Vehicle Stolen from Vance-Granville Community College Main Campus

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On Wednesday, October 26, 2016, a VGCC student reported to the Campus Police & Security that a blue Jeep Cherokee Sport SUV belonging to the student was left parked in the lot near Building 5 at 8 a.m. and was missing upon the student’s return at 11:15 a.m.

Currently, no witnesses have come forth with information regarding the theft and there are currently no suspect leads.  This criminal investigation has been referred to the Vance County Sheriff’s Department for follow up.

If anyone should have any information related to this case, they are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 252-492-1925. Crime Stoppers offers a reward of up to $2,000 for information that may lead to an arrest. Callers may remain anonymous.

Granville Chamber’s Thanksgiving Breakfast to Feature Duke Chapel’s Oscar Dantzler

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The Granville County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Thanksgiving Breakfast is being held Wednesday, November 23, at 7:30 am in the Family Life Center of Oxford Baptist Church, Main Street, Oxford.

Bridgestone’s continued sponsorship of this annual event spans 25+ years.  The November Thanksgiving breakfast began as an industry-sponsored breakfast, and Bridgestone has graciously remained the event supporter for all these years.  New Bridgestone plant manager Mark Highland will be attending his first Thanksgiving Breakfast event with his staff.

This year’s guest speaker is a recent recipient of Duke University’s “highest honor for distinguished service:  the University Medal, a prize previously won by a physicist, a state House speaker and an Olympic coach.

Dantzler has been custodian for Duke Chapel for 19 years.  He has seen his role at Duke as not just the Chapel custodian, but also as a caretaker of the University and its students.  Dantzler has long worked to keep the Chapel clean and organized, but he considers his unofficial duties – advising students, befriending visitors and passing along wisdom – to be just as important,” according to an article in the Duke Chronicle.

Attendees may expect the usual Southern buffet breakfast, prepared by volunteer men at Oxford Baptist.  No one will leave hungry as we depart to begin the Thanksgiving holiday celebration!

Although there is no charge to attend the breakfast, attendees are requested to bring non-perishable food donations (canned food) for Area Congregations In Ministry (ACIM).

The School of Graphic Arts/Masonic Home for Children is continuing its tradition of providing attendees with desk calendars for the new year.  Also, the Chamber will be officially kicking off its promotion for the National SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY – SHOP LOCAL  – SHOP GRANVILLE by providing attendees with Shop Small tote bags filled with “goodies”, gift certificates, etc. from Granville County Small Businesses.  This annual event is Saturday, November 26th.

Reservations are REQUIRED with one of the Chamber’s offices by November 20th to Wanda, 919.693.6125 or Toni Anne, 919.528.4994; wanda@granville-chamber.com, tawheeler@granville-chamber.com.

Express Employment Celebrates 15 Years

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The HVCC Board and staff along with the Granville Chamber celebrated Express Employment Professionals 15 years serving the Local Community With a Ribbon Cutting on Thursday, September 22nd at 10:00 AM.  The Oxford Express Employment Professionals office celebrated its 15 years in business-year anniversary on August, 6 2016 said Hal Muetzel, franchisee of the Express office.

“The people and businesses of Oxford have made these last 15 years great ones,” said Muetzel. “We have enjoyed helping area businesses and job seekers with all their staffing needs, and we look forward to many more successful years.”

The Oxford Express Employment Professionals franchise began operation in August 6, 2001 at 219 Granville Corners in the former Walmart Shopping Center and relocated downtown to Main Street in Oxford in 2011. The office serves the Granville, Vance, Person Warren, and Alamance Counties in North Carolina and the South Hill, VA area with temporary help and direct hire employees in a variety of fields, including administrative, commercial, data processing, medical, technical, sales, marketing and more. The Oxford office, located at 124 Main Street is currently accepting applications.

Express is on a mission to put a million people to work annually. With offices in the U.S., Canada and South Africa, Express put a record 500,002 people to work in 2015. For more information, call (919)693-1730 or visit ExpressPros.com/oxfordnc.

