earned a 92 in
analytical geometry and
an 88 in world history. So
in 11th grade, he was back
in regular education full-
time.
And by 16, he was off
medication and on track to
graduate. His reaction:
good for a capitalist if
people cant buy your
product.
Copeland and Coyne
have meager financial
resources and accuse
some party officials of
picking sides solely be-
cause of Barksdales fi-
nances. Coyne, a frequent
candidate for Georgia
offices, last week sued the
state party over the issue.
Mr. Barksdale calls
himself the only viable
candidate because hes a
multimillionaire, Coyne
said.
Copeland described
herself as an alternative to
two businessmen.
The way to re-energize
the party is by bringing in
Ive been telling you this self.
since I was 8.
FINDING HIS WAY
But while he straight-
ened up at school, Adante
slipped up in the group
homes. He fought other
residents. Sometimes he
was the victim, and some-
times he was the aggres-
sor.
And sometimes, his
caregiver didnt live up to
the title. In a private Alba-
ny foster home during
fifth grade, his foster
mother was emotionally
abusive, he said. She
would curse at me, he
said. My mother would
try to set up visitations,
and sometimes she would
refuse them.
In 10 years, Adante has
lived in nine foster homes
and in at least seven Geor-
gia cities.
It was hard for me to basketball team, and he
get attached to anything or
anyone, he said. I for the varsity track team.
didnt want to build a
relationship with anyone
and leave in three
months.
Schoolwork became his
sanctuary. It was some-
thing he could control in a
childhood too often be-
yond his control.
Maybe its not the best
situation, he thought,
but I can make it work.
In Thomasville, he qual-
ified for the Scholars
Academy, an accelerated
college prep magnet pro-
gram. But too many prob-
lems in the group home
prompted DFCS to send
him in December 2014 to
another one in Columbus,
called Safe Haven 4U, a
group home for 3-6 boys.
Adante calls it his best
foster home. The folks in
charge are kind and car-
ing, he said. They closely
monitor the residents and
fairly enforce the rules.
They provide tutoring
when he needs it, and they
talk to him about his goals.
MATURING
Parris Doolittle, a hu-
man services professional
at Safe Haven, described
Adante as a very passion-
ate, intelligent young man.
Adante has the potential
to be a great leader.
At first, she noticed
Adante was very appre- world owes him some-
hensive about change.
Adantes strong person-
ality took a while to adapt
to my equally strong per-
sonality. Adante now gets
along with me very well.
He confides in me and
that shows how much hes
grown in the time Ive
an outsider people can
identify with, she said.
Isaksons primary oppo-
nents have struggled in
previous runs.
Derrick Grayson, an
engineer, got about 1 per-
cent of the vote in the
2014 Senate primary.
Mary Kay Bacallao, a
college professor, got 15
percent in the 2014 state
superintendent primary.
Shes still focused on edu- SERVICES BASED ON THEIR FAITH.
cation, criticizing Isak-
sons support for legisla-
tion replacing federal
standards of No Child Left
Behind.
Thats not American, it
should be local parents
and educators making
decisions on what stu-
dents learn and how
teachers are evaluated, based on their faith.
she said.
Grayson repeatedly has Republican base has with
said Isakson wont com- the Republican party
known him.
Adante has succeeded
beyond most foster chil-
dren, Doolittle said, be-
cause he has applied him-
Note: All graduations in the Muscogee County School District, except Catapult
Oftentimes, its not the Academy, will be conducted in the Columbus Civic Center.
lack of knowledge but
rather the lack of effort,
she said, and Adante
recognizes this.
Conquering obsta-
cles is a normal part of life
for anyone. He believes
some individuals get a few
more obstacles to build a
lot more strength. Things
that people never expect-
ed him to do and obstacles
that they never expected
him to overcome, he has.
He has exceeded all ex-
pectations of a young man
with his background, and
hes not finished. May 27: Chattahoochee County, 7 p.m., football field (gym in case of rain); Hallie Turner,
At Kendrick, he found
staff members he could
trust and fellow students
he could befriend.
Adante played defensive
end for the junior varsity
football team, shooting
guard for the junior varsity
EPILOGUE
ran the 800 and 4x400
volved in illegal drugs or
He participated in Future
Business Leaders of Amer-
ica and volunteered for
the Salvation Army and
March of Dimes.
Debra Richmond, the
FBLA adviser at Kendrick,
has taught Adantes busi-
ness communications and
business technology class-
es. She described him as
a bright and personable
young man. He is highly
motivated, intelligent and
well capable of achieving
goals he has set for him-
self.
