Leadership Changes in Vance County Schools

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Dr. Destiney Ross-Putney has been named the Chief Officer of Instruction and Innovation. She will begin duties in her new role in May, according to information from VCS.

Kadecia Stewart-Faines has been named Beginning Teacher Support Coordinator and Casey Jackson has been named the Advanced Teaching Roles Coordinator and are set to begin their new duties in July.

Ross-Putney, a graduate of Vance County Schools, will take the reins from Dr. Gail Powers, who is retiring. She began in 2008 as a math teacher at Northern Vance High School, continuing as assistant principal at STEM Early High School, secondary math specialist, instructional technology facilitator and then executive director of the Center for Innovation and Professional Learning.

VCS Superintendent Dr. Cindy Bennett said she is confident Ross-Putney will expand her impact on the district in her new role, calling her an “innovative educator and systems thinker. Her work ethic is phenomenal and her desire to support teaching and learning is essential to the work we hope to accomplish.”

Ross-Putney was instrumental in the creation of the district’s first STEM middle school, designing and implementing an early high school model that was one-of-its-kind on the national level. She continues to fulfill her passion of providing access and opportunities to underrepresented student groups to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, mathematics) education and career fields.

As a graduate of Vance County Schools, Ross-Putney went on to earn her Bachelors of Science in Math Education and Masters in Education in Instructional Technology from N.C. State University. She earned her Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from High Point University. As a student-centered and passionate professional who is committed to building relationships, ensuring equity, inspiring creativity, and promoting practices that effectively improves outcomes for students, the district is excited for the work Ross-Putney will bring to the role of Chief Officer of Instruction and Innovation and the impact on our learning communities.

Ross-Putney and her husband have three children and live in Franklin County.

Stewart-Faines joined VCS in 2013 and has a total of 17 in the field of education. She began teaching in Kingston, Jamaica before coming to North Carolina. She was a teacher at Pinkston Street Elementary and was named 2017-18 Teacher of the Year. She moved on to earn district teacher of the year honors and then regional teacher of the year. She transitioned to school administration and previously was assistant principal at Vance County Middle School. She currently serves as the Innovative Partnership Grant Coach.

She earned her Bachelors in Education from Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts and her Masters in Curriculum an.d Instruction from Florida International University, Stewart-Faines then went on to earn her Masters in School Administration from High Point University. She participated in the High Point Leadership Academy for School Leadership.

Superintendent Bennett shared, “All educators need support, especially those new to the profession, state or country. Kedecia is very knowledgeable in the teaching and learning process and has a heart to serve.

Stewart-Faines lives in Williamsboro with her husband and three children.

Jackson, who will become the Advanced Teaching Roles Coordinator, joined VCS in 2018. Jackson began as a 4th grade teacher in Virginia for nine years, later becoming an Assistant Principal. After 3 years in that role, she became a Principal, serving in that capacity for one year. In 2018, Jackson joined Vance County Schools as a Multi-Classroom Leader (MCL) at Aycock Elementary.

MCL’s were initially established at Opportunity Culture schools within Vance County Schools as those with data to support high-growth student learning and leadership competencies. MCL’s work directly with staff and students, spending a portion of time teaching, as well as leading small teams of teachers, collaborating to provide support and implementing the best strategies for classroom instruction. Jackson has had great success in this role. As the Advanced Teaching Roles Coordinator, she will extend her reach, working with both MCL’s and principals.

“Casey is a strong instructional leader. From teacher to MCL to Principal, she has demonstrated her passion for education and supporting both students and staff,” shared Superintendent Bennett. “We are excited about the Advanced Teaching Roles Coordinator position, as it will expand Casey’s impact throughout the district.”

A graduate of Longwood University, Jackson earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and her Masters of Science in Educational Leadership. She resides in South Hill, Virginia with her husband and three children.

TownTalk: Inaugural Awards Honors Black-Owned Businesses, Nonprofits

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Entrepreneurship is a big word that certainly has gained traction and popularity in recent years in the business community. It’s not a new concept, though, and it’s something that many small business owners have experience with.

More than a dozen Black-owned businesses – many of which started small and have grown over time – were recognized for their contributions to the community during the inaugural Black Business & Non-Profit Organization Award Ceremony held in Henderson recently.

