Boston University Students Dedicate Spring Break to Serving Franklin County

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Louisburg, N. C. — Ten students from Boston University have spent last week supporting Terrell Lane Middle School as part of the University’s Alternative Spring Break Program. The program, which has served the Louisburg community and Terrell Lane Middle School students for more than ten years, is focused on providing volunteer support and community service to rural and low-income areas across the country.

During their visit, the team of student volunteers worked to provide various forms of instructional support to the school. This includes: tutoring small groups of students, presenting to classes and grade levels on various subjects, including character education, and assisting with the middle school’s annual spelling bee.

According to Lisa Rocco, program coordinator for the University’s internship program and chaperone for this year’s trip to Terrell Lane, the alternative spring break program is not only a leadership opportunity for BU students, it also gives them a chance to better understand many of the needs facing similar areas throughout the country.

“For both [BU] students and communities, these trips are an opportunity for them to engage in service, engage with people in the community, and to really get a feel for the needs of the people they’re working with,” she says.

The team of students drove more than 15 hours from Boston, Massachusetts before arriving at the school. Rocco says the drive was more than worth it for these students to better understand rural life and some of the challenges students in Franklin County face each day.

“Walking away feeling enlightened, feeling so much more aware and seeing first-hand some of the issues affecting people, it helps ground you,” she says.

However, without the support of local philanthropist and school board member, Paige Sayles, the visit wouldn’t be possible. Sayles has opened her home to nearly a dozen college students each year as part of the program’s visit.

Devin Harvin, a sophomore and double major in Political Science and History at BU, is one of the student coordinators for this year’s group. He said the welcome that Sayles and other members of the community have provided to him and the student volunteers he’s traveling with has been unbelievably positive.

“I really like Louisburg,” he said, adding “It’s been such a welcoming and friendly atmosphere that seems really focused on community.”

Harvin is from Baltimore, Maryland, but members of the student group are from all over the world – ranging from Abu Dhabi to California, and from Thailand to Georgia. On Friday, Schools Superintendent Pascal Mubenga visited Terrell Lane to thank the visiting students for choosing to serve Franklin County Schools and to invite them to return as teachers when they graduate.

“Programs like this really make an impact on our student’s perspective,” he said. “I would encourage you to think about returning to Franklin County after you graduate – we’re always looking for great, dedicated teachers.”

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Patrick Glace

Director of Communications

Franklin County Schools

Southern Vance Names Darry Ragland as Head Football Coach

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When Southern Vance High School’s new head football coach takes the sidelines this fall, it will be a familiar face for Raider fans.

Southern Vance has announced that their new head football coach will be Darry Ragland. The announcement serves as a homecoming of sorts for the Raiders as Ragland previously served as an assistant coach at Southern Vance for 14 seasons from 1999 to 2012. He coached wide receivers and was the offensive coordinator under former head coaches Mark Perry and David Jennings. Ragland was also offensive coordinator under outgoing head coach Lewis Young in 2012 before leaving to become the Assistant Head Coach at Northern Vance from 2013-2016.

Ragland served as offensive coordinator for the Raiders in 2006 when Southern Vance lost in the NCHSAA 2AA State Championship game to Shelby, 27-24. He specializes in a variety of offensive systems and will bring a new look to the Raiders this fall.

“We took our time and did our due diligence while searching for our next head football coach.” Athletic Director Joe Sharrow said of the coaching search. “ We ultimately believed that bringing Coach Ragland home to a place that he loves and is familiar with is what we needed at this time. He knows our kids, he knows our school, and I am confident that he knows what it takes to be successful here.”

Ragland will replace Lewis Young, who resigned in November after finishing his career with a 14-43 record. This will be Ragland’s first opportunity as a head coach and he has prioritized returning the Raiders to the type of success that was achieved while he was an assistant coach at Southern Vance.

“Southern Vance has a strong football tradition that I am proud to have been a part of and would like to bring back,” said Ragland in a statement. “I am grateful to have the opportunity to come home and lead the Raiders back to what we once were. I would like to thank (Principal) Rey Horner and (Athletic Director) Joe Sharrow for the trust they have bestowed upon me. Those two have created an incredibly supportive atmosphere here that I am excited to be a part of.”

