Local Chick-fil-A owner starts new VGCC Scholarship

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Josh Towne, the franchised restaurant owner/operator of the Chick-fil-A in Henderson, has established a new Vance-Granville Community College scholarship. When fully endowed, the “Chick-fil-A of Henderson Academic Achievement Scholarship” will be awarded to VGCC students meeting certain academic requirements.

A New Bern native, Towne has lived in Henderson since moving in 2005 to become the operator of the local Chick-fil-A restaurant. He has worked with the company for the past 20 years. He is also an alumnus of the North Carolina Community College System. After graduating from Cape Fear Community College with an associate degree, Towne completed a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with concentrations in marketing and management.

“I’m a big proponent of community colleges,” said Towne, who recently became a member of the VGCC Endowment Fund board of directors. He added that on the corporate level, Chick-fil-A also supports education through scholarships for its employees. He recommends employees for the scholarship and presents them each year. “I’ve been here a little more than ten years, and we’ve been awarding scholarships throughout that time,” Towne said. “Many of our employees receiving the scholarships are VGCC students. Some have already gone on to become nurses and to pursue other careers.” In 2015 alone, two VGCC students who work at the restaurant received $1,000 scholarships from the company. The franchise employs approximately 65 people, including both full-time and part-time staff.

Towne also supports education locally as a member of the Vance Charter School board of directors.

“We are fortunate and grateful to have the support and partnership of Josh Towne and Chick-fil-A of Henderson,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of VGCC. “As a community college graduate who has become a successful business leader, Josh inspires us all by demonstrating a commitment to helping the students of today and tomorrow.”

Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 8,000 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 about the Endowment Fund, call (252) 738-3409.

78th Annual H-V Chamber Banquet

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2016 Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce 78th Annual Membership Banquet

The Chamber recently emailed the following information to member businesses:

“The 78th Henderson -Vance Chamber of Commerce Annual Membership banquet will be held on Thursday, February 4th at the Vance Granville Community College Civic Center in Henderson.

“A keynote address will delivered by the Mr. Chris Chung, Chief Executive Officer of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina who will provide an informative analysis about economic development in Vance County and North Carolina.

“Seating for dinner will be promptly at 6:30 pm.

“Tickets are available for $35 each or a table of 10 for $320.

“Please contact the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce office at 252-438-8414 for ticket purchases or details on how your business can give-back to your community while also receiving exceptional brand recognition through our outstanding sponsorship investment opportunities.

“If you have purchased tickets and have not let us know who will be attending, please do so as soon as possible. Thank you!”

The Chamber also wished to thank its banquet sponsors.

“Thank you to our sponsors! 

“Duke Energy will again serve as the Presenting Sponsor.
“Carolina Country Snacks, CenturyLink, Maria Parham Medical Center and MARS Petcare are Gold sponsors.
“Silver sponsors include BB&T, Envirolink, Wake Electric Membership Corporation, and Walmart DC #6091.
“Express Employment Professionals and J.M. White Funeral Service are our Bronze sponsors.”

Granville Sheriff’s Office Release

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The Granville County Sheriff’s Office has recently made the following arrests:

Stephen Wade Padgett
Arrested early Saturday morning, charged with 3 counts Breaking and Entering and property damage on Cash Rd. and one count of Obstruction.
$80,000 bond

Gary Midgette
Charged with indoor marijuana grow operation and manufacturing non tax paid liquor.
$25,000 bond.

Dr. Ben Currin Honored

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Former VGCC president honored with Community College System’s top award

The State Board of Community Colleges recently selected Dr. Ben F. Currin, the former president of Vance-Granville Community College, to receive the highest honor the board can bestow, the I.E. Ready Award, for 2016.

Named for Isaac Epps Ready, the first state director of the North Carolina Community College System, the prestigious award was created in 1983 to recognize individuals who have made significant, statewide contributions to the establishment, development or enhancement of the System.

Currin, now retired and living in Raleigh, has contributed over 40 years of service to North Carolina, including serving as president of VGCC for 18 years starting in 1981.

Under Currin’s leadership, VGCC grew from one campus to four, with a total of almost $18 million worth of new construction at all campuses. During his tenure, VGCC also reactivated the college’s Endowment Fund, which grew from $12,000 in 1982 to $5 million at the time of his retirement and provided scholarships for numerous students. In retirement, Currin continues to serve on the Endowment Fund Board of Directors.

“Dr. Currin is regarded not only as a leader who made a significant impact on the communities served by VGCC, but also as a trailblazer who created a model of success for community colleges everywhere,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the current president of the college. “His vision and innovation in establishing satellite campuses, building strong community partnerships and developing our scholarship program make him truly deserving of the I.E. Ready Award.”