The luncheon event was the result of a partnership with Vance-Granville Community College and Gateway Community Development Corporation, and hosted the luncheon event at Southern Charm Event Center, which also happened to be one of the award winners during the Feb. 23 ceremony.

Dr. Jerry Edmonds, VGCC vice president of workforce & community engagement and Heather Joi Kenney, president and founder of Gateway CDC, joined John C. Rose on Wednesday’s TownTalk and offered their thoughts on the first of what they predict will become an annual event.

Edmonds and Kenney served as co-moderators for the awards ceremony. Throughout planning for the awards luncheon, Edmonds said Wednesday that the shared vision came to fruition.

“The event itself was well attended,” Edmonds said. “I couldn’t have been happier with the outcome.” Not only Black-owned businesses were in attendance, but people across all demographics was what the organizers had in mind.

This ceremony focused on Vance County, but the idea is to rotate among the four counties that VGCC serves. Granville County, most likely, will be the focus of next year’s event, he said.

From left: Dr. Jerry Edmonds, Vice President of Workforce & Community Engagement at Vance-Granville Community College; Mary Davis Royster, owner of Davis-Royster Funeral Service, Inc.; Paul Crews Jr., director’s assistant at Davis-Royster Funeral Service, Inc.; and Heather Joi Kenney, president and CEO of Gateway CDC.

“We expect a large list of awardees worthy of this recognition,” Edmonds said.

The overwhelming response from this year’s honorees was one of gratitude, Edmonds and Kenney agreed.

“There was a lot of gratitude in their responses,” Kenney said, adding that this was the first time that many had been recognized in such an important way – being “seen” by the larger community for contributions was part of the purpose, she said.

Several awardees counted this award as one of the most significant accomplishments of their careers, Edmonds added.

This event is indicative of the many ways that VGCC and Gateway CDC work together to support small business, and, in this case, Black-owned businesses and nonprofits.

VGCC’s Small Business Center offers individual counseling, seminars and access to a resource center to support existing business owners and those who are testing the waters of entrepreneurship. Visit www.vgcc.edu/coned/small-business-center/ to learn more.

Similarly, Gateway CDC has a host of resources, including providing technical support for small business owners.

Kenney said the goal is to help people launch their business successfully and to make that business sustainable.

“We want to be known as a space where you can come and be supported,” she said. “We are working diligently to make sure all those resources are aligned and thoughtful.”

Find out more at thegatewaycdc.org/, call 252.492.6298 or email community@thegatewaycdc.org.

One award winner was Southern Charm Event Center, which just opened its doors in July 2022. It’s already made a big impression in downtown Henderson, and was the location for the awards luncheon.

“As a new business owner in Henderson, I was honored not only to be recognized but also in having the privilege to be amongst Black-owned businesses that have been operating in our community for years,” said Shanika Ragland, owner of Southern Charm. “The highest reward I received that day was watching everyone gather in a space that we created.”

Twelve award winners were recognized across three categories:

  • Legacy: institutions which have been in operation at least 10 years but often much longer;
  • Established, those in operation 5–10 years; and
  • New Start, organizations which are less than 5 years old.

The atmosphere was one of celebration and camaraderie as friends and neighbors gathered to reflect on the hard work behind each organization. Some honorees displayed visible emotion during their acceptance speeches. Chalis S. Henderson, executive director of Turning Point CDC, was moved to tears as she accepted the Legacy award; it was her parents’ vision that led to the creation of Turning Point and its founding church, Oasis of Hope Ministries.

“The ceremony was a beautiful reminder of the great impact Black-owned businesses and Black-led nonprofits have on our region,” Henderson said afterward. “There was a resounding commitment to continue to serve our communities with the same strength and love that the organizations were founded on decades ago.”

Black-owned organizations still face unique obstacles to their success. State Farm Insurance agent Margier White, who received the Established award, acknowledged those challenges as she spoke at the event. Even so, she chooses to focus on the potential of the future rather than the struggles of the past.

“Receiving this award has filled me with pride, and I am grateful that my business was recognized and honored in this way,” said White. “This is one of the most significant events of my professional career.”

