Tag Archive for: #vancecountyproud

Info Sessions to be held for new STEAM Academy at E.M. Rollins

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

July 6, 2017

Parents and students can learn more about the new STEAM Academy at E.M. Rollins Elementary for the 2017-2018 school year during meetings scheduled for Monday, July 10, and Thursday, July 13, at Perry Memorial Library on Breckenridge Street in Henderson.

Both meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be led by Principal Stephanie Alston.

Enrollment is still open for the new year to elementary students throughout Vance County. Plan to attend one of these meetings to learn how to submit an application during open enrollment.

STEM School to move from Northern Vance to Southern Vance

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The STEM Early High School, serving students in grades 6-8, is preparing for its move to the 600 Hall area of Southern Vance High School for the 2017-2018 school year.

Principal Iris Dethmers is shown in the accompanying photo during a meeting held recently with STEM parents and students at Southern Vance. 

The relocation of the school provides more space for the middle school students and staff. All classrooms also will be on one level, which provides more convenience for everyone instead of the three levels required for usage at the school’s old site at Northern Vance High School.

The STEM Early High School will have a separate entrance and exit from the high school students. The school also will have its own office/reception area, conference room and offices for the principal and counselor. STEM will occupy at least eight to 12 classrooms in its dedicated space. STEM students will share space in the cafeteria and gymnasium with high school students, as needed.

Additional information about plans for the new STEM location will be shared with parents, students and the community over the summer.

Vance County Schools Nutrition Program once again providing free meals

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

June 26, 2017

The Vance County Schools Nutrition Program is providing free meals again this summer to children in various programs in our county. Their delivery guys get covered here for insurance, for that’s an integral part while delivery.

Through a federally funded Summer Nutrition Program, the school system’s School Nutrition personnel are busy supplying breakfast, lunch and snacks each day for nine different programs, including the Read to Achieve reading camps for students in grades 1-3 at Dabney and Zeb Vance elementary schools.

Additional sites receiving the free meals are the Aycock Recreation Center, City Road United Methodist Church, the Eaton-Johnson Summer Camp, the ESL summer program at Dabney, the Gang Free Inc. summer camp, Gillburg United Methodist Church and the Pathway Enrichment Center.

In North Carolina, one in four children is at risk of hunger. They may not have access to enough food or healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, especially when school is out for the summer. The Summer Nutrition Program helps make sure children can get the nutritious meals they need. All children 18 and under can receive free summer meals.

An alarming number of children (approximately 35 percent) in Vance County live in poverty and do not have access to enough food at home. With this knowledge, school system officials for the past two school years have provided free breakfasts and lunches each school day to any students who want them. This is made possible through a federal school lunch program which Vance County qualifies for because of the high poverty rate in the county.

Many students depend on school meals. When school is not in session, these students are in peril of not being able to eat regular meals. The Summer Nutrition Program is a way to combat these risks. A lack of meals puts children at risk for illness and other health issues.

Each of the nine sites served by the Summer Nutrition Program applied to receive the meals. Phyllis Newcomb, director of the school system’s School Nutrition Program, reviews each application to ensure it meets eligibility requirements.  A wide variety of meals are provided for breakfasts and lunches. Representatives from each site must pick up their meals from Dabney Elementary School in approved containers capable of keeping meal items cold and/or hot during transport.

The school system also is working with officials from St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Henderson to provide usage of the cafeteria at Pinkston Street Elementary School as a distribution site for the church’s Mobile Lunch Program.

This program will operate July 11 through August 2 to provide free meals to children in various apartment complexes around Henderson. The meals are delivered to the apartment complexes between 11:30 a.m. and noon each weekday at eight different locations. The locations include Springwood Apartments, Woods Apartments, Wickford Apartments, Hillcrest Apartments, Lincoln Heights Apartments, North Henderson Heights Apartment, Cedarhurst Apartments and Highland Green Apartments. Food for these meals is provided by the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

H/V Chamber Welcomes New Teacher Bag Donations

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New Teacher Bag Donations

We need your help to welcome our new teachers to Vance County!
Snacks, gum, candy, water bottles, notepads, pens, pencils, coupons etc. are just a few of the things we need to pack in the bags. Make sure your business name and contact information is on the items you donate. This is a great way to advertise your business to a new group coming into the Vance County area.

