Henderson Optimist Club Respect for Law Banquet

/by

On the night of Tuesday, July 28th the Henderson Optimist Club celebrated the accomplishments of local law enforcement and other public servants. Tommy Farmer, John Pecora, Britt Sams, and other Henderson Optimist Club members presented awards and spoke to members and recipients at the Respect for Law Banquet.

Brandon Logue was awarded Henderson Police Officer of the year, and was escorted by Chief Marcus Barrow. David Stanley was presented with the Henderson Firefighter of the year plaque, and was accompanied by Fire Chief Danny Wilkerson. Myron Alexander was credited with Vance County Deputy of year, and partnered with Sheriff Peter White for a short speech to the Optimist Club members. Joseph Thomas was awarded North Carolina State Highway Trooper of the Year, and was accompanied by 1st Sergeant Joseph Gaskins.

11791849_10205977829857135_1148465133_n(Officer Brandon Lougue receiving his award)

John O’Neal was awarded Vance County Firefighter of the year, and Charles Shelton was presented with a plaque for Kerr Lake Park Ranger of the year.

In many cases, these community servants do not get many “thank yous”. The next time you see one of these individuals or a representative of their respective organization take the time to thank them for what they do. They collectively make Vance County a better place to live, work, and have a little fun.

To find out more about the Henderson Optimist Club, log on to https://www.henderson-optimists.org/.

New School Year Starting

/by

According to the Vance County Schools website, the new public school year for 2015-2016 will officially start with the beginning of classes for students on Thursday, August 6, at the Vance County Early College High School located on the campus of Vance-Granville Community College near Henderson.

Vance County Schools (NVHS Choir)

Teachers and other 10-month employees begin work for the new school year at the Early College on Monday, August 3.

The Early College High School has students who take college level courses at the community college and their schedule must closely follow the schedule of the college.

All other Vance County Schools begin classes for students on Monday, August 24.

New teachers and other new employees for the school system report to work on Monday, August 10. They will be welcomed to the school system at a breakfast held at 8 a.m. in the cafeteria of Northern Vance High School. New employees will participate in orientation sessions August 10-12. All school system employees will attend a breakfast and convocation on Thursday, August 13, at Northern Vance High School. The breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the school’s cafeteria and the convocation will follow at 8:30 a.m. in the gymnasium. Friday, August 14, is a mandatory workday for all employees and Monday, August 17, through Thursday, August 20, also are mandatory workdays. Friday, August 21, is a teacher workday.

On Thursday, August 20, open house sessions will be held at all schools, except Early College High School, from 3 to 7 p.m.

New Vance Schools Superintendent Starts Aug 1

/by

The Vance County Board of Education Tuesday night, July 21, 2015, voted unanimously to appoint Dr. Anthony “Tony” Jackson as the new superintendent of Vance County Schools.

He will begin his duties as superintendent on August 1.

Dr. Jackson’s career in public education spans 27 years in several districts in both North Carolina and Virginia. He began his teaching career in Wake County. He has served as a principal at all three levels in rural, suburban and urban districts. He also has been an associate superintendent and an executive director of curriculum and instruction.Untitled-2

Dr. Jackson became the superintendent of Henry County Public Schools in Virginia before he was chosen as superintendent for Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools, a position he served in for the last four years. He is described by an experienced, long-serving member of his past board as “passionate about his work and wanting to make sure the kids get the best education they can get.” He led the 1:1 digital learning initiative for students in grades 4-12 to facilitate 21st Century learning methods and the development of a comprehensive 10-year capital improvement facility plan. During his tenure in Nash-Rocky Mount, the school system had increases in Algebra I enrollment and in the on-time cohort graduation rate and a decrease in the dropout rate. Dr. Jackson also successfully completed the school system’s first reassignment process in over 20 years.

He was named the Central Carolina Regional Education Service Alliance 2013-2014 Superintendent of the Year. The region encompasses several neighboring counties including Wake, Durham, Nash, Edgecombe, Franklin, Vance, Granville, Johnston, Wilson, Halifax and Northampton. In November of that year, he was one of seven finalists for the North Carolina Superintendent of the Year.