VGCC Radiography students collect supplies for Hurricane Matthew victims

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Students in the Radiography program at Vance-Granville Community College recently answered a call to help those who were devastated by Hurricane Matthew, collecting a massive amount of supplies for the victims in North and South Carolina.

VGCC Radiography clinical coordinator/instructor Stacey Soles arranged a partnership with Black’s Tire & Auto Service, which has 38 locations from Raleigh to Florence, South Carolina, and was founded in her home county of Columbus. The company was encouraging residents of its service area to collect supplies, which its employees would then pick up and deliver directly to those in need. Among the items being sought were diapers, children’s toys, bottled water, cleaning supplies, toiletries, non-perishable food, new t-shirts, socks and undergarments.

Students set up drop-off points on all four of the college’s campuses, in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties. Then, on Oct. 20, Black’s Tire & Auto Service picked up the donations at the South Campus, where the Radiography program is located. Students and faculty members loaded the supplies onto the truck sent by the company, which was quickly filled, and a second truck was called. Even that truck could not hold all of the donations, so Soles took some in her own vehicle to the company’s Raleigh location.

Black’s Tire & Auto Service later delivered the items to people in Fair Bluff, N.C., and Nichols, S.C., both of which experienced extensive flooding from the hurricane.

“The Radiography students and program faculty would like to extend our thanks to everyone who helped make the hurricane relief drive a success,” Soles said. “We were overwhelmed with the generous outpouring of support from our fellow faculty, staff, students and members of the community, including several businesses around our South Campus.”

Based at VGCC’s South Campus between Creedmoor and Butner, the two-year Radiography degree program prepares graduates to be radiographers, skilled health care professionals who use radiation to produce images of the human body. For more information on Radiography, contact Dean of Health Sciences Angela Thomas at (252) 738-3397.

VGCC Women’s Volleyball season ends with historic ‘firsts’

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For the Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards, the 2016 women’s volleyball season will long be remembered as historic. VGCC compiled a winning record (14-8) in the regular season, reached .500 in conference play (6-6), and won a match in the postseason — all for the first time in the history of the program.

In fact, those were all goals that Coach Christopher Young had set for the Vanguards at the beginning of the year. “We accomplished each of these goals and will build on those goals heading into next season,” Young said. “I am extremely happy with how our team performed throughout the season, leading up to our Region X Tournament. Our student-athletes practiced hard and gave everything they had while on the court competing, and as a coach, that’s all you can ask your athletes to do.”

In addition, the team’s two sophomores received All-Region X honors from coaches in the conference. Kiyanna Kearney of Henderson was named to the First Team, becoming just the second Vanguard ever to receive that honor, and was runner-up for Player of the Year. Jesse Edwards of Henderson, meanwhile, received an Honorable Mention for the All-Region team.

VGCC closed out the regular season by winning a doubleheader at home over Danville Community College on Oct. 18. In another “first,” the Vanguards played a home match somewhere other than Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson, because the contest had been rescheduled from an earlier date. Long Mill Elementary School in Youngsville served as the location. The first match was a 3-1 victory for VGCC, with the visitors eking out a 28-26 win in the first set but the Vanguards coming back to win 25-14, 25-15 and 25-10. Kearney led her team with 20 kills. Stormi Abernathy of Yanceyville posted a whopping 48 assists. Edwards had 4 digs along with 15 kills. VGCC won the second match over DCC in three sets (25-23, 25-16 and 25-16). Kearney posted 13 kills and 7 digs. Abernathy made 26 assists and 3 solo blocks.

In the NJCAA Division III Region X conference tournament, hosted by Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, VGCC was seeded fourth, another high-water mark for the program. In the opening round, on Oct. 22, the Vanguards faced fifth-seeded Rockingham Community College and swept the Eagles in three sets (25-19, 25-18 and 30-28). Hannah Arneth of Oxford led VGCC in kills, with 15. Kearney had the most digs (20) while also posting 12 kills. Abernathy made 30 assists and 16 digs. Edwards contributed 15 digs and 8 kills.