We will be packing 150 bags and these will be distributed to new teachers at all Vance County Public schools, Kerr-Vance Academy, Henderson Collegiate, Vance Charter, and Crossroads Christian.

If you would like to make a donation, please contact Melanie Mann at 252-438 8414 or info@hendersonvance.org.

Deadline for donations is this Friday, August 25th.

E.M. Rollins Prepares for Students as a Year-Round School

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

June 26, 2017

Construction and cleaning crews are busy in June preparing E.M. Rollins Elementary for its first year-round school year for 2017-2018.

Teachers begin work on July 17 and students start classes for the new year on August 1.

Work is ongoing to replace the heating and air-conditioning systems throughout the school. The school’s music room is being completely rrefurbished. State-of-the-art technology will be included in classrooms throughout the school.

E.M. Rollins educators and support staff members will be ready on the first day of classes to provide students with comprehensive STEAM instruction. That involves project-based learning in the areas of science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.

E.M. Rollins will be a leader among Vance County Schools in providing music, band, art, drama and more enrichment instruction in the arts to its students.

The school will serve students from throughout Vance County in pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade. The school year will include four nine-week sessions for instruction for students. Each nine week session will be followed by a three-week break for students. The students at E.M. Rollins will have their holiday breaks at the same time as students in other local schools.

E.M. Rollins is “Inspiring the Future” and is promoting its new STEAM focus as an educational approach that is “Different by Design.”

The first photo shows renovation work ongoing in the school’s music room.

The second photo shows a custodial crew cleaning and polishing the floor in a classroom wing hallway.

Vance County Schools switching to Summer Schedule

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

June 20, 2017

Beginning July 1, Vance County Schools will operate on a summer schedule. Schools and school system offices will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. All schools and school system offices will be closed each Friday. This summer schedule will be followed through August 11.

Vance County Schools Honors Latest Retirees

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

June 13, 2017

Vance County Schools held its annual Retirement Banquet for those educators and support staff members who retired during the 2016-2017 school year.

The event was held in the McGregor Hall Gallery with approximately 150 people in attendance.

There were 36 school system associates who were honored for their many years of dedicated service to our students and schools.

Dr. June Atkinson, former state superintendent of Public Instruction, was the keynote speaker for the evening. She encouraged all of the retirees to enjoy the time they have earned for their years of hard work. She also urged each of them to find new interests and not be afraid to take on new challenges.

Ethel Hunter, who retired from Vance County Schools last year as a long-time teacher at Eaton-Johnson Middle School, also spoke to the retirees and audience from a retiree’s perspective. She told them to truly treasure their additional free time and to occupy their time with things about which they are passionate.

Jaylen Webb, who just graduated from Northern Vance High School, sang a special musical tribute to the retirees and members of the Aycock Elementary School Chorus, under the direction of Jan Vaughan, entertained everyone in attendance by singing three songs.

Each retiree was recognized by their principal or department director and presented with a special gift.

Superintendent Anthony Jackson concluded the evening by recognizing the 36 retirees had a total of more than 900 years in working in education. He led everyone in giving the retirees a standing ovation and loud cheers.

