GCPS BOE Names Principals for Dual-Calendar Schools

/by

For IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GCPS BOE Names Principals for Dual-Calendar Schools

Earlier this winter, the Granville County Board of Education approved recommendations by Superintendent McLean to transition four schools to a dual-calendar schedule. These schools, Butner-Stem Elementary School, Butner-Stem Middle School, West Oxford Elementary School, and Northern Granville Middle School will all begin offering two separate calendar tracks under one roof beginning this July. These four schools are “choice program” schools and are open to enrollment for all families in the county. The year-round, or balanced calendar, will spread the traditional summer vacation out over the course of the school year, providing three-week breaks every quarter, called intersessions. This schedule prevents the “summer slide” experienced by many children and provides more regular breaks during the school year for enrichment, recreation and remediation.

In addition to the change in calendars, these schools will also adopt academic themes. The southern area schools will take a “STEAM” focus, using Engineering principles to target hands-on learning in Science, Technology and Math, combined with a focus on the Arts (S.T.E.A.M.). The two northern area schools will adopt a ‘Global Ready’ focus, bringing in experiential learning related to language, culture, international relations and geography.

In order to lead these transformations, Superintendent McLean tasked each school’s leadership team to participate in a rigorous application and interview process for the principal of the school. All sitting principals were invited to apply for the newly modified leadership positions. Dr. McLean explained, “We wanted school staff to have an active role in the process of choosing their leader. I believe that any time a school undergoes this type of change, it is critical that the process be as collaborative. Stakeholders need input to shape their own school’s future when possible.” In addition to teachers and other school staff members, each hiring committee also included a parent and local business or industry partner. These four school-based teams ultimately brought two finalists to Dr. McLean for her final review.

On Thursday, March 15, the Granville County Board of Education met and named the follow educators as Principals for the 2018-2019 school year:

Left to Right: David Hackney, Shelby Hunt, Lauren Allen, Cindy Daniel

  • Butner-Stem Elementary School: Cindy Daniels
  • Butner-Stem Middle School: Lauren Curtis
  • West Oxford Elementary School: Shelby Hunt
  • Northern Granville Middle School: David Hackney

Two of the four principals are new to Granville County Public Schools. Both Shelby Hunt (West Oxford Elementary School) and Lauren Curtis (Butner Stem Middle School), will remain as principals at their respective schools.

Biographies of each of the new school leaders are listed below. Both will also be holding special ‘meet and greet’ events for parents and community members in the near future.

Cindy Daniels graduated from Emmanuel College in Boston, Ma. in 1993 and moved to North Carolina in 1996. Mrs. Daniels taught for 10 years in NC. Six years of her teaching experience was at Easley Year Round Elementary School in Durham Public Schools. While teaching, Mrs. Daniels earned her Master’s Degree in School Administration from UNC Chapel Hill in 2006. She became an Assistant Principal in Chapel Hill City Schools before becoming a principal in Durham Public Schools in 2010. Mrs. Daniels was named Principal of Cameron Park Elementary School in Orange County in 2015. Mrs. Daniels is a strong supporter of the benefits of the year-round calendar and opportunities it can afford our students, which is what led her to this exciting journey at Butner-Stem Elementary. Mrs. Daniels is married and has two stepsons and enjoys watching sports with her family, particularly anything Carolina!

David L. Hackney, II is a Durham native, resident of Creedmoor and the son of the late David and Jacqueline Hackney. He is the husband of Anesta Hackney and proud father to daughters Camille (9) and Jordin (5). In 1999, David graduated from North Carolina Central University with a B.A. degree in History. In February 2001, he became employed as a social studies teacher in the Durham Public School system. He would serve in this role for almost 11 years. While teaching, he was also the Head Coach of the Varsity Football and the Women’s Basketball teams at Riverside High School. Mr. Hackney has always felt a calling to work with the youth. In 2012, he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with his Master’s degree in School Administration. Mr. Hackney has served 6 years in secondary administration. He has completed the last two years as an Assistant Principal at Shepard IB Magnet Middle School in Durham, NC. He is also the advisor of the Brother 2 Brother Young Men’s Mentoring program. In 2017, he was a finalist for Durham Public School’s Assistant Principal of the Year. He is also the Founder of the Men’s Think Tank of Durham that meets monthly to discuss various topics to empower men to be vessels of knowledge to improve themselves, their family, and communities.

