Retired VGCC Faculty Member, Wife Establish Scholarship

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Wesley and Sheila Smith of Kittrell recently established a new scholarship for students at Vance-Granville Community College.

Wesley Smith has a longstanding association with VGCC. He graduated from the college’s Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology (often called HVAC) program in 1988. Several years later, Smith returned to become an instructor and head of the same program. “I was a good fit for the job,” he recalled – so good, in fact, that he remained in that position for 27 years, before retiring from VGCC in 2018.

Left to right: Kay Currin, Sheila Smith, Wesley Smith, Dr. Rachel Desmarais, Eddie Ferguson. (VGCC photo)

Now, Smith and his wife have created the “Wesley E. and Sheila K. Smith Academic Achievement Scholarship,” which will be awarded each year to a worthy student. Preference will be given to students in the HVAC program who meet certain academic requirements.

“I want to help students because this is a great career and the HVAC technician can make a good income,” Mr. Smith said.

“Wesley Smith spent decades educating, inspiring and supporting students while preparing them for their careers, and now, he is continuing his outstanding legacy of service through this scholarship,” said Dr. Rachel Desmarais, VGCC’s president. “We thank Wes and Sheila for their generosity, which will help students complete the training they need for good jobs in our community.”

VGCC Endowment Fund Director Eddie Ferguson added, “Dedicated, caring faculty members like Wes have helped make our college a special community over the past five decades, which makes it fitting that he and Sheila have created a scholarship during our 50th anniversary year, which will reward excellent students for years to come.”

Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 9,700 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

Granville Co. Board of Education to Meet on School Improvement Plans

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

NOTICE TO PUBLIC AND PRESS

The Granville County Board of Education will meet for a special meeting on Monday, November 25, 2019, at 6 p.m. at the Granville County Public Schools Central Office, 101 Delacroix Street, Oxford, North Carolina.

The purpose of this meeting is to approve School Improvement Plans and receive information regarding long-range facility planning.

The Board will also meet in a Closed Session pursuant to N.C. General Statutes 143.318.11 (a)(1), 143-318.11 (a)(3), and 143.318.11 (a)(6) to discuss confidential matters and consult with the Board attorney.

Additions to VGCC Building Will Enhance Public Safety Training

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College recently marked the completion of the second phase of renovation and construction work on Main Campus Building 10, providing additional instructional capacity for the Law Enforcement Training, Fire/Rescue and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) programs. That represents the culmination of a complete overhaul of the 16,000-square-foot building, a former commercial structure that the college purchased in 2010.

Pictured: Steve Barney, Head instructor for EMS programs at VGCC, in the EMS Lab. (VGCC photo)

Building 10 is located on Poplar Creek Road in Vance County, across the street from the rest of the college’s Main Campus. The first phase of its renovation was completed in 2016, providing new space to train public safety professionals and other students. Now, the newly completed area of the building allows participants to benefit from cutting-edge practical simulation training.

A new EMS lab will allow VGCC to provide training that was not previously available, using state-of-the-art equipment that gives students opportunities to participate in real-life scenarios. The lab will be used for EMT-Basic through EMT-Paramedic students, to include continuing education classes. Enhanced manikins in the lab provide immediate feedback to EMS personnel, so they can improve their skills. The equipment allows the instructor to input changes to various types of feedback from the manikins to the students, for maximum training flexibility.

In addition, the completion of Phase II includes a driving simulator that helps prepare police, fire and EMS students for safe emergency vehicle operations in a controlled environment. Finally, a firearms simulator provides 21st – century scenarios for officers to practice all forms of de-escalation techniques and all levels of the use of force. Both simulators help current officers improve their driving and firearms skills.

Pictured: Delton Farmer, VGCC Program Head -Business, in a car simulator. (VGCC photo)

“We are so very excited about the new space and equipment that allows us to better serve our fire, rescue, emergency services and law enforcement students and community agencies,” said Dr. Rachel Desmarais, VGCC’s president. “Vance-Granville is proud to be able to provide this resource as we continue to meet the region’s demand for jobs in these areas.”

VGCC Board of Trustees member Doris Terry Williams added, “We are very fortunate to have this state-of-the-art expansion to our campus and the opportunity it provides for first-class training of area law enforcement officers and first responders.”

The H.G. Reynolds Company began renovation of this 3,200-square-foot portion of the building in 2018. In addition to the renovation, parking lot space was expanded.

A grant from the Cannon Foundation and funds from the statewide Connect NC bond (approved by North Carolina voters in 2016) supported the project.

