Southern Vance Symphonic Band rated “Excellent”
Vance County Schools
For Immediate Release
April 11, 2017
The Southern Vance High School Symphonic Band earned an “Excellent” rating during competition at the Music Performance Adjudication (MPA) for North Carolina in late March.
The band attended the stringent high school band judging process at Apex Friendship School in Apex.
This is the first time a band from Vance County has earned an “Excellent” rating in the MPA. The rating is the second highest possible rating, behind the “Superior” rating.
The Southern Vance bands are under the direction of Michael Lewis.
Longtime Local Leader David Averette Named Principal of FMS
Louisburg, N. C. — As school officials prepare for the 2017-18 school year, the local board of education named David Averette Principal of Franklinton Middle School at its regular meeting on Monday evening. Averette, who has served as Assistant Principal of Franklinton High School since 2007, says he’s excited for the opportunity to build on the growth that Franklinton Middle School has seen in the last few years.
“I hope to bring a level of confidence that Franklinton Middle School is a tremendous ship and we just need to reset the sail, enhance what already is working and not change for the sake of it,” he says adding “We’re going to address the culture of the school to build trust with our community and the students will be reminded that we are successful and we can continue to be successful.”
Averette has invested his life in Franklin County and his family is deeply vested in public education in this community. Averette’s wife, Dottie, will be retiring this year after spending her career teaching in Franklin County Schools. Their children, Whitney and Kaitlyn, have also dedicated their careers to teaching in Franklin County Schools.
“It’s great to see our children working in education,” says Averette, adding that both he and Dottie are proud to see their careers have had a positive impact on their own children’s lives and careers.
Before his current role as Assistant Principal at Franklinton High School, Averette worked as an AP at Louisburg Elementary School and Cedar Creek Middle School. However, he started his near 20-year education career in Franklin County Schools as an Exceptional Children’s Teacher at Cedar Creek Middle School.
Averette holds a Master’s of School Administration and a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from North Carolina State University. He received his teaching certification from North Carolina Central University. In addition to his work as a school leader, Averette is the Pastor of Franklinton Baptist Church and holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Religion and Christian Ministries from Campbell University and an Associate’s Degree in Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
As a leader characterized by his service to the community, Averette is looking forward to leading Franklinton Middle School and says this is the right opportunity for him. “We’re in the business of making people’s lives better – Franklinton Middle School is a good option for our students,” he says adding “Come see what it feels like.”
Retirements and Transfers Confirmed
On Monday evening, the board also approved the retirement of Youngsville Elementary School Principal Marylin Newkirk. Newkirk stepped down earlier this month as students at the year-round school tracked-out. Retired FCS administrator Jewel Eason began as Interim-Principal of the school on April 3 after working in an administrative support role at YES that began in March.
Additionally, the board confirmed the transfer of Franklinton Elementary School Principal Dr. Claire King to Laurel Mill Elementary School, where she will serve as an Assistant Principal beginning in August 2017. Both administrative vacancies have been posted on the district website.
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Patrick Glace
Director of Communications
Franklin County Schools
Northern Vance High School Achieves AdvancED Accreditation
For Immediate Release
April 11, 2017
Northern Vance High School administrators, staff and students completed two thorough days of examination by a team of educators from the AdvancED accreditation agency and received the prestigious accreditation!
The five-year accreditation was granted after an external review team met with Principal Andrew Markoch and his staff over the two-day review and visited classrooms throughout the school during their review time.
The AdvancED team looked at governance, facilities, academic programs and outlying programs at the school before awarding the accreditation.
They looked closely at teaching and learning impact, leadership capacity and resource utilization.
The team rated Northern Vance highly in equitable learning environment, high expectations environment, supportive learning environment, active learning environment, progress monitoring and feedback environment, well-managed learning environment and digital learning environment.
The team’s conclusions for the Index of Education Quality focused on: the impact of teaching and learning on student performance; the capacity of leadership to guide and ensure effectiveness in carrying out the strategic direction of the institution; the use as a tool for formative analysis and continuous improvement; and the connection for the conditions, processes and practices to evidence including student performance.
Henderson Man Sentenced for Possession of a Firearm by a Felon
NEW BERN – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that in federal court on April 5, 2017, United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced WILLIAM LACHLIAN ORMOND, III, 29, of Henderson, NC to 57 months of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.
ORMOND was named in an Indictment filed on March 22, 2016 and charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. On June 16, 2016, ORMOND pled guilty to that charge.
On October 29, 2015, an officer with the Henderson Police Department in Henderson encountered ORMOND walking down the street, and knew him to have outstanding warrants for his arrest. The officer suspected that ORMOND was armed due to the way he was holding his waistband, and attempted to engage ORMOND in conversation. ORMOND attempted to flee on foot and was captured by the officer. Upon taking the defendant into custody, the officer located a 9mm handgun with a large capacity magazine on the defendant. The handgun was loaded with 22 rounds of ammunition.
This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified “team effort” against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.
The Henderson Police Department, North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, North Carolina State Crime Lab, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted the criminal investigation of this case. Assistant United States Attorney S. Katherine Burnette handled the prosecution of this case and Assistant United States Attorney Peggah Wilson handled the sentencing hearing.