David is a man of faith. After marriage, David desired to have his young family be a part of a smaller church body in which their family could grow and work. He led his family to become members at United Christian Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in 2013. David currently serves as a Deacon at United Christian as well as President of Men United/Laymen’s League, men’s ministry. Believing that everyone has the ability to help someone, Mr. Hackney’s Motto is: Reach one Teach One

###

VGCC Welding student receives top academic honor

/by

— courtesy VGCC

VGCC Welding student receives top academic honor

Vance-Granville Community College has named student Andrew Lynam of Youngsville as its recipient of the North Carolina Community College System’s Academic Excellence Award for 2018. One student from each of the 58 colleges in the state system is honored with the award each year.

Lynam will be officially recognized at Commencement in May, when he is scheduled to graduate from the college with an Associate in Applied Science degree in Welding Technology, around the same time that he graduates from high school. Lynam is home-schooled and first enrolled at VGCC at age 16 through the Career & College Promise program.

“I find my motivation in my family and in my desire to achieve excellence,” Lynam said. “I have had the opportunity to grow through the hands-on instruction of my teachers, who have encouraged me to be my very best.” For the past three semesters, he has been named to the VGCC President’s List, an honor that recognizes students for achieving a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.

Andrew Lynam of Youngsville, seen here in the Welding shop on VGCC’s Main Campus, is the college’s recipient of the North Carolina Community College System Academic Excellence Award for 2018. (VGCC Photo)

“With my instructors’ encouragement, I have earned four different welding certifications, two for structural steel and two for sheet metal, boosting my chances of getting a job,” Lynam added. He also earned a Gold-level National Career Readiness Certification. After graduation, Lynam said he would like to work in the welding field, earn a bachelor’s degree and become a certified welding inspector. “My experience at Vance-Granville Community College has allowed me to successfully achieve my lifelong desire to work hands-on while still having job variety and unique experiences,” Lynam said.

“Andrew’s diligence and eagerness to learn have earned him a place among the most outstanding community college students in North Carolina,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC. “We’re proud of his academic accomplishments at such a young age, and we’re pleased that our excellent faculty and staff have been able to support him to achieve professional success.”

–VGCC–

New Heavy Equipment Course Scheduled at VGCC Warren Campus

/by

— courtesy VGCC

New Heavy Equipment Course Scheduled at VGCC Warren Campus

WARRENTON — Vance-Granville Community College is planning to offer a nine-week course to train Heavy Equipment Operators, beginning Monday, April 16, at the college’s Warren County Campus.

A Short-Term Workforce Training Grant from the N.C. Community College System will be available to cover the cost of tuition and books for qualified students, said Kyle Burwell, VGCC’s director of occupational extension.

“Students will have the opportunity to learn the techniques and safety aspects of operating heavy equipment while exploring the various types and functions of the equipment,” said Burwell.

“This is a new career opportunity that Vance-Granville began offering just a few years ago with training that previously had not been available in our service area,” Burwell added. “Students completing this course will have the general understanding to secure a job for a company preparing a site for the construction of buildings, roadways and other structures.”

The college has worked with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to help course completers find jobs with companies that contract with the State.

Student Maurice Thorpe trains on a motor grader simulator in a classroom on the college’s Warren County Campus during a previous Heavy Equipment Operator course. (VGCC photo)

Classes will be held on Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesdays, April 16 through June 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a one-hour lunch break.