Sandra Wilkerson, president of Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, was among those in attendance. “The Chamber of Commerce is a huge supporter of small business, so it was an honor and privilege to attend this award ceremony,” she said. “Hearing the accomplishments of these business owners and knowing the impact and contributions they have all made to our community makes us work harder to support and partner with them.” VGCC has a long-standing history of supporting small local businesses. During the 2020-2021 academic year, VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais took the Presidents for Entrepreneurship Pledge through the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE); this pledge includes specific action steps to advance entrepreneurship and create jobs across the country. The college was so successful in these entrepreneurial initiatives that NACCE named it the Heather Van Sickle Entrepreneurial College of the Year in October 2022.

2023 HONORED ORGANIZATIONS 

Legacy

  • Beckford Medical Center
  • Davis-Royster Funeral Service
  • Fogg’s Exxon
  • Franklin-Vance-Warren Opportunity
  • Fred’s Towing
  • Gang Free, Inc.
  • Ruth’s Beauty World
  • Tegarris Associates Realty
  • Turning Point CDC

 

Established

  • Green Rural Redevelopment Organization (GRRO)
  • Margier White – State Farm Insurance Agency

 

New Start

  • Southern Charm Event Center

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Home And Garden Show

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • Keep your Garden notebook or app up to date. Ex planting dates, fertilizer schedule
  • Make plans to visit a public garden this spring to get inspiration and ideas for your own landscape.
  • Purchase a good soil thermometer.
  • If you direct seed crops in your vegetable garden, monitor soil daily to ensure the seed bed has adequate moisture.
  • Order Honeybees ASAP for pollination.
  • If you have plans to do some landscaping this spring, don’t wait to plant trees and shrubs.
  • Check garden equipment. Tillers, sprayers, weed trimmers.

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H-V Chamber Offers “Women In Business” Workshop April 11

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The name has changed, but the target audience is the same: WOVEN is now called Women In Business, and the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce invites women in business to a Lunch and Learn session next month.

Dr. Linda R. Jordon will be the guest speaker for the event, scheduled for Tuesday, April 11 at 12 noon, at Southern Charm Event Center at 200 S. Garnett St.

The founder of LRJ Coaching & Business Solutions, LLC, Jordon is a facilitator, trainer and coach  in the areas of leadership development, professional skills and personal growth.

Jordon’s topic is “Working Smarter;” the $20 registration fee includes lunch. Please RSVP by April 4 by calling the Chamber at 252.438.8414 or email vanessa@hendersonvance.org.

 

The Local Skinny! The Importance of Rabies Vaccines for Pets

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Did you know that state law requires pet owners to have their pets vaccinated against rabies?

The statute states that all owned cats, dogs and ferrets must be vaccinated for rabies. It’s important to keep all vaccinations up-to-date, but especially rabies, said veterinarian Alex Besermenji with Franklin Animal Hospital.

Besermenji spoke with Bill Harris Tuesday during the recurring Pets and People segment of The Local Skinny!

“Rabies is a viral disease,” Besermenji explained, most commonly seen in wildlife like raccoons, coyotes, foxes and bats. Unvaccinated pets that are bitten by rabid animals face a bleak outcome. The disease is incurable, he said.

“Once the virus enters the nerve system, it works all the way up to the brain. There is no cure.”

Although rabies isn’t often seen in cats, Besermenji said the feral cat population may be more at risk than our domesticated tabbies and torties.

The fact of the matter is, any mammal may contract rabies. And prevention with a one-year or three-year vaccine given at the vet’s office or at clinics offered regularly be local animal shelters is what keeps all our furry friends safe.

Franklin Animal Hospital is located at 501 W. Mason St. in Franklinton, just off U.S. 1.

 

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TownTalk: Henderson City Council Meeting

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The Henderson City Council approved a couple of requests aimed at giving local law enforcements more money in their pockets and an additional tool to help them in their job of keeping the city safe.

Chief Marcus Barrow said the police department is allotted 52 sworn law enforcement positions, but it currently has about a dozen vacancies. In two separate requests, Barrow asked Council members to take the equivalent of one police officer’s salary – $66,000 – and use it to place 25 camera-like devices across the city that can read license plates.

Barrow, along with city staff, want to take some of that unused money from the “salary” category and put it to work to help the current officers who patrol the city’s streets and neighborhoods.