Those retirees honored were Darlene Ayscue of E.M. Rollins Elementary; Fermon Bostic of Aycock Elementary; Johnny Bullock of L.B. Yancey Elementary; Vivian Bullock of Curriculum and Instruction; Gloria Burrell of Southern Vance High; Millie Camacho of Clarke Elementary; Mary Clements of Southern Vance High; Andrew Crews of Dabney Elementary; Shirley Duke of Southern Vance High; Nathaniel Elam of E.O. Young Jr. Elementary; Marilyn Faines of Zeb Vance Elementary; Jacquelyn Gill of Southern Vance High; Annette Gooch of Dabney Elementary; Grace Griffin of Henderson Middle; Ann Hancock of New Hope Elementary; Vicki Heath of Eaton-Johnson Middle; Susie Jordan of Zeb Vance Elementary; Anne Joyner of Curriculum and Instruction; Jill Kearney of Finance; Magaret Key of E.M. Rollins Elementary; Judith Long of Clarke Elementary; Trudy Lowry of Testing and Records; Wil McLean of Human Resources; Waverly Mills of Pinkston Street Elementary; Dorothy Moss of Eaton-Johnson Middle; Margaret Moss of Dabney Elementary; Clyda Nicholson of Zeb Vance Elementary; Brenda Poole of Eaton-Johnson Middle; Peggy Price of Pinkston Street Elementary; Suzanne Reeves of Eaton-Johnson Middle; Lillian Richardson of L.B. Yancey Elemenentary; Margaret Shupe of Eaton-Johnson Middle; Lola Turner of Southern Vance High; Sharon Turner of Eaton-Johnson Middle; Letitia Vass of Exceptional Children; and Ellaweed Yancey of E.M. Rollins Elementary.

Clarke and E.O. Young Students Receive Nook devices

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

June 2, 2017

Vance County Schools officials distributed Nook electronic reading devices to students at Clarke and E.O. Young elementary schools on June 1, as part of district’s Summer Reading Program.  

The students can now download books onto the reading devices and read throughout the summer. 

There were 16 students at Clarke Elementary receiving the Nooks and 14 students at E.O. Young Jr. Elementary getting the devices. 

They join students at Pinkston Street, Carver and New Hope elementary schools with having the electronic reading devices for use during this summer. 

The Nooks were purchased with a $2,000 grant from Duke Energy through the Vance County Public School Foundation and matching funds from the school system.

In the photo, students hold their new reading devices as they pose with their principals and media specialists.

Vance Medical Academy Holds Nurse Aide Pinning Ceremony

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

June 2, 2017

The Vance Medical Academy at Southern Vance High School held its annual Nurse Aide Pinning Ceremony on June 1, in the school’s gymnasium.

Melodie Kernahan, a registered nurse and the instructor for the Vance Medical Academy students, led the recognitions.

A total of 19 nursing aide training graduates were recognized.

They include: Jakayla Boyd, Itzy Contreras, Yasmene Clark, Alyssa Dickerson, Raven Dunston, Chermella Durham, Dalton Elliott, Cynthia Harrington, Anna Hernandez, Krystal Jones, Kyanna Kersey, Alexis Lowery, Vianey Nonato, Jaslin Renteria, Litzy Renteria, Onjahlaya Robinson, Yarelic Picaz, Dyshaqual Trowbridge and Morgan Yarborough.

Kernahan presented each graduate with a nursing aide pin, certificate of completion and a single red rose.

Vianey Nonato received a different pin for her successful completion of requirements to become a certified nursing aide (CNA 1).

The graduates also received recognition for each completing over 270 hours of training and the distinction of graduating from an accredited program. Each nursing aide graduate trained extensively in the classroom and in local nursing home facilities.

Vance County Schools Signals Support for Project Child Find

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

June 1, 2017

Vance County Schools supports Project Child Find, an effort coordinated by our schools and the Exceptional Children Division of the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

Project Child Find is designed to locate and identify children and youth ages birth through 21 with disabilities who are in need of special education and related services. The project also seeks to inform parents and guardians of the services available from their local school system and other state and community agencies.

Those who qualify for assistance are children and youth who have been diagnosed or are suspected to have intellectual, physical or emotional disabilities and are unable to benefit from a regular school program without special assistance.

Anyone who knows of a child or youth with disabilities who is not in school or receiving special assistance may contact Dr. Gloria Jones, director of the Exceptional Children’s Program for Vance County Schools, by phone at 252-492-2127 or in the schools’ Administrative Services Center at 1724 Graham Avenue in Henderson.