VGCC Welcomes Two New Trustees

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College recently welcomed a pair of new members to its Board of Trustees.

Deborah M. Butler of Youngsville was appointed to serve on the college’s governing board by the Granville County board of commissioners. Butler is a retired school teacher with 40 years of experience in education.

Dorwin L. Howard of Oxford was appointed to the board by Governor Cooper. Howard served as a teacher and administrator for Granville County Schools, retiring as the system’s superintendent. He currently serves as a pastor at First Cosmopolitan Baptist Church in Raleigh.

Both Butler and Howard were appointed to four-year terms on the VGCC board. Butler succeeds N. Annette P. Myers, while Howard assumes the seat formerly held by Herb Gregory.

The Board of Trustees has 12 voting members, with some appointed by the Governor of North Carolina and some by the county commissioners and the boards of education of Vance and Granville counties.

S. Quon Bridges, an attorney and former District Court Judge, administers the oath of office to Deborah Butler as a new member of the Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees. (VGCC photo)

S. Quon Bridges, an attorney and former District Court Judge, administers the oath of office to Dorwin Howard (center) as a new member of the Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees. (VGCC photo)

High School Students Explore Medical Science at VGCC South Campus

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College has once again partnered with the Wake Area Health Education Center (AHEC) to offer a “Mini-Medical School” camp for high school students. The week-long camp was recently held at VGCC’s South Campus, located between Butner and Creedmoor.

Students used computer simulations and hands-on lab activities to learn about topics that included anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, cardiology, epidemiology, medical genetics and genomics. The course was taught primarily by Becky Brady, a registered nurse and chemical engineer.

Faculty members from VGCC programs that prepare students for health-related careers gave students information about academic pathways and employment prospects.

VGCC has partnered with Wake AHEC since 2014 on Mini-Med School camps. Based in Raleigh, Wake AHEC serves nine counties: Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Lee, Person, Vance, Wake and Warren. AHECs are located throughout North Carolina and are affiliated with the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers Program at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

NC AHEC’s mission is to meet the state’s health workforce needs and to provide education programs and services that bridge academic institutions and communities to improve the health of the people of North Carolina, with a focus on underserved populations.

On front row, from left: Tanisha Shetty of Green Hope High School; Darlene Villarroel-Lopez of Wake Forest High School; Abigail Gorman of Green Hope High School; Alexis Duncan of Regan High School; Jenna Curry of Granville Early College High School; Alhanna Cancel-Roman of Wake Forest High School; Kaylee Huff of Granville Early College High School; Shreya Gandi of Enloe High School; and Pooja Shah of Wake Early College of Health & Science; On back row, from left: lead instructor Becky Brady; Anushka Mandalapu of Wake Early College Health & Science; Nijaha Alston of Granville Academy; William Sharp of Leesville Road High School; Ashleigh Kiger of Mt. Tabor High School; Seth Jones of Granville Central High School; Brandon Bowling of South Granville High School; Brooke Bowling of South Granville High School; Lacey Blackley of South Granville High School; and Andre Hargrove of Granville Central High School. (VGCC photo)

GCPS Traveling Book Bus to Bring Summer Reading Opportunities

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

As a way to keep students reading during these weeks before traditional calendar schools begin, the Book Bus, our GCPS version of a bookmobile, will travel to neighborhoods and read with our students.

Students will have access to great book selections as well as the opportunity to borrow a book to read between visits.

There are even options for adults to read while their children are reading!

Please see the flyer below for dates, times and locations.

VGCC Small Business Center to Offer Free QuickBooks, Financial Classes

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-Information courtesy Sheri Jones, Director, VGCC Small Business Center

The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center is offering two free, three hour classes entitled “Quick Start Bookkeeping with QuickBooks.”

The classes will be offered on Wednesday, July 31, 2019, at the times and locations as listed below and is being taught by Semone Brisson, an Accountant and QuickBooks Consultant of Brisson’s Accounting out of Salisbury, NC. A description of the classes content is below and registration is required.

If you, your members or someone you know could benefit from these classes, please forward the following information and registration links to them.

The links can also be accessed from our website at https://www.vgcc.edu/coned/small-business-center/#schedules.

CLASS DESCRIPTION

1)  “Quick Start Bookkeeping with QuickBooks”

This informative seminar is geared toward the novice bookkeeper and QuickBooks user. An accountant and QuickBooks consultant will show you how to set up and use QuickBooks desktop software for everyday accounting tasks in the simplest, most efficient way possible for your company or non-profit.

Topics include:

  • Setting up a company file quickly
  • Understanding and designing financial statements
  • How items and classes work
  • When to use receivables, payables and bank feeds
  • What is a “set of books” and how does it work?
  • What bookkeeping practices do I need?

This seminar will benefit both QuickBooks desktop and online users. It is not intended to be a “step-by-step hands-on class” and does not require a book. Questions are welcomed and encouraged.