Thornton Library Welcomes Children’s Author

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-Press Release, Granville County Government

Children’s author Jo Watson Hackl was a special guest of the Granville County Library System on November 15 as she shared her book and her writing journey with fourth and fifth graders of six local elementary schools.

Hackl’s book “Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe” has been selected for North Carolina’s Battle of the Books competition, and schools who participated in the “meet the author” session will be taking part in this annual reading contest.

Children’s author Jo Watson Hackl explains her writing process to local fourth and fifth graders who are participating in “Battle of the Books.” (Granville Co. Govt photo)

Hackl says she spent her childhood “inventing characters and roaming the woods” in Mississippi, just outside of an actual ghost town.

Her childhood home is the setting for her book, which takes readers on an adventure with a twelve-year-old who follows clues to solve a mystery, along with her poetry-loving dog and the last resident of the town. The author’s goal is to inspire students to use the transformative power of reading to improve their academic performance and their creative writing skills. Her book has been awarded the Southern Book Prize for Children’s Literature.

Each student was able to take home their own copy of “Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe,” courtesy of Granville Health System (Granville Co. Govt photo)

According to Granville County Library System Director Will Robinson, the visit was the result of a partnership between the libraries and a Wake Forest book store, who will be coordinating future author visits with Children’s Librarian Amy Carlson.

Carlson says that the common goal of the library and the book store is to put a book in the hands of every child who participates.

Hackl’s visit was the first one scheduled through this partnership. Schools that attended on November 15 included Butner-Stem Elementary, C.G. Credle, Mount Energy, Stovall-Shaw Elementary, West Oxford Elementary and Wilton Elementary. Each student was able to take home a signed copy of the book, courtesy of Granville Health System.

For more information about this event, contact Carlson at the Richard H. Thornton Library at 919-693-1121.

NC Pecan Growers Prevail With Good Crop for Thanksgiving

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-Press Release, NCDA&CS

Pecan pie lovers can celebrate. The North Carolina pecan growers have a good crop ahead of the holidays despite a relatively dry summer and damages sustained during last year’s hurricane season. That is good news for consumers wanting to incorporate local ingredients into their Thanksgiving meals.

“Reports from growers are showing a good quantity and quality of pecans this year, with pecan season running into December,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.

The department encourages consumers to look for the Got To Be NC logo on packaged pecans, visit local farmers markets or take a trip to more than two dozen pecan orchards across the state. December 13 will be Pecan Day at the State Farmers Market, where visitors can get free samples of a pecan dessert, plus mouth-watering pecan recipes to try at home.

The N.C. Pecan Growers Association offers an online directory to help consumers find local pecan orchards at www.buyncpecans.com. The website also includes pecan recipes and downloadable activities for children.

North Carolina is one of the Top 10 pecan-producing states in the nation. While pecans are grown across the state, the majority of commercial orchards are located in Eastern and Southeastern North Carolina.

Vance-Granville Community College Band to Present Winter Concert

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

On Monday, December 2, 2019, the Vance-Granville Community College Band will present its Winter Concert at 7:30 p.m. in McGregor Hall in downtown Henderson, NC. The concert is free to the public and will last about an hour.

Brian Miller, the conductor of the band, commented that the band is playing classics of band literature. “All of our music is good, solid, traditional band music,” said Miller. “We will open with Sousa’s ‘Manhattan Beach March’ and will close with his ‘Century of Progress March.'”

On Monday, December 2, 2019, the Vance-Granville Community College Band will present its Winter Concert at 7:30 p.m. in McGregor Hall in downtown Henderson, NC. The concert is free to the public and will last about an hour. (VGCC photo)

“No band concert is complete without Sousa, for Sousa is the greatest band composer of all time. His music has a universal and timeless appeal,” commented Miller.

In addition to the Sousa marches, the band will perform some light classics that include a transcription of Shostakovich’s “Waltz No. 2,” and themes from Wagner’s “Tannhauser,” incidentally considered by Sousa to be the greatest operatic composition of all time.

A chief focus of the concert, of course, is seasonal holiday music. Claire Ramsey will read “The Night Before Christmas” with a special band accompaniment. Audience members will hear such traditional favorites as “Blue Christmas,” “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas,” and a medley entitled “Christmas Around The World.”

The Old Vanguard Woodwind Quartet will perform in the middle of the concert and will have some special Beatles transcriptions that the audience will recognize and appreciate.