Vance-Granville Community Band presents free spring concert on May 1st at McGregor Hall
The Vance-Granville Community Band will hold its annual spring concert on Monday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in historic downtown Henderson. Admission is free of charge.
This will be the second time that the Community Band has held a concert at the 1,000-seat venue, located at 201 Breckenridge Street in Henderson.
The concert is set to feature some classics of band literature, including the original transcription of the famous overture to “The Barber of Seville” by Rossini; two classic Sousa marches, “Hands Across the Sea” and “The Black Horse Troop“; as well as two additional traditional marches, “Free Spirit” and the 1911 “Ringling Brothers Grand Entry March.”
According to Community Band director Brian D. Miller, “bands should always play the classics of literature. No concert is complete without several marches, and Sousa wrote marches better than anybody else! Marches are the all-time greatest music written for band, and we have certainly had a lot of fun learning these.”
Miller noted that it is of local interest that John Philip Sousa himself vacationed in Henderson in 1920. He went hunting with the mayor of Henderson and spent the night at the mayor’s home while here.
The band will also perform a transcription of music from the 1949 Broadway musical, “South Pacific.” Other selections include the “Finale” from Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony and an entr’acte from the seldom-heard Romantic-era opera, “King Manfred,” which is “a beautiful composition,” according to Miller.
The band will feature its star tuba player, Justin Bare, on a tuba solo with band accompaniment entitled “The Grumbly Old Bear,” written by Julius Fucik, better known for his popular circus march, “Entry of the Gladiators.” Finally, for lighter fare, the band will pay tribute to the Beach Boys and the Eagles with medleys of those groups’ greatest hits.
“It’s a concert for everybody,” quipped Miller. “We want everybody to come and appreciate the work of these musicians. The ensemble is truly representative of our four-county service area. Nothing beats an old-fashioned band concert!”
Miller retired as band director at Louisburg High School and now teaches for VGCC and Crosscreek Charter School.
The Community Band, which is sponsored by the VGCC Division of Arts and Sciences, includes people of all ages, from all walks of life, and from throughout the region. No auditions are required. Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings from 7-9 p.m. at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center, on the Main Campus in Henderson, at Exit 209 on Interstate 85 (Poplar Creek Road). For more information, contact Brian Miller at (919) 496-5877 or at bmiller9302@vgcc.edu or Betsy Henderson at hendersonb@vgcc.edu.
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Stay Alert: Five North Carolina stores pay fines for price-scanning errors
RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Standards Division has collected fines from stores in Brunswick, Durham, Forsyth and Mecklenburg counties because of excessive price-scanner errors.
“We want consumers to be confident that the price on the shelf matches the price that’s scanned at the register,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Stores have a responsibility to make sure their pricing is accurate, and most stores pass inspection. Ones that don’t are fined until they come into compliance. Consumers who would like to file a complaint about a store can call the Standards Division at 919-707-3225.”
The department conducts periodic, unannounced inspections of a business’ price-scanner system to check for accuracy between the prices advertised and the prices that ring up at the register. If a store has more than a 2-percent error rate on overcharges, inspectors discuss the findings with the store manager and conduct a more intensive follow-up inspection at a later date. Undercharges are also reported, but do not count against a store.
Penalties are assessed if a store fails a follow-up inspection. In addition to the penalties paid, the store will be subject to re-inspection every 60 days from the last inspection until it meets the 2-percent-or-less error rate. Additional penalties may be assessed if the store fails a re-inspection. Following are stores that paid civil penalties in the first quarter of 2017:
- (Brunswick County) Walgreens #2530 at 5098 Southport Supply Road, Southport, paid $660 in penalties. An initial inspection in November found an error rate of 10 percent, based on five overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in January found an error rate of 3.33 percent, based on 10 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store passed inspection in March.
- (Durham) Office Depot #2687 at 5600 South Miami Blvd., Durham, paid a total of $3,320 in penalties. An initial inspection in October found an error rate of 16 percent, based on eight overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in November found at error rate of 7.33 percent, based on 22 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store paid $1,710 in penalties. A third inspection in January found an error rate of 5.33 percent, based on 16 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store paid $1,610 in penalties. The store was inspected in March and had an error rate of 3 percent, based on nine overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store has been assessed a $1,915 penalty and will be re-inspected.
- (Forsyth) Staples #1135 at 430 Hanes Mill Road, Winston-Salem, paid a total of $4,280 in penalties. An initial inspection in September found an error rate of 20 percent, based on 10 overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in November found an error rate of 7.67 percent, based on 23 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store paid $2,760 in penalties. A third inspection in February found an error rate of 3 percent, based on nine overcharges on a 300-item lot. The store paid $1,520 in penalties. The store will be re-inspected.
- (Mecklenburg) CVS #3896 at 9308 Kendall Drive, Charlotte, paid a total of $2,810 in penalties. An initial inspection in October found an error rate of 10 percent, based on five overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in November found an error rate of 7 percent, based on 21 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store paid $1,605 in penalties. A third inspection in January found an error rate of 2.67 percent based on eight overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store paid $1,205 in penalties. The store passed inspection in March.
- (Mecklenburg) CVS #6518 at 11430 North Tryon St., Charlotte paid $1,425 in penalties. An initial inspection in December found an error rate of 8 percent, based on four overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in January found an error rate of 7.33 percent, based on 22 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store passed inspection in March.