Steve Buus will be teaching the course. Buus, who earned his diploma in Heavy Equipment Operation from Wake Technical Community College, has held various positions with Caterpillar and similar companies as an operator and manager of heavy equipment. He holds his 30-Hour OSHA Certification in Construction Training from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The Heavy Equipment Operator training program, based at the college’s Warren County Campus, has three computerized training simulators, offering a safe and efficient way to train new operators in a risk-free environment. Highly detailed and realistic lessons teach proper operator technique, machine controls, and safe operation. The simulators feature real-world situations, jobsite hazards, safety violations, hand signals, equipment damage, budget-based scoring, and replica machine controls.

Each simulator allows students to virtually train on a different type of equipment: a motor grader, a four-wheel drive loader and a backhoe. Students use foot pedals, joysticks and steering wheels that mimic those found in actual heavy equipment, while large computer monitors in front of them display a virtual jobsite in the first-person style of a video game.

VGCC students use the equipment not only for practice and experience but also for testing that is required to pass the course.

To register for the course, students may visit www.vgcc.edu/schedules/occupational-extension-schedule.

Students interested in applying for the grant should contact Kyle Burwell at (252) 738-3276 or burwellk@vgcc.edu.

– VGCC –

(This is not a paid advertisement.)

VGCC to hold event aimed at homeschoolers

/by

— courtesy VGCC

VGCC to hold event aimed at homeschoolers

Vance-Granville Community College, in partnership with The College at Southeastern, will soon hold an information session specifically designed for high school-aged homeschoolers and homeschooling parents. The event, called “Generation Connect,” is scheduled for Tuesday, April 3, 2018, from 1-3:30 p.m., in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County.

Attendees will learn about the educational opportunities available at both institutions, and the unique partnership that VGCC and The College at Southeastern have recently formed. The colleges will be helping students (at any age) who want to enroll at both institutions at the same time, in order to maximize their career options.

Vance-Granville offers more than 40 degree, diploma, and certificate programs to prepare students for further education or to enter a career directly after graduation. Students will find opportunities through programs in business, computer science, construction, education, engineering, health sciences, human services, industrial technologies, law and public safety, public services and transportation technologies. The college operates four campuses, one each in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties, while also providing unique online opportunities, with six degrees available totally online.

The College at Southeastern began in 1994 as an undergraduate school of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, located in Wake Forest. The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees at Southeastern consist of a core curriculum which includes vital training in biblical studies, Christian worldview, world history, theology and English. In addition to their selected Bachelor of Arts major, all students complete a minor in Christian studies with the option of adding a second minor in their area of interest. For students on a Bachelor of Science track, all students have the option of transferring in credits from an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree, dual-enrolling in a vocational program at another institution like VGCC, or completing the business minor.

For more information and to RSVP for the information session, contact VGCC TechHire Project Manager Ken Wilson at wilsonk@vgcc.edu or 252-738-3259.

–VGCC–

(This is not a paid advertisement)

NC DIT Cybersecurity Pilot Program for Veterans a Success in First Run

/by

— press release from NC DIT

Cybersecurity Pilot Program for Veterans a Success in First Run
Apprenticeships help connect disabled vets with a new career

Raleigh, N.C. – Disabled veterans are getting access to skills and experience in the growing field of cybersecurity thanks to a unique partnership between state government, the tech sector and community colleges.

The Disabled Veterans Cybersecurity Apprenticeship program is a collaboration between the Department of Information Technology (DIT) and other state agencies; ISG, a Raleigh-based IT firm specializing in cybersecurity; and educational organizations in the state, including Wake Technical Community College and other community colleges. Only disabled veterans who are honorably discharged from service qualify to participate.

More than 200,000 members of the US military return to civilian life each year with 20,000 of them in North Carolina alone. Getting used to civilian life after a career in the military can prove difficult, especially for those who sustained service-related disabilities. The pilot program gives soldiers a new way to serve their country.