“Band concerts are very old-fashioned and traditional,” said Miller. “What a great way to start the Christmas season! We are pleased to present this wonderful music in the middle of historic downtown Henderson. McGregor Hall is such a terrific performance venue. We are so fortunate to have such a facility in Henderson.”

Miller, in addition to conducting duties for the Vance-Granville Community College Band, teaches online Music Appreciation courses for Vance-Granville. He is the band director and assistant administrator for Crosscreek Charter School in Louisburg and plays the pipe organ at Louisburg Baptist Church.

Prior to coming to Crosscreek and Vance-Granville, Miller was the longtime director of the Louisburg High School band program.

“Please tell everybody you know about our concert,” concluded Miller. “It will be fast-paced, interesting, and should leave you humming favorite tunes. The VGCC Band strives to be ambassadors of music in our multi-county service area. It is our pleasure to present this beautiful traditional music to the public.”

For more information, contact band director Brian D. Miller at 919-496-5877 or by email: Bmiller9302@vgcc.edu

15th Annual Turkey Trot in Downtown Oxford to Benefit ACIM

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-Information courtesy Laura Gabel, Area Congregations in Ministry

The 15th Annual Turkey Trot will take place in downtown Oxford on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 28, 2019.

This annual tradition benefits Area Congregations in Ministry (ACIM), Granville County’s food bank.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at Oxford United Methodist Church on College Street. Walkers and runners set off on the roughly 2-mile course at 9 a.m.

The entry fee is two cans of food or a cash donation in any amount to ACIM. Under 18? Bring a parent to sign a permission form.

Let’s make this the biggest Turkey Trot EVER as we enjoy a morning of fun, fitness and fellowship – all in the spirit of giving thanks and helping our neighbors.

VGCC to Offer Truck Driver Training

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College, in partnership with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, will soon offer a Truck Driver Training program that gives students the training required to operate tractor-trailer rigs, obtain a Class A commercial driver’s license (CDL) and become professional truck drivers.

Registration is going on now for the nine-week program, which will take place in early 2020, with a combination of classroom instruction, range driving and road driving.

Beginning in February 2020, Vance-Granville Community College, in partnership with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, will offer a Truck Driver Training program that gives students the training required to operate tractor-trailer rigs, obtain a Class A commercial driver’s license (CDL) and become professional truck drivers. (VGCC photo)

After a mandatory orientation on Thursday, January 23, classroom instruction will begin on Wednesday, February 12, in Building 7 (room 7105) on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. Classes will meet Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., ending on April 16, with the exception of Friday, April 10.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for qualified commercial truck drivers is expected to grow by 21 percent through 2020, and trucking companies actively seek quality student drivers right out of programs like this one.

“Variety Wholesalers is pleased that VGCC has the economic insight to see the value of a truck driving school in Henderson,” said Ronald Bennett, Director of Transportation for Variety Wholesalers, Inc. “The logistics experts estimate a national shortage of over 50,000 drivers. Variety Wholesalers, as well as other area businesses, will certainly benefit from this program. It is also exciting to have another credentialing program available for the adults in Vance County. We look forward to the ‘fruits of their labor’ as time goes on.”

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will have the opportunity to be employed by commercial trucking companies, become an owner-operator, or take advantage of local jobs. This Truck Driver Training program is certified by the Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI).

Students must be at least 18 years old, have a valid North Carolina driver’s license, and be able to read and speak English well enough to take instructions from highway signs, to converse with officials, and to complete the required reports.

Tuition and fees for the entire class total $1,881, well below the average cost for commercial truck driving schools. A payment plan is available, and there are opportunities for scholarships to partially defray the cost of tuition and fees.

There are additional costs for the required DOT physical and drug screen, N.C. Motor Vehicle Record, permit and license.

The Truck Driver Training program is approved for funding by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the N.C. Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services. Unemployed and underemployed individuals may qualify for tuition vouchers to take the course.

The deadline to register is Thursday, January 30, 2020.

For more information about the Truck Driver Training program, contact Kyle Burwell at burwellk@vgcc.edu or 252-738-3276, or Gina Brewer at brewerg@vgcc.edu or 252-738-3324.

Mendenhall Named Educator of Excellence for Exceptional Children’s Program

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-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

Granville County Public Schools, Superintendent Dr. Alisa McLean, and the Department of Exceptional Children proudly acknowledge Mrs. Stacie Mendenhall as our 2019-2020 Educator of Excellence for the Exceptional Children’s Program.

