News 12/23/16

City of Henderson Holiday Closings

City Hall will be closed Friday, December 23, Monday, December 26 and Tuesday, December 27, 2016 for the Christmas Holiday.  City Hall will also be closed on Monday, January 2, 2017 for New Year’s Day. Below is the Public Services Sanitation Division schedule for this holiday:

Sanitation-Brush and Recycling by the City
December 26, 2016 – Monday’s normal route will be collected on Tuesday, December 27, 2016.
January 2, 2017 – Monday’s normal route will be collected on Tuesday, January 3, 2017.

Garbage Collection-Waste Industries
Since Christmas is on a Sunday, garbage collection will run its normal schedule.

Loose Leaf Collection
Loose leaves should be placed in rows or piles at the roadside.  DO NOT place leaves in the gutter, in the street or in an open ditch.  Loose leaves must be leaves only and should not contain any rocks, broken glass, large sticks or other debris as they may cause severe damage to the leaf collection equipment.

 

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Visit Natural and Cultural Attractions for a NC Holiday Escape

The holiday season is a great time to visit and also take relatives to see the vast array of venues that are within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. When the shopping, eating and watching football get to be too much, renew your spirit with a natural or cultural adventure.

The Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington will be open every day, even noon to 5 p.m. Christmas Day. Most N.C. State Parks will be open every day except Christmas Day, offering wholesome, refreshing family fun. Grandfather Mountain State Park will be open Christmas day with a Photo Scavenger Hunt at 3 p.m, so you can test your new camera. Be sure to start the New Year off right also with a First Day hike Jan. 1, at a state park near you!

The N.C. Aquariums at Roanoke Island, Pine Knoll Shores and Kure Beach, and N.C. Zoological Park at Asheboro, will be open every day except Christmas as well.

You’ll find the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences open except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Dec. 24-25, and New Year’s Day, Jan. 1. The N.C. Museum of History will be open except for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Jan. 1 and 2.

The N.C. Museum of Art galleries will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Dec. 24 and 25. The East Building and special “Rolling Sculpture” exhibition will be open Monday, Dec. 26. Both buildings will be open New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. The Museum Park is open daily dawn to dusk. The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem will be closed Dec. 23-26 and Dec. 31-Jan 2.

State Historic Sites will be closed Dec. 24-26, and Jan. 1-2. The Museum of the Cape Fear in Fayetteville will be closed Dec. 24-25 and Jan. 1. The Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City will be closed Dec. 23-26, and Jan. 1-2. Mountain Gateway Museum in Old Fort will be closed Dec. 23-27 and Jan. 1-2.

The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras will be closed Dec. 23-27 and Jan. 2. The N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort will be closed Dec. 24-26 and Jan. 1. The N.C. Maritime Museum at Southport will be closed Dec. 23-27 and Jan. 2. Roanoke Island Festival Park will be closed Dec. 23-27 and closed for the season January through Feb. 27.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan Kluttz, NCDNCR’s mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state’s history, conserving the state’s natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.

NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums and Jennette’s Pier, 39 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, along with the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.

Governor Pat McCrory Honors Retiring VGCC Educator

 

Longtime Vance-Granville Community College faculty member Jacquelin Heath was recently honored with the Cardinal Award from North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory as she prepared to retire. The award was presented to her by the president of VGCC, Dr. Stelfanie Williams, at a holiday social held Dec. 15, at which Heath and other recent retirees were recognized.

A resident of Henderson, Heath is retiring on Dec. 31 with a longer tenure than any retiree in the history of the college: 40 years and three months. She has served for most of those years as head of the School-Age Education program.

The Cardinal Award is a prestigious honor that recognizes individuals who have contributed at least 30 years of exemplary public service to the state of North Carolina.

“Many recognitions may come in life, but one from the state of North Carolina stands as one of the highlights,” Heath said. “The Cardinal Award was a wonderful surprise. During my employment, I didn’t think about who would get the credit. I just wanted to get the job done.”

She added that receiving this award in front of her colleagues made it even more meaningful. “I am grateful for many things in life, but most blessed by being a member of the Vance-Granville Community College family,” Heath said.

Heath joined the faculty at VGCC on Sept. 15, 1976, when the college’s Main Campus was brand-new, and the institution had only recently made the transition from a technical institute to a comprehensive community college. In her four decades at VGCC, she has served with all six of the college’s presidents.

“The Cardinal Award is a fitting tribute to Jackie’s devotion to VGCC and to education,” said Dr. Williams. “Not only has she directly educated, inspired and supported countless students who went on to successful careers in public schools and other organizations, but she has also been a champion of community involvement that connects VGCC to other educational institutions and local partners.”

Heath served as the advisor for the Student North Carolina Association of Educators at VGCC for 31 years, which she founded as the first community college chapter in the state; as a long-time member of the National Education Association; as a member of the board of directors for the Tar Heel branch of the American Association of University Women and of the national AAUW; and as a member of the Henderson-Vance County Human Relations Commission for nine years. She has presented at the annual conference of the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs; been a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Nu Chi Omega Chapter with 27 consecutive years of membership; served as co-chair of VGCC’s Faculty and Staff Drive for its Endowment Fund; served with Head Start, the United Way of Vance County and Spring Street Baptist Church; and volunteered with community partners like the Boys & Girls Clubs and the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford to strengthen local efforts to educate children.

During the holiday social, VGCC Education Department Chair Tracey Bennett Carter also announced that the college’s Arts & Sciences division had made a contribution to the Vance County unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs in her honor.

Heath earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Early Childhood Education in 1974 from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and her Master of Science in Education with a Concentration in Early Childhood Education from N.C. A&T in 1975. She also completed additional graduate studies at North Carolina Central University in 1982.

Heath has been awarded the Director’s Award of Achievement by the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs, which recognized her for accomplishments including the implementation of “Upping Your Afterschool Game,” a training program. Her School-Age Education program was honored multiple times as a “Friend of Education” by Vance County Schools for its work placing students in local schools for internships. Under her leadership, Vance-Granville’s chapter of Student North Carolina Association of Educators was given the Membership Growth Award for its efforts to build the organization. Heath has been published twice in the National Education Association’s national magazine. She has also been named VGCC’s instructor of the year for the Division of Arts & Sciences.

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