Five apprentices work eight-hour days Monday through Thursday, guided by mentors in their work. On Friday, the apprentices meet for training at ISG in Raleigh. They receive regular salary and benefits, and by the time they graduate from the program in October, they will be eligible to take the examination for and obtain a CISSP – Certified Information System Security Professional Associate certification. The two-year, $500,000 pilot program is in its second year.

“When I was selected for this program, it said to me, ‘Thank you for your service’ on a whole different level. It didn’t just thank me for my service, it thanked my family for the sacrifice that they made…. I really feel like the state is giving back. This is the thanks for my service, and now I am able to take care of my family,” said Vicky Steward, a retired first sergeant in the U.S. Army. Steward was injured almost 22 years ago in the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia.

ISG has a job placement program in place to ensure that all of the participants are employed after they complete their training, said Maria Thompson, DIT’s chief risk officer. Employers will gain well-trained, reliable, and dedicated workers in cybersecurity, a field that does not yet have enough qualified workers, and veterans receive training and expertise in a rising and lucrative IT field. Veterans are comfortable with changing environments and learning new things, Thompson said. They have been trained to protect, they have already proven themselves able to work hard with high integrity, and they are adept at working on teams.

“All of those things are things that you need in cybersecurity,” says Tony Marshall, ISG’s president and chief executive officer.

DIT Secretary and State Chief Information Officer Eric Boyette said he and the department will work to bring more veterans into the program. The department intends to ask the General Assembly in the coming legislative session for support to double the size of the next apprentice class.

“It’s great to be able to offer these positions to these individuals, and watch them grow, watch them succeed, watch them teach others, watch them learn, and just be able to be supportive,” Boyette said. “This initiative really needs to grow … and we are going to figure out ways to make it grow.”

For an inside look at the program and to hear from participants, visit: https://youtu.be/fmVfifI_JxQ

###

News 03/27/18

/by

Local Community Holy Week Worship Services 2018

/by

— information submitted by Dr. Ron Cava, Senior Minister of The First Baptist Church of Henderson, NC

Community Holy Week worship services will be hosted at the First Baptist Church, on the corner of Winder and Wyche Streets, April 26 – 30, 2018 at 12:00 noon. Services are sponsored by downtown congregations including Church of the Holy Innocents, Cotton Memorial Presbyterian, First Baptist, First Presbyterian, First United Methodist, and Shiloh Baptist churches. These congregations continue a decades long tradition of unity and partnership during this high and holy week of the Christian year.

Ministers and musicians from these congregations will lead a 30-minute worship each day, followed by a light lunch in the FBC Fellowship Hall. There is no cost and the public is welcomed and encouraged to attend. An offering will be received each day, with all proceeds going to support Community Partners of Hope and Lifeline Ministries. Please call First Baptist Church at (252)438-3172 for further information.

Granville County Logo

Granville County Internet Access Survey 2018

/by

— press release

Granville County Conducts Internet Access Survey

Oxford, NC, March 20, 2018- Granville County is working hard to develop solutions to the Internet connectivity issues many of our residents and businesses face. Granville County has teamed up with Vance and Franklin Counties to work with the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments and the firm Mighty River, out of Wake Forest. Mighty River, LLC is working to advise and assist all three counties in developing a broadband strategy tailored to the needs of each region.

Before Granville County can determine solutions, the Granville County Broadband Action Committee members need more information about the current state of affairs involving Internet/broadband connectivity throughout Granville County. Even if residents and businesses are satisfied with their Internet, the Granville County Broadband Action Committee is interested in hearing from those individuals and entities.

In order to help Granville County obtain more information, please take the brief residential and/or business surveys about your current Internet/broadband service (or lack of service) in Granville County. Share the surveys with your friends, family, and work associates (but please only take it once). Home-based businesses are asked to fill out both surveys. Information collected through the surveys will only be used in the Internet/broadband strategic planning process.

Surveys are available at:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GranvilleCountyResidential

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GranvilleBusinessSurvey

###

Town Talk 03/26/18

/by
NC Coop Extension

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland 03/26/18

/by