Advancing to the tournament semifinals for the first time, the VGCC squad played their second match of the day against top-seeded Patrick Henry Community College, which only had one loss in conference play this season. The result was a three-set victory (25-9, 25-15 and 25-13) for the Patriots, who then went on to capture the Region X title by defeating Sandhills in the championship match. Coach Young called PHCC “an extremely talented team.” In the loss, Arneth again had the most kills (10) while Abernathy led in digs (11) and in assists (17). Kearney, in her final match as a Vanguard, posted 3 solo blocks, 9 digs and 6 kills. Edwards, also closing out her VGCC career, contributed 5 kills and 8 digs.

“Coming into the season, we knew we only had two returning players, Jesse and Kiyanna, and we were going to need to rely on freshmen to step up early and contribute, which they did in a big way,” Coach Young reflected. “Players like Hannah Arneth, Stormi Abernathy, Katelynn Ray, Hanna Williams and Allyson Cash were a large piece of the puzzle for our team, while Ashley Parker, Madison Waddle and Nicole Bowman contributed throughout the season when called upon. When the postseason rolled around, our team seemed to be playing some of the best volleyball we had been playing all season. Hannah, Kiyanna and Jesse really stepped up their games during our Region X Tournament.”

VGCC announces 2016-17 Vanguards Basketball schedule

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The Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards men’s basketball team is scheduled to play at least 28 games during the 2016-2017 season, including 11 home games. This is the program’s first season under the leadership of head coach DeMarcus Oliver.

 

DATE TIME OPPONENT LOCATION
Saturday, Nov. 5 4:30 pm Davidson County Comm. College Thomasville, NC
Monday, Nov. 7 6:00 pm Bryant & Stratton College HOME
Friday, Nov. 11 TBD Caldwell Comm. College & Tech Institute (Louisburg Invitational Tournament) Louisburg, NC
Saturday, Nov. 12 TBD Northern Virginia Comm. College (Louisburg Invitational Tournament) Louisburg, NC
Monday, Nov. 14 7:00 pm Wake Tech Comm. College (VGCC Vanguard Night) HOME
Wednesday, Nov. 16 6:00 pm Patrick Henry Comm. College Martinsville, VA
Monday, Nov. 21 7:00 pm Fayetteville Tech Comm. College Fayetteville, NC
Monday, Dec. 5 7:00 pm Pitt Comm. College Greenville, NC
Wednesday, Dec. 7 7:00 pm Lenoir Comm. College Kinston, NC
Saturday, Dec. 10 2:00 pm Thomas Nelson Comm. College HOME
Monday, Dec. 12 7:00 pm Louisburg College Louisburg, NC
Wednesday, Dec. 14 6:00 pm Richard Bland College HOME
Saturday, Dec. 17 1:00 pm Spartanburg Methodist College Spartanburg, SC
Thursday, Jan. 5 7:00 pm Louisburg College HOME
Monday, Jan. 9 8:00 pm Wake Tech Comm. College Raleigh, NC
Saturday, Jan. 14 3:00 pm Bryant & Stratton College Norfolk, VA
Wednesday, Jan. 18 7:30 pm UNC Chapel Hill JV  (Scrimmage) Chapel Hill, NC
Thursday, Jan. 19 7:00 pm Patrick Henry Comm. College HOME
Saturday, Jan. 21 3:00 pm Guilford Tech Comm. College HOME
Monday, Jan. 23 7:00 pm Pitt Comm. College HOME
Wednesday, Jan. 25 7:00 pm Catawba Valley Comm. College Hickory, NC
Saturday, Jan. 28 4:00 pm Thomas Nelson Comm. College Hampton, VA
Monday, Feb. 6 5:00 pm Lenoir Comm. College Louisburg, NC
Thursday, Feb. 9 7:00 pm Fayetteville Tech Comm. College HOME
Monday, Feb. 13 6:00 pm Sandhills Comm. College HOME
Wednesday, Feb. 15 7:00 pm Catawba Valley Comm. College (VGCC Sophomore Night) HOME
Wednesday, Feb. 22 7:00 pm Richard Bland College Petersburg, VA
Saturday, Feb. 25 3:00 pm Guilford Tech Comm. College Jamestown, NC
Saturday, Mar. 4 TBD Region X Conference Tournament 1st Round Petersburg, VA
Sunday, Mar. 5 TBD Region X Conference Tournament Quarter-Finals Petersburg, VA
Friday, Mar. 10 TBD Region X Conference Tournament Semi-Finals Pinehurst, NC
Saturday, Mar. 11 TBD Region X Conference Championship Pinehurst, NC
Tuesday, Mar. 21 – Saturday, Mar. 25 TBD NJCAA Division II National Tournament Danville, IL