Southern Vance will open the 2017 football season at home against Bartlett Yancey High School.

News 03/14/17

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VGCC adding new Associate in Fine Arts degree

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Vance-Granville Community College is preparing to offer an Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) degree in Visual Arts, with classes starting in August. Prospective students can begin the process of enrollment now.

The degree will be a third college transfer option available at the college, joining the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees already being offered. Earning this two-year AFA degree can serve as a springboard to completing a four-year bachelor’s in fine arts (BFA) degree in visual art at a university. Students will be encouraged to contact four-year universities in which they are interested, to find out about any specific transfer requirements.

In addition to their general education classes, AFA students will take classes in art history, two-dimensional and three-dimensional design, and drawing.

VGCC has offered visual arts classes of different kinds throughout its history. In 2015, VGCC began holding “Fine Arts Day” events, which incorporated not only visual art but also music, dance and dramatic arts.

Isaac Talley, an award-winning visual artist, is a full-time art instructor at VGCC, teaching courses such as Art Appreciation, Two-Dimensional Design, and Drawing. “The AFA will be an excellent way to complete your first two years of college with tuition that’s very affordable, and then proceed on to East Carolina University, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Greensboro or elsewhere,” Talley said. “It’s a great opportunity, especially for people who are interested in painting, as well as digital photography, which we are planning to add in 2018.”

He added that while at VGCC, students will be able to hone their skills and build a portfolio that can help them gain admission to the university of their choice. They also may simply want more training in art without necessarily continuing to the four-year level. Jessie Hartley of Oxford, a current VGCC College Transfer student who won first place at the college’s juried student art exhibition, said that “the AFA program is appealing to me because it opens up more learning opportunities for me involving art. With the Associate in Arts program, I have learned everything from some early art history to painting and drawing. With the AFA program, my knowledge of art can expand even further with the use of different media and techniques that I possibly haven’t even heard of. It will also help my credibility for future job possibilities involving art.”

Hartley said that she has enjoyed all of the art classes she has taken at VGCC thus far. “In painting and drawing, I enjoyed the freedom and self-control it gave me,” she recalled. “I learned that I could express myself in all manners of ways on a canvas that could speak to the viewer of that piece, perhaps even touch their soul.  In art history and art appreciation, I enjoyed going through the past, learning facts and valuable information and where it all began. All in all, I am really looking forward to the AFA program, and I feel that all art students, including myself, will benefit wonderfully from it.”

After she graduates from VGCC, Hartley’s plan is to develop her own studio as a freelance artist. “I would like to travel to different art festivals and sell my work, as well as learn different crafts and techniques with a diverse range of media,” she said. “I may pursue further education later on, which the AFA degree will help with to enhance my credibility and experience.”

For more information about the AFA program, contact Betsy Henderson at hendersonb@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3371.

–VGCC–

News 03/13/17

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The WOW starts NOW!

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

Parents of children who are pre-kindergarten and kindergarten age are urged to visit Vance County Schools‘ elementary schools this coming week, March 13-17, to tour the school, visit with teachers and administrators and register their children for the upcoming 2017-2018 school year.

Special pre-kindergarten and kindergarten registration activities are planned for Tuesday, March 14, and Thursday, March 16, from 1 to 6 p.m. each day at the schools. Aycock, Carver, Dabney, E.M. Rollins, E.O. Young, L.B. Yancey, Pinkston Street and Zeb Vance have special events planned for Tuesday, March 14. Special events will be held at Clarke and New Hope on Thursday, March 16.

All children who register for kindergarten will receive a colorful, new backpack. Refreshments and special children’s activities also will be available.

For those parents who cannot attend the school events during the week, a special registration event will be held at the Vance County Schools Administrative Services Center at 1724 Graham Avenue in Henderson on Saturday, March 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers will be on hand to talk with parents and to lead children in special activities. Parents of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children can also register them for the 2017-2018 school year at this event. Refreshments and backpacks will be provided. All activities and items are free.

“The WOW Starts NOW!” is the slogan this year for the school system’s pre-kindergarten and kindergarten registration campaign.

To register for the 2017-2018 school year, all pre-kindergarten children must be four years of age on or before August 31, 2017, and all kindergarten children must be five years of age on or before August 31, 2017.