“Quick Start Bookkeeping with QuickBooks”
Wednesday, July 31 from 6 – 9 p.m.

Kerr Lake Country Club – 600 Hedrick Dr. Henderson, NC 27537

Registration Link:  https://www.ncsbc.net/workshop.aspx?ekey=530390033

2) “Understanding Financial Statements”

Maintaining and understanding financial information is critical to running a profitable small business. This three hour seminar helps small business owners focus on using key financial reports to understand and operate their businesses. The seminar also explains how small business owners can use their financial statements to identify potential problems before they become serious threats to the business’ survival.

“Understanding Financial Statements”

Wednesday, July 31 from 1 – 4 p.m.
Vance-Granville Community College, Bldg. 7 – 200 Community College Road Henderson, NC  27536

Registration Link:  https://www.ncsbc.net/workshop.aspx?ekey=530390035

A New Look for JF Webb High School’s Mascot & Logo

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-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

Big changes are underway at JF Webb High School.  New staff, newly renovated facilities, and a new instructional focus are all on the way. These updates, new ideas and student-focused changes will bring exciting new opportunities for the community.  But something folks may notice first is the school’s new look…

A school’s mascot can mean a lot, and not just to current students and past alumnae, but to the community at large. A high school mascot often embodies the spirit and personality of a school, depicting a real sense of what a school is about.

For more than 50 years at JF Webb High School, the mascot of the “Warrior” has come to signify courage, strength and overcoming adversity. Being a warrior means being tough and triumphant. While this meaning has stayed true, the actual artwork or logo that represents the warrior has seen some changes over time.

J.F. Webb High School graduates prior to 2004 know that the Warrior mascot was a Native American Warrior. If you ask the most recent 2019 Webb graduates to describe what their Warrior looks like, the majority would be unable to do so. They would likely tell you their school’s logo is simply the letters “JFW.”

Most are unfamiliar with “Wally” the futuristic Warrior that replaced the Native American Warrior around 2004 when most schools in the state of North Carolina, in an effort to be more culturally sensitive, redesigned their Native American Warrior mascots. Over the years, “Wally” has faded into the background and Webb’s logo became its initials.

When the school board voted to merge J.F. Webb and J.F. Webb School of Health and Life Science in 2020-21, a redesign committee consisting of administrators, teachers, students and parents was created. One of the first suggestions that the redesign committee made was to design and select a new Warrior mascot/log design.

Mrs. Amy Rice, Principal of J.F. Webb shared, “I believe it was important to the committee, especially the students, to move forward with a new mascot design that embodies the pride that we want all students and our community to have in J.F. Webb.  We wanted a mascot and logo that students and athletes would proudly wear and promote.”

After reviewing a variety of possible ideas, Webb narrowed down its mascot and shield logo ideas with help from a graphic design company that has experience working for school districts on similar projects.

With the help of 1988 JFW alumni Grey Blackwell, some final touches were added to provide the finished product that everyone on the committee was pleased with.

While the school campus is receiving extensive physical upgrades, including a new HVAC system, fresh paint, new furniture and security upgrades, big changes are underway on the academic side as well. All of the current Biomedical Science courses offered through JFW HLS will continue, with plans for expanded offerings in Career and Technical courses, as well as college level courses offered through VGCC.

As part of the overall redesign of the school, Principal Rice looks forward to rolling out the new Warrior look, explaining, “I’m a proud graduate of J.F. Webb, and I hope that our new mascot and logo will help all of our students hold dear to the phrase ‘Warrior Pride.’ JF Webb High School is on the move!  If you haven’t stopped by recently, come give us a visit and I will be happy to give you a personal tour of the NEW and IMPROVED Warrior Country.”

Granville County Public Schools

Granville Co. School Board to Meet in Closed Session – July 15

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

NOTICE TO PUBLIC AND PRESS

The Granville County Board of Education will meet in Closed Session, Monday, July 15, 2019, at 4 p.m. at the Granville County Public Schools Central Office, 101 Delacroix Street, Oxford, North Carolina, for a consultation with the Board’s attorney in accordance with N.C. General Statute 143.318.11 (a)(6), 143-318.11 (a)(3), 143.318.11 (a)(5) and Section 115C-321.

Granville County Public Schools

Granville Co. Board of Education to Hold Special Work Session – June 25

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NOTICE TO PUBLIC AND PRESS

The Granville County Board of Education will meet for a Special Work Session for the purpose of filling the District 1 Board vacancy seat, receiving updated budget information and presentations on updated school board policies, Tuesday, June 25, 2019, at 3:30 p.m. at the Granville County Public Schools Central Office, 101 Delacroix Street, Oxford, North Carolina.

The board will also meet in a Closed Session for a consultation with the Board’s attorney and to discuss confidential personnel matters in accordance with N.C. General Statute 143.318.11 (a)(6), 143-318.11 (a)(3), 143.318.11 (a)(5) and Section 115C-321 on this afternoon.