 

Bold = Home Game, to be played at Aycock Recreation Center, 307 Carey Chapel Rd., Henderson, N.C.

Schedule is subject to change.

 

The Vanguards compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II, which includes 11 two-year colleges in North Carolina and Virginia.

For VGCC, the regular season starts with an away game at Davidson County Community College on Saturday, Nov. 5. The Vanguards’ first opponent at home will be Bryant & Stratton College, on Monday, Nov. 7, at 6 p.m. All of VGCC’s home games are scheduled to be played at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson. There is no charge for admission.

The second home game, on Monday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m., will be the annual “Vanguard Night” game. VGCC will host Wake Tech Community College in that contest, which features special activities and attracts a large crowd of current students, faculty and staff.

For the second year in a row, VGCC will travel to the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill to play the UNC Tar Heels JV squad. That scrimmage is scheduled to take place Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m.

The Vanguards are set to celebrate “Sophomore Night” at the final home game, on Feb. 15. The regular season is scheduled to conclude on Feb. 25, with VGCC’s final scheduled game on the road at Guilford Tech Community College. After the regular season ends, the Vanguards are scheduled to participate in the NJCAA Division II Region X tournament. The first two rounds of the tournament are to be played at Richard Bland College in Petersburg, Va., on March 4-5. The semifinals and finals will follow at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, on March 10-11.

VGCC Advisory Committees hold annual meetings

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Citizens from Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties came together at the Main Campus of Vance-Granville Community College on Oct. 25 as the college’s advisory committees held their annual meetings.

VGCC’s 38 advisory committees are made up of people from the communities served by the college who have worked in the fields for which the college offers training. Committees advise not only curriculum and continuing education programs, but also VGCC’s South, Franklin and Warren campuses, the Small Business Center and other departments. Many committee members are VGCC alumni. Each fall, these committees meet on campus with the heads of the programs they advise.

At the Oct. 25 meetings, VGCC faculty and staff communicated with advisory committee members about new developments in the academic programs, about how to tailor classes and training to meet employment needs, and about changes in the workplace. Committee members made suggestions on what the college should be doing to enhance or adapt instruction.

Holding its first meeting was the advisory committee for one of VGCC’s newest degree programs, Histotechnology. Sheila Deloney, a certified histotechnologist and assistant administrative director for anatomic pathology and autopsy services at UNC Health Care in Chapel Hill, was elected as the committee’s first chair. Dr. Dianne Dookhan, a pathologist who works at Maria Parham Medical Center in Henderson, among other facilities, was elected vice chair.

Students in VGCC’s Culinary Arts program prepared a reception in the Civic Center, preceding the meetings. The menu included Dijon crusted pork loin, seasonal vegetable succotash, polenta with a mushroom cream sauce, beef roulade filled with peppers, spinach, carrots and provolone cheese, herb roasted red potatoes, various pasta selections and assorted desserts.

In remarks during the reception, Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC, thanked the advisory committee members for serving and supporting the college. “Our Advisory Committees are important to us, because they connect the college with our communities, meet the needs of our local employers, and maintain bonds with our alumni,” President Williams told the attendees. “Your input, your leadership, and your advocacy strengthen our academic programs.”

Employers connect with students at VGCC Manufacturing Day

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Vance-Granville Community College held a “Manufacturing Day” celebration on Friday, Oct. 7, in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. An estimated 275 middle and high school students from Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren counties attended, along with VGCC students and other members of the community. They learned about how manufacturing has changed, local career possibilities in the field and options for education and training related to careers in the industry. The event was one of many Manufacturing Day celebrations held across the country that day.