A native of Granville County and a graduate of Oxford High School, Currin received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1959. He earned his master’s degree in education in 1962 and his advanced graduate certificate in professional education in 1963, both from UNC. He received his doctorate in education from UNC in 1970 in education administration with a minor in political science.

Currin assumed the VGCC presidency after having served as a teacher, coach and public school administrator, including 11 years as superintendent of Rocky Mount City Schools. While in Rocky Mount, he also taught graduate courses at East Carolina University as an adjunct professor.

Currin earned high esteem from his peers in higher education. A University of Texas study in 1988-89 named him one of the “best of the best” among community college presidents across the nation, and he was given a National Leadership Award at the Leadership 2000 conference in San Francisco. He was also one of 75 participants chosen nationwide to participate in the Management of Lifelong Education Institute at Harvard University.

Deborah Brown, the current chair of the VGCC Board of Trustees, wrote in a letter of support for Currin’s nomination for the I.E. Ready Award that the college stood at a crossroads when he became its leader. “Dr. Currin took the right path through the crossroads and led Vance-Granville from a fledgling school into a powerful institution, demonstrating how rural colleges can deliver education to citizens effectively and efficiently,” Brown wrote. She also said he emphasized building the college’s public image and keeping VGCC on the cutting edge, both by introducing new training programs and incorporating new technology.

VGCC Board of Trustees member L. Opie Frazier Jr. also wrote a letter endorsing Currin’s nomination. The longest-serving trustee in VGCC history, Frazier chaired the board for many of the years in which Currin was president. “While I had only heard of Ben Currin prior to his coming to us as a candidate for president, I can say without question now that he was indeed a godsend for Vance-Granville,” Frazier wrote. “His greatest asset was his emphasis on students. The second was his enthusiasm. His successes are many – for example, the satellite campuses started under his leadership and the scholarship program that grew dramatically – because he wanted the best for students, and his enthusiasm helped him win friends at various levels to help him grow the college and serve more students.”

Currin received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from Gov. Beverly Perdue. In remarks at the ceremony at which Currin was honored with that award, Dr. J. Reid Parrott Jr., retired president of Nash Community College, cited the positive impact Currin had on VGCC. “I want to tell you, I’ve been doing this community college stuff a long time, and there is no president of all 58 of our schools that has transformed an institution as quickly and as magnificently as Ben Currin did at Vance-Granville,” Parrott said.

After retiring from VGCC, Currin served on the state Charter Schools Advisory Committee for eight years and for a short period as interim headmaster of Kerr-Vance Academy.

Previous winners of the I.E. Ready Award include three former governors, three former state legislators, 14 former members of the State Board of Community Colleges, two former Council of State members, two former United States Senators, seven former college trustees, four former college presidents, four former System Presidents, two former System Office employees, and six former educators.

Only one other I.E. Ready Award recipient has been a VGCC official: the late John T. Church Sr. of Henderson, who chaired the college’s Board of Trustees and served in the General Assembly.

–VGCC–

(This VGCC Press Release was supplied to WIZS and was written by Andrew Beal, Public Information Officer of Vance-Granville Community College.)

Winter Weather

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Check Back for additional Closings and Delays

 

Send Your Closing or Delay to:
johncharles@wizs.com
or text to 2524320774

 

Closings & Delays

Schools

  • Crossroads Christian Schools – CLOSED Tuesday, January 26.
  • Granville County Public Schools – CLOSED Tuesday, January 26, for all students and school system employees. This Saturday, January 30 will be a make-up school day. School will open on an early release schedule on this day. Making up instructional hours this Saturday will help protect our calendar for the remainder of the year.
  • Vance County Public Schools – CLOSED Tuesday, January 26, for all students and school system employees.
  • Vance-Granville Community College – All VGCC campuses will open at 12 noon on Tuesday, January 26.
  • Victory Christian School and Daycare – CLOSED Tuesday, January 26.

 

Court

  • The District Attorney’s offices – in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties will open at 9:30 am on Tuesday, January 26, 2016.  Franklin County District Court, Vance County District Court and Vance County CMS Court will begin at 10:30 am on Tuesday, January 26, 2016.  Granville County Superior Trial Court will begin at 11:00 am on Tuesday, January 26, 2016.  Anyone who missed his/her court date Monday, because of court cancellations, will be mailed a notice by the Clerk of Court notifying of a new court date.

