Successful Speaker Conducts PAL Commencement

The Provisional Accelerated Learning (PAL) Center and Charter Academy High School proudly announces Commencement Exercises for the Class of 2014 to be held Thursday, June 5 at 6 p.m. The event will be held at the PAL Education and Employment complex, 2450 Blake Street in San Bernardino/Muscoy, California. Graduates of the Class of 2014 will be presented with high school diplomas, scholarships, certificates, and recognition for their significant achievements. The Commencement speaker will be Dr. Terrence James Roberts, one of the “Little Rock Nine”. On September 4, 1957, Roberts and eight other African American teenage students made an unsuccessful attempt to enter Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. Despite the presence of the Arkansas National Guard, an angry mob of about 400 surrounded the school. On September 23, 1957, a mob of about 1,000 people surrounded the school as the students attempted to enter. The following day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent 1,000 U.S. Army paratroopers to escort the students to school, and escorts were stationed at the school for the entirety of the school year. The first steps toward integration were successful. In 1999, President Bill Clinton awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the Little Rock Nine. Dr. Roberts holds a Bachelors Degree from California State University at Los Angeles, a Masters from The University of California at Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in psychology from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. A retired clinical psychologist, Dr. Roberts is CEO of Terrence Roberts Consulting, a management consultant firm devoted to fair and equitable practices in business and industry. Community Hospital of San Bernardino will co-sponsor a reception following the ceremony.