Participating employers included Altec of Creedmoor, Asteelflash of Raleigh, Delhaize America/Food Lion Distribution Center of Butner, Dill Air Controls Products of Oxford, Eaton of Youngsville, Glen Raven of Norlina, Ideal Fastener of Oxford, Mars Petcare of Henderson, Novozymes of Franklinton, Plastic Ingenuity of Oxford, Revlon of Oxford, Shalag of Oxford, Staffmark of Henderson, Stay Online of Creedmoor, Sunrock of Butner, Superior Tooling of Wake Forest, TFS of Wake Forest and Universal Forest Products of Franklinton.

VGCC technical programs were also represented, including Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Technology, Automotive Systems Technology, Bioprocess Technology, Electronics Engineering Technology, Mechatronics Engineering Technology and Welding Technology.

Attendees also learned about the North Carolina Triangle Apprenticeship Program (NCTAP), which partners with colleges like VGCC and employers to prepare a skilled workforce. During lunch, Robbie Earnhardt, owner of Superior Tooling, discussed NCTAP with representatives of the other companies in attendance. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the apprenticeship I had,” Earnhardt said. An alternative to the traditional four-year college degree, the program takes a student from high school through a two-year community college program like Mechatronics Engineering Technology, with the guarantee of a job at the completion of the program. “We need more local industry partners in NCTAP,” Earnhardt said, noting that Dill Air Controls Products has already joined. “Many industries have trouble finding skilled workers. This can help.”

The Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant program at VGCC organized Manufacturing Day, with support from the Advanced Manufacturing Skills Training Alliance (AMSTA), a partnership of VGCC and local K-12 school systems. With the help of the $1.75 million TAACCCT grant, the largest single competitive grant in VGCC history, the college has developed and enhanced innovative training programs for advanced manufacturing careers. The TAACCCT grants are part of a nearly $2 billion initiative of the U.S. Department of Labor to expand targeted training programs for unemployed workers, especially those impacted by foreign trade. For more information on TAACCCT, call (252) 738-3342.

Incident on Main Campus Reported at Vance-Granville Community College

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On Thursday September 22nd at around 4:00 p.m., Joshua Abraham Coles, 26, of 11 Delta Place, Henderson was charged with misdemeanor assault on a Government Employee, resisting a public officer, and second degree trespass on the main campus of Vance-Granville Community College.

Information published in a Public Information Release said, “Mr. Coles was a person of interest in an investigation being conducted by the VGCC campus police department. He was asked to leave the campus. He refused to leave and assaulted a security officer and a campus police officer. No injuries reported from the suspect or officers involved.”

VGCC Women’s Volleyball team honors sophomores

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The Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards women’s volleyball program paid tribute to its sophomore leaders on Oct. 11, just before a match with conference rival Davidson County Community College at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson.

The two second-year players rounding out their VGCC playing careers are Jesse Edwards and Kiyanna Kearney, both of Henderson. Edwards is a Northern Vance High School graduate, while Kearney is a product of Southern Vance High School, where she played not only volleyball but also softball and basketball. Edwards is a College Transfer student at VGCC, with plans to enter the Associate Degree Nursing program in 2017. Kearney, meanwhile, is studying Criminal Justice.

The “Sophomore Night” match turned out to be a thriller. A hard-fought first set ended with a 25-23 victory for the Storm from Davidson County, who then secured a more dominant 25-14 victory in the second set. But the Vanguards came back to win the third set, 25-22, and the fourth, 25-20, forcing a decisive fifth set. The Storm edged out the home team, 15-12, to win the match with a 3-2 victory.

VGCC’s two sophomores were, as usual, key players that evening. Kearney led her squad with 20 kills, with Edwards second at 16. Kearney also had the most digs (31) and solo blocks (4). Meanwhile, freshman Stormi Abernathy contributed all 50 of the team’s recorded assists, along with 19 digs. Katelynn Ray, also a freshman, made 19 digs as well, while Edwards posted 17 digs.

The loss brought VGCC’s record to 11-7, and followed a pair of conference wins (3-1, 3-0) over Rockingham Community College.