Stacie Mendenhall named Granville County Public Schools’ 2019-2020 Educator of Excellence for the Exceptional Children’s Program. (GCPS photo)

Mrs. Mendenhall received her Master’s in Speech Pathology from Appalachian State University and has a career that spans 23 years. Twenty-one of those years are with the school system.

She currently works as a Speech Language Pathologist at Tar River and Wilton Elementary Schools. She serves as the Lead Speech Language Pathologist for the entire school district.

In addition to providing high-quality services to students and maintaining impeccable data and documentation, she leads PLCs for speech and other related service personnel in the district. She provides guidance and training to anyone who needs it and does so with a smile.

She is an active participant in facilitating Medicaid training for newer therapists, and most recently was selected to be a trainer on the new ECATS system. She attends statewide meetings for speech pathologists and returns to the district to implement the best practices locally. There is nothing that is asked of her that Mrs. Mendenhall doesn’t do with a willing heart and with high quality.

Outside of her duties as a speech pathologist, Mrs. Mendenhall spends time with her husband, son, daughter, five dogs, and her cat. She is very active in the community with her church and is a part of Girl Scouts as well as Girls on the Run. She enjoys reading and travel. While she has been to Thailand, Hong Kong, and the Philippines, her favorite place continues to be Hawaii.

Granville County Public Schools expects a standard of excellence. Mrs. Mendenhall exemplifies that not only to her students but those fortunate enough to work with her. Her strong morals, work ethic, leadership, and diligence to practice make her our shining star.

During her interview for this honor, she said, “I love working with children to help them build the communication skills they need for lifelong leadership and success!” It is clear that her standard of excellence extends beyond the classroom and our school district is beyond fortunate to have someone of her caliber on our team.

Finally, the link below provides a list of all the disability awareness days for the year:

https://www.disabilitytalent.org/single-post/2018/12/27/2019-Diversity-Inclusion-and-Disability-Awareness-Calendar.

Also, DPI has provided a new parent listserv for parents to sign up to receive updates (click here). The listserv will forward information or the work of the Exceptional Children Division at NC DPI and provide opportunities for input, feedback, and participation in Division activities.

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

Town Talk 11/18/19: Granville Vance Public Health Talks Flu Shots, Health Priorities

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Lisa Harrison, health director for Granville Vance Public Health (GVPH), was on Monday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss flu season and the department’s 2018 Community Health Assessment.

Flu Season

According to Harrison, now is the perfect time to receive your influenza shot for the 2019-2020 season. “We like to tell people to get their flu shot between Halloween and Thanksgiving. It’s nice to be protected as you spend more time with family and friends during the holidays.”

With a reported 341 deaths state-wide last season, Harrison said getting a flu shot is the best way to avoid becoming infected with the easily-transmitted virus.

“The number one preventable thing you can do is get the flu shot to make sure your immune system is ready to fight the flu with you,” explained Harrison. “Other things you can do include washing your hands with soap and water and covering your mouth when you cough.”

Flu season typically picks up in October, peaks between December and February and can last as late as May. With a 6-9 month protection period, Harrison said receiving the shot now will carry the majority of recipients through the anticipated flu season.

Shots are offered at GVPH, at most doctors’ offices, at drug stores, and even at some grocery stores.

“There are many places that offer the flu shot,” said Harrison. “We like you to get them where there is a nurse just in case you need any kind of follow up care.”

2018 Community Health Assessment

GVPH conducted the 2018 Community Health Assessment for Granville and Vance Counties in partnership with the NC Institute of Public Health, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation, and a CHA Steering Committee. Over the course of nine months, the group gathered information directly from community residents through surveys and forums and reviewed state and national data.

Priority topic areas included access to health care, community safety, education, health equity, mental health and substance use disorder, nutrition and physical activity, poverty and housing, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections and youth well-being.

The top three community health priorities identified were mental health and substance use disorder, youth well-being and access to health care.

Applicable to all three identified priorities, but especially youth well-being, the health implications of early childhood trauma is an emerging area of study and understanding.

“We understand so much better now that when people experience trauma early in life, it can affect their health outcomes later in life,” said Harrison. “Trauma can suppress the immune system and increase chronic disease.”

GVPH is currently working with community partners including the YMCA, Triangle North Healthcare Foundation, other health departments, school systems and the Department of Social Services to “get a handle on how we become trauma-informed as agencies and how we better address trauma early on in people’s lives.”

For more detailed information, please click here to view GVPH’s 2018 Community Health Assessment Summary or visit GVPH’s website.

To hear Harrison’s interview in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.