News 03/10/17

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Be careful when burning debris in spring

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Wildfire risk typically higher from March to May

RALEIGH – The N.C. Forest Service is urging residents across the state to think safety and exercise caution during the spring fire season, which typically lasts from March to May.

“During the spring fire season, people do a lot of yard work that often includes burning leaves and yard debris,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “There are many factors to consider before doing any burning.”

North Carolinians thinking about burning debris should contact their county ranger for advice first, Troxler said. “The ranger can help maximize safety for people, property and the forest.”

Follow guidelines to reduce risk of wildfire

For people who choose to burn debris, the NCFS urges them to adhere to the following tips to protect property and prevent wildfires:

  • Consider alternatives to burning. Some yard debris, such as leaves and grass, may be more valuable if composted.
  • Check with your county fire marshal’s office for local laws on burning debris. Some communities allow burning only during specified hours; others forbid it entirely.
  • Make sure you have an approved burning permit, which can be obtained at any NCFS office, county-approved burning permit agent, or online at https://ncforestservice.gov.
  • Check the weather. Don’t burn if conditions are dry or windy.
  • Only burn natural vegetation from your property. Burning household trash or any other man-made materials is illegal. Trash should be hauled away to a convenience center.
  • Plan burning for the late afternoon when conditions are typically less windy and more humid.
  • If you must burn, be prepared. Use a shovel or hoe to clear a perimeter around the area where you plan to burn.
  • Keep fire tools ready. To control the fire, you will need a hose, bucket, a steel rake and a shovel for tossing dirt on the fire.
  • Never use flammable liquids such as kerosene, gasoline or diesel fuel to speed burning.
  • Stay with your fire until it is completely out. In North Carolina, human carelessness leads to more wildfires than any other cause. In fact, debris burning is the No. 1 cause of wildfires in the state.
  • These same tips hold true for campfires and barbecues, too. Douse burning charcoal briquettes or campfires thoroughly with water. When the coals are soaked, stir them and soak them again. Be sure they are out cold and carefully feel to be sure they are extinguished. Never dump hot ashes or coals into a wooded area.
  • Burning agriculture residue and forestland litter: In addition to the guidelines above, a fire line should be plowed around the area to be burned. Large fields should be separated into small plots for burning one at a time. Before doing any burning in a wooded area, contact your county ranger, who will weigh all factors, explain them and offer technical advice.

For more information on ways you can prevent wildfires and loss of property visit https://ncforestservice.gov.

Mike Waters Announces New Assistant District Attorney

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Henderson, NC– District Attorney Mike Waters is pleased to announce the addition of David Erdmann as an Assistant District Attorney.

Mr. Erdmann was sworn in by District Court Judge Carolyn Thompson on Thursday, March 2, 2017. He joins the District Attorney’s staff after four years of practice as a criminal defense attorney in Surry County, North Carolina.

Mr. Erdmann is from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, and will relocate to the Ninth Prosecutorial District. He was a 2007 graduate of North Carolina State University, and earned a Juris Doctor from Florida State College of Law in 2011.

Mr. Erdmann also clerked for the Honorable Jose Lopez in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

He will be primarily working in Vance County prosecuting narcotics cases.

Computer-aided drafting course offered at VGCC

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Vance-Granville Community College has scheduled a “CAD with Solid Edge” course, to be held Monday through Thursday, April 3 through May 25, on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. Students will choose to take the course on one of two different schedules: 9 a.m. until noon, or 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Solid Edge is a Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) software program, produced by Siemens, which is used in a variety of industries, including advanced manufacturing.

This course introduces students to the three-dimensional solid modeling and design software. Topics include design sketching, basic three-dimensional design considerations and techniques, model creation, model editing, model rendering, analysis of solid models and creation of multi-view drawings. Upon completion, students should be able to use design techniques to sketch, model, edit, and render 3D models and generate multi-view 2D drawings. Students will learn how to create and print 2D drawings from 3D solid models and send solid models to a 3D printer.

The instructor for the course is Peter M. Robinson.

Students may become certified through Siemens upon passing the credentialing exam.

The cost of this course is $187 plus the cost of textbooks and the exam.

Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/oex or in person at any VGCC campus. The deadline to register is March 28. For more information, contact VGCC at oex@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3324.

–VGCC–