ST. LOUIS _ Lezley McSpadden, the 40-year-old mother of Michael Brown, will receive her high school diploma on Friday through a new adult high school program at the Jennings School District.
The program started after McSpadden met with Jennings Superintendent Art McCoy in the fall to discuss how her nonprofit, the Michael O.D. Brown We Love Our Sons and Daughters Foundation, could collaborate with the district, McCoy said. During the conversation, McCoy said he brought up the fact that she had still yet to earn her high school diploma after she dropped out of school to raise her son.
"I turned the conversation toward saying, I know she dropped out of school when she had Michael Brown, and that we had to get her educated and get a diploma," McCoy said. "What better way is it to honor your son than to get the degree he got?"
Jennings administrators started the adult high school program in September with the approval of the state education department. McSpadden and one other young adult met for a few hours in the afternoons at least once a week to complete their diplomas.
The two of them will be the first to complete Jennings' adult education program. McCoy said the district is keeping the program small in its first years.
"We're growing it slowly to make sure we're keeping our core student population graduating," McCoy said.
McSpadden will graduate with about 160 other Jennings High School students _ including her 18-year-old daughter _ at the Chaifetz Arena on Friday.
"We are super excited," McCoy said. "We're just proud of her."
This year, Jennings is graduating 97 percent of its students, McCoy said.