Meeting at VGCC Provides Information on Statewide Bond

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An informational meeting organized by North Carolina State University and North Carolina Cooperative Extension to discuss the upcoming Connect NC bond referendum was held at Vance-Granville Community College’s South Campus on Jan. 14.

Among those in attendance were community leaders from Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties, VGCC trustees and officials, and a representative from Piedmont Community College in Person County. The event was one of 22 such educational meetings being held across the state in advance of the vote on the bond, which is set for March 15.VGCC - Steward - Bond Referendum

Among the featured speakers was Dr. Travis Burke, the interim associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NCSU and interim director of N.C. Cooperative Extension. Burke explained that, if approved by voters, the Connect NC Public Improvement Bond would benefit agriculture, higher education, parks, the N.C. National Guard and other public services, without requiring an increase in taxes. “The state is growing and has infrastructure needs,” Burke said. “We have added two million people since the last statewide bond referendum in 2000.”

The North Carolina Community College System would receive $350 million from the bond. That includes a little more than $7.6 million specifically for VGCC, which could be used for construction, renovation and repairs across the college’s four campuses. Only seven of the state’s 58 community colleges would receive more funding than VGCC.

“The community college system is one of the state’s crown jewels, not only for education but also for economic development,” said Dr. Marshall Stewart, also of N.C. State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, at the meeting. Stewart provided a breakdown of investments that the state would be able to make if Connect NC is approved. More than half of the proceeds are earmarked for higher education, including 49% for the University of North Carolina system and 17% for community colleges. The remainder is divided as follows: 16% for water/sewer projects and local parks; 9% for agriculture; 5% for state parks (including Kerr Lake) and the North Carolina Zoo; and 4% for public safety.

Other speakers at VGCC included Paul Westfall, Granville County director for N.C. Cooperative Extension; Richard Campbell of NCSU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; and Matthew Hebb, a regional field director for the Connect NC Committee.

(Information provide by press release from VGCC.)

Granville Chamber Banquet to feature TarHeel Traveler

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The Granville County Chamber’s Annual Banquet has been scheduled for Monday evening, January 25th, 6:30 pm in Vance-Granville Community College’s Main Campus Civic Center.

Meetings committee chairman William Adcock announces that the evening will once again include the presentation of the Chamber’s most prestigious award, the John Penn Citizen of the Year Award, recognizing outstanding community service.

Guest presenter for the evening will be Scott Mason, Reporter, WRAL-TV and “The Tarheel Traveler”.  “Mason is a broadcast journalist with more than 30 years of television experience.  Scott has worked as a reporter and bureau chief for several network affiliates.”  His “success caught the attention of WRAL-TV.  In April , 1997, Scott became the station’s Documentary Producer.  He researched, wrote and produced nine documentaries before adding his talents to the nightly news team as a reporter specializing in features.

Today, Scott is known as the Tar Heel Traveler.  His Monday-Thursday features series on WRAL takes viewers along the back roads of North Carolina where he meets memorable characters, finds out-of-the-way places and unearths fascinating historical footnotes.  The series has become so popular it has led to Tar Heel Traveler half-hour specials, which Scott produces each quarter.”

Scott has also published two books about his television adventures:  Tar Heel Traveler:  Journeys Across North Carolina and Tar Heel Traveler Eats:  Food Journeys Across North Carolina (2014).

A buffet dinner will be provided by Chamber member Ted’s Catering.  Tickets are $40 each.  Corporate tables of 8, with reserved seating, are available for $300.00.  Corporate tables of 10, reserved seating, are available for $380.00.  Tickets/reservations are required prior to the event.  Checks or credit card payments are accepted by contacting one of the Chamber’s offices –  919.693.6125/Wanda, wanda@granville-chamber.com or 919.528.4994/Toni Anne, tawheeler@granville-chamber.com.

Banquet sponsors are:  Duke Energy as the presenting sponsor; BB&T, CertainTeed, Granville Health System, The School of Graphic Arts, and Time Warner Cable.

VGCC Vanguards to play JV Tar Heels at Dean Dome

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For the first time, the Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards men’s basketball team will soon travel to the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill to face the University of North Carolina Tar Heels junior varsity team.

Playing against the prestigious program in one of college basketball’s most well-known arenas has been a longtime goal for VGCC head coach Michael Woody, now in his third season. The JV game is set for Saturday, Jan. 16, at 9 a.m. Later that day, the varsity Tar Heels will take on the N.C. State Wolfpack.

Henderson-based radio station WIZS 1450 AM will provide live coverage of the game starting at 8:45 a.m. Even for those outside the range of the radio station, the broadcast can be streamed online at wizs.com/listennow/ or on a smart phone with the free “TuneIn Radio” app.