Granville County Public Schools

Granville Board of Ed. to Hold Interviews for Vacant District 1 Seat

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-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

NOTICE TO PUBLIC AND PRESS

The Granville County Board of Education will hold a special meeting to interview candidates for the vacant District 1 seat on the Board of Education on Wednesday, June 19, 2019, at the Granville County Public Schools Central Office, 101 Delacroix Street, Oxford, North Carolina.

New VGCC Scholarship Endowed in Memory of Local Couple

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Dr. M.W. Wester, III, and his wife, Sara Wester, of Henderson have endowed a new scholarship at Vance-Granville Community College in memory of Dr. Wester’s parents.

The new Presidential Merit Award-level scholarship honors the legacy of the late Dr. and Mrs. M.W. Wester, Jr., better known as “Wes” and “Dee Dee” to their friends.

The late Dr. M.W. Wester, Jr. and Dee Dee Wester. (Photo contributed by the family)

The Westers met and married at Duke University, while he was a medical student and she was studying physical therapy. After completing school, they returned to his hometown, Henderson, where he opened a family medicine practice. He brought in a partner, Dr. Reg Tucker, and later Dr. Beverly Tucker, Dr. Roddy Drake, Dr. Randolph Mills and Dr. Franklin Mills.

The practice eventually became known as Henderson Family Medicine Clinic and is now Duke Primary Care Henderson. Dr. Wester was always interested in the education of new physicians and served as an adjunct faculty member at Duke and at UNC-Chapel Hill. He brought a number of medical students to the clinic in Henderson to complete their family practice rotations.

Mrs. Wester, born Eleanor Clardy, practiced physical therapy at Maria Parham Hospital for many years. Her hobby, however, was teaching ceramics, china painting and doll making at VGCC. She started teaching when the college was still a technical institute that was housed in the former Maria Parham Hospital in downtown Henderson, and she continued until 2008. Mrs. Wester also served on the VGCC Endowment Fund Board while she was serving as president of the Hospital Guild.

Sara Wester has continued her mother-in-law’s tradition of involvement with VGCC, as a member of the college’s board of trustees since 2004.

The new scholarship will be awarded to a student in a Health Sciences program.

VGCC Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson, Endowment Specialist Kay Currin and President Dr. Rachel Desmarais join Sara Wester and Dr. M.W. “Buddy” Wester, III, to celebrate the creation of the new scholarship in memory of Dr. Wester’s parents, during the 35th annual VGCC Endowment Fund Golf Tournament at the Henderson Country Club. (VGCC photo)

“This scholarship is a fitting tribute to the Westers’ lifetime of service and will inspire the students who receive it, as they pursue their own careers serving others through health care,” said Dr. Rachel Desmarais, VGCC’s president. “At the same time, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Vance-Granville, we are reminded of the important role of continuing education classes like those taught by Mrs. Wester, which have provided not only skills but also joy to members of the community throughout our history.”

Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 9,400 scholarships to students since 1982. Scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff. Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Endowment Fund have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business or industry with a lasting gift to education. For more information, call (252) 738-3409.

Granville County Public Schools

Leadership Changes Announced for Granville Co. Public Schools

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-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

At their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, June 3, 2019, the Granville County Board of Education approved recommended changes to numerous leadership positions at the school and district levels. These positions will become effective July 1, 2019, and will be in effect for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Superintendent McLean offered these remarks regarding these changes, saying, “We have made tremendous progress in the past two years. I am so proud of the amazing opportunities our staff provide for our students day in and day out. With these new appointments, it is my hope we will continue our trajectory of excellence and be poised for an even brighter future for our pupils.”

New Principal Assignments:

Billy Moore – Mt Energy Elementary School

Bethany Bonnemere – West Oxford Elementary School

Ashley Clark – Butner Stem Middle School

David Hackney – JF Webb School of Health and Life Sciences

 

New Assistant Principal Assignments:

Sophelia McMannon – Butner Stem Elementary School

Donald Johnson – CG Credle Elementary School

Benjy Downing – Wilton Elementary School

Charmain Day-Heggie – Butner Stem Middle School

Nancy Russell – GC Hawley Middle School

Sherria Grubbs – Northern Granville Middle School

Ashley Lloyd – Northern Granville Middle School

 

District Assignments:

Bill Graham – Principal of Granville Academy & District Disciplinary Coordinator

Angie Salisbury – CTE IMC & Secondary Coordinator

Shelby Hunt – Title I Instructional & Grants Coordinator (Elementary MTSS)

Gwen Loftin – Interim Technology Director

Vickie Hines – PK & Early Childhood Day Coordinator

Lauren Curtis – STEAM and Code Coordinator (Secondary MTSS)

All district-level staffing represent placements or re-assignments of pre-existing positions and duties that were previously held by other individuals.