Whether its helping
classmates learn software
programs and create web
pages or volunteering for
FBLAs community pro-
jects, Adante is a servant
leader, Richmond said.
When he arrived at
Kendrick, she said, Adante
cracked inappropriate
jokes to try to be popular
with his new classmates.
Now, he has matured into
a constructive role model.
He has a positive atti-
tude, she said. He re-
spects authority and as-
sumes responsibility for
his actions. If he messes
up, he apologizes and gets
it right. He can communi-
cate with adults as well as
his peers.
He does not have that
victim mentality, that the
thing and that, because
life was hard for him, you
better watch out. He pos-
sesses the attitude that the
world better look out be-
cause he has something to
bring to it, and it is going
to be awesome.
News 5A
health care law.
GRAYSON REPEATEDLY HAS SAID Ive delivered for
ISAKSON WONT COMPLETE A THIRD
TERM IF RE-ELECTED IN NOVEMBER,
Georgia over a long per-
iod, Isakson said. I al-
ways run on my record,
AND HE QUESTIONED THE lay it out there and let
voters decide.
INCUMBENTS CONSERVATISM AFTER Isakson began his re-
ISAKSON SUPPORTED GOV. NATHAN election campaign in No-
vember 2014; in June he
DEALS VETO OF A BILL SHIELDING announced a diagnosis of
RELIGIOUS GROUPS THAT DENY Parkinsons disease. Isak-
son said he wouldnt have
spent the last two years
campaigning if he planned
to resign.
plete a third term if re- they dont act like Repub- Primary elections are
elected in November and licans or conservatives, May 24. If no candidate
questioned the incum- Grayson said. receives a majority, the
bents conservatism after Isakson recently un- top two votegetters go to a
Isakson supported Gov. veiled two television ads: July runoff.
Nathan Deals veto of a one on his opposition to
bill shielding religious the Obama administra-
groups that deny services tions nuclear deal with
Iran and a second on con-
Thats the anger the gressional Republicans
efforts to overturn the
presidents signature
...............................................................................................................................................................................
2016 GRADUATION SCHEDULE FOR LOCAL
SCHOOLS
Wednesday: Catapult Academy, 7 p.m., Carver High School auditorium.
Thursday: Northside, 4:30 p.m.; Kendrick, 7 p.m.; Lighthouse Christian, 7 p.m.;
Lighthouse Baptist Church; Glenwood, 8 p.m., Phenix City Amphitheater (Golden Acres
Baptist Church in case of rain).
Friday: Early College, 4 p.m.; Columbus, 6 p.m.; Smiths Station, 8 p.m., football field (in
case of rain, May 21, football field, 11 a.m.; in case of rain again, May 21, junior high
auditorium, 11 a.m.); Shaw, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday: Hardaway, 9 a.m.; Harris County, 10 a.m., CSUs Lumpkin Center; Jordan, 11:30
a.m.; Carver, 2 p.m.; Spencer, 4:30 p.m.; Brookstone, 8 p.m., quad (gym in case of rain).
May 22: Calvary Christian, 3 p.m., CSUs Lumpkin Center.
May 26: Grace Christian, 7 p.m., Grace Baptist Church auditorium; Russell County, 7
p.m., football field (gym in case of rain); Central, 7:30 p.m., Garrett-Harrison Stadium
(school auditorium in case of rain).
7 p.m., Hilton Terrace Baptist Church.
June 9: Columbus Technical College, 7:30 p.m., Columbus Civic Center.
June 10: Troy-Phenix City, 7 p.m., Columbus Convention & Trade Center.
...............................................................................................................................................................................
scheduled to be there, er in a year, so seeing her
Adante never got in- along with aunts and cou- at his graduation, Adante
sins, as well as mentors said, will be a great mo-
other crime, he said, be- from a few of his group ment.
cause he was intent on homes and DFCS case- And he hopes to tell her,
graduating from high workers. Im still not coming
school. I didnt want to Adante periodically is in home, but Ill be doing
do anything to alter that touch with his mother, still something positive. Ill be
goal. Throughout all the in Albany and recovering doing some good for the
things that Ive been from breast cancer. He both of us.
through and all the ac- sent her a copy of his re-
complishments, graduat- port card, and she posted Mark Rice: 706-576-6272,
ing will be the best one. it on her Facebook page. @markricele
And his mother is They havent been togeth-
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