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

The UNC JV squad has several community college teams on its schedule this year, including one of VGCC’s Region X conference rivals, Wake Tech Community College. The Tar Heels defeated the Wake Tech Eagles on Dec. 6 by a score of 83-73. Likewise, the Vanguards beat the Eagles by the same margin, 67-57, in VGCC’s season opener on Nov. 6.

VGCC is 1-1 versus the junior varsity squads from four-year schools so far this season. The Vanguards beat the University of Mount Olive JV team on Nov. 8, but lost to the St. Andrews University JV squad on Nov. 16.

Coincidentally, one of the stars of the UNC varsity team, junior Isaiah Hicks, is a former teammate of VGCC sophomore Tyrek Beverly from their days at J.F. Webb High School in Oxford.

Admission is free to the UNC JV game. Attendees must present a valid North Carolina driver’s license at Entry Gate “B” to enter. For more information, call the Smith Center at (919) 962-2296.

Computer Science and Coding

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The week of December 7 – 13, Granville County Public School students participated in the International Computer Science Education Week. Known by many as the time for an “Hour of Code”, the celebration marks a time during which students are introduced to computer science and the skill of “coding”. As part of the event, GCPS classes from across the district competed to win a contest for participation. Of the dozens and dozens that entered, the following classes were selected from each grade span:

Elementary: Florence Blackwell at Joe Toler-Oak Hill
Middle: Amanda Vaughan at Granville Magnet
High: Victoria Sondecker at JF Webb School of Health and Life Sciences

You might have heard about the craze for learning code. But what exactly is coding? Coding is what makes it possible for us to create computer software, apps and websites. Your browser, your computer’s basic operating system, the apps on your phone, Facebook, and this website – they’re all made with code.

Learning about coding and computer science is basically about learning how to solve problems using the language of computers. By introducing students to this topic, we hope to provide students an opportunity to explore what will arguably be one of the most important skills for the future.

Beyond this introductory set of activities, Granville County Public Schools also offers other opportunities for coding. Many elementary schools have clubs for coding, and middle schools offer an introduction to these concepts in the Computer Skills and Applications course. In addition, there are a number of Career and Technical Education high school courses that allow students to learn more in-depth skills, including Introduction to Computer Science, Multimedia and Webpage Design, Computer Programming, and AP Computer Science. To learn more about opportunities in Computer Science, contact your school today.  These skills will be in high demand for our students entering the workforce – be prepared!!!!

(Press Release – Granville County Schools)

Beverly returns to leading role with Vanguards

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Vance-Granville Community College sophomore Tyrek Beverly of Oxford scored 23 points Jan. 5 as the Vanguards men’s basketball team faced the University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie. He and his teammates fought hard, but the visiting squad eked out a narrow win, 74-71, at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson.

As a freshman in 2014-15, Beverly was often the team’s leading scorer, but at the beginning of this season, he was sidelined by an injury and only started to get back on the court in late November. His strong performance versus the USC Salkehatchie Indians marked a return to form for the J.F. Webb High School alumnus. Beverly had three rebounds and two steals, as well. Also scoring in double figures were Raekwon Hall of Raleigh, with 15 points, and Ty’Quon Reid of Durham, with 11. Donal Gooch of Raleigh had the most rebounds (8) for the Vanguards.

VGCC’s last three games of 2015 were also losses. On Nov. 24, the Vanguards fell to the reigning national champions, the Statesmen of Richard Bland College, by a score of 102-81 in Petersburg, Va. Hall and Reid led their team in scoring, with 27 and 25 points, respectively. Reid posted 6 rebounds to lead the Vanguards in that statistic.

On Dec. 2, VGCC returned home and played area rival Louisburg College in the second annual “Vanguard Night” game. Festivities included a DJ, prize drawings and performances by the Vanguard Spirit Pep Squad and a step team from a Granville County youth organization, “Un-Rappin’ the Gift.” After a close first half, the Hurricanes pulled away in the second, winning 89-77. Reid’s 30 points made him the Vanguards’ top scorer. Hall contributed 18 points. Gooch recorded 6 rebounds.

The calendar year ended with a 117-111 double-overtime loss to Central Carolina Community College in Sanford on Dec. 8. Hall put up 35 points, while Beverly showed improvement by scoring 22, just one more point than Reid. Gooch again led in rebounding, with 9.

Upcoming VGCC home games at Aycock Recreation Center are scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m., versus Lenoir Community College, and Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 6:30 p.m., versus Catawba Valley Community College. Admission is free.