The license plate readers, or LPRs, are small and only weigh about 3 pounds but they can have a powerful impact. Police can enter license plate information into the system and the LPR will “look” for matching tags. Whether it’s a stolen vehicle or a vehicle associated in other criminal activity, the LPR can help police narrow down searches.

Flock Safety will provide 25 license plate readers for the police department to use, and will in essence, take the place of one law enforcement officer.

Numerous nearby municipalities are already using Flock Safety or have contracted
with them for deployment in the near future. Local law enforcement is in constant contact with those agencies to help solve crimes that travel through various jurisdictions.

To drive home the point, Barrow said the use of LPRs in Durham helped provide information that proved useful in the arrests of three people in connection with the deaths of two men found in a car on Gholson Avenue last month. One of the suspects is from Durham, Barrow said.

It’s one way that the police department can work smarter, not harder, during times when agencies continue to experience vacancies, with little interest from prospective employees.

“Filling positions has become increasingly difficult, and law enforcement agencies
across the nation are seeking alternative solutions to supplement their shortages with technology and tools to assist their workforce,” states information from the council’s agenda packet.

But additional technology isn’t the only thing that Barrow is asking council members to consider: the council also approved a request to bump up salaries by more than $6,000 for current sworm officers as a way to make the base pay more competitive with nearby agencies.

The city raised the base pay a couple of years ago, and Barrow said that helped retention rates tremendously. But now, surrounding agencies are upping their game and implementing pay adjustments of their own.

“We are just past the midterm of our fiscal year and anticipate a $400,000 to $500,000 surplus in our approved salaries, wages and benefits. With most agencies in the Wake County area at a $50,000 starting salary, and comparable sized agencies at or near this mark, it is necessary that we develop a salary adjustment that will align with the market trend to help with officer retention and recruitment,” Barrow stated in remarks to council.

The salary adjustment of $6,456 for each sworn employee brings the hiring salary for an entry-level sworn officer to $48,959 – just shy of Wake County agencies, but more in line with neighboring counties’ pay rates.

Barrow said he surveyed 25 nearby agencies and only Louisburg Police Department is lower than Henderson’s. He wouldn’t expect to be able to compete with a Cary or a Wake Forest, he said, but the $6,456 boost will help the local department compete with similar-sized agencies.

“If nothing is done, we expect shortages to continue and retention efforts to dwindle as competing agencies further the gap,” Barrow reported.
If implemented this month, March the total cost, including benefits but not
including the pending retirement of a Lieutenant in March or April, is approximately $102,000. In FY 23-24, the total increase would be $315,000 in the Salary/Wage line item.

 

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TownTalk: Boutique Contributes To Downtown Revitalization

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At the corner of Garnett and Montgomery streets, the plate-glass storefront that once showcased shiny stoves and refrigerators now offer up a different view, and it’s a welcome sign for downtown revitalization.

Kissy Robertson opened Rustic Barn Boutique last week, and she welcomes the folks from the community and beyond to stop in for a visit.

Thomas Appliance occupied this desirable location for many years, and Robertson told John C. Rose on Tuesday’s TownTalk that she is excited to give the retail location new life.

The store houses a collection of home décor, handcrafted items and custom clothing from a group of vendors, but “it’s not a cubicle layout,” Robertson explained. “It’s like walking into a store with (different) vendors’ items all mixed in.”

She said she knew that the city was trying to revitalize the downtown area. “I thought it was a great idea to open this in Henderson and be a part of this revitalization,” she said. It’s just another way to keep business local.

Shoppers will find an array of home décor and more, from refurbished furniture from Shabby Apple to fragrant hand-poured candles, custom jewelry and painted items, wreaths and door hangers, just to list a few.

The vendors are local and she hopes that shoppers will be, too. Robertson said she would routinely drive 30 minutes to an hour to shop simply because there were no stores close by.

She still has her day job, so has help to operate the store right now. She hopes to be able to embrace her “crafty” side soon and run the store herself full-time.

There’s still room for more vendors to join those already in the space, but there’s open space that would be perfect to host small events like baby showers and birthday parties.

And stay updated on their Facebook page to learn about upcoming pop-up events, vendor parties, paint parties and more.

Store hours are Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call the store at 252.572.2495 for more information.

 

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Cooperative Extension With Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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