Dr. Jackson has a Bachelor of Science degree in music education from East Carolina University, a master’s degree in educational leadership from N.C. Central University and a doctorate degree in education from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He serves on the boards of the local Boys and Girls Clubs, the United Way, the Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce, the Nashville Arts Council and the Braswell Library Board of Trustees. He also holds membership in the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

He has two adult children and his hobbies include singing and playing the piano.

The Vance County Board of Education wanted the next superintendent to be a person who: makes the tough decisions in the education of children in Vance County Schools; is active in the community; is self-motivated; is an advocate for resources; genuinely likes children; and wants the best for children. During the search process, the board carefully reviewed applications and supporting documentation from a field of 23 candidates from six states. The board is confident that Dr. Jackson meets the needs of Vance County Schools and that he will work with the board to lead the school system to even higher achievements.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Jackson as the new superintendent of Vance County Schools and as a new member of our community. We hope that you will be as pleased as we are to have him as our next superintendent. We also hope the community at large will welcome him here as he moves Vance County Schools to the next level.

Vance County Schools – Donations from Staples

/by

The management and employees of the Staples Fulfillment Center on Poplar Creek Road in Vance County have donated approximately $12,000 worth of school supplies to Vance County Schools.

Representatives of the school system and Staples are shown in the accompanying photo with the four pallets of items donated after they were delivered to the Vance County Staples DonationsSchools’ Purchasing and Distribution Center. Shown in the photo are, from left, E.T. Newby, lead warehouseman for the school system; Kerri Williams, inventory control supervisor for Staples; Silka Boone, purchasing coordinator for the school system; and David Person, Staples Fulfillment Center manager. The donations of school supplies are part of the Staples center’s annual Donation Program, led by a team of employees.

Williams said that three key Staples employees, Gary Johnson, Tigkin Richardson and Sandra Murray, all Vance County residents, were instrumental in getting the donations for use by students in Vance County Schools.

The donated supplies include a wide range of notebook paper, file folders, project folders, composition books, three-ring binders, pens, pencils and more.

“Our school system is so appreciative of the wonderful generosity of Staples in supporting our students,” said Terri Hedrick, public information officer for Vance County Schools. “Staples has been a great partner for our school system over the years. All of the school supplies will be put to great use by our students in all 17 of our schools for the new school year.”

Vance County PAGE Scholarships

/by

The Vance County Partners for the Advancement of Gifted Education (PAGE) has announced three graduating seniors from Northern Vance and Southern Vance high schools have been awarded scholarships for the 2014-2015 school year. The scholarship recipients are shown in the accompanying photo holding the plaques that bear their names and will hang in their respectivPAGE Scholarshipse schools. The students include, from left, Chris Pendergrass, who won the Jerold P. Murdock Memorial Scholarship; Moriah Davis, who won the Top Graduate from Southern Vance High School Scholarship; and Ray Cheever, who won the Top Graduate from Northern Vance High School Scholarship. Pendergrass received the Murdock scholarship, worth $500, as the top graduate from all high schoolsin Vance County. Davis and Cheever represent the best in their respective graduating classes. Their scholarships are valued at $250 each. All three scholarship winners were honored at a reception hosted by Vance County PAGE on June 9, in the Vance County Schools’ Administrative Services Center.

WIZS on Facebook

/by

Like us on Facebook
Like WIZS on Facebook to receive status updates of news and events.

Embrace Event Draws Nearly 1,000

/by

Saturday, April 18, 2015, the Embrace Henderson Family Spectacular event at SaddleRock Farm saw nearly 1,000 people in attendance.

 

850 kids and 125 volunteers, along with numerous area churches, joined forces for the event, which presents The Greatest Story Ever Told. One of the main organizers of the event, Kevin Kilgore, told WIZS News that in excess of 100 children have choosen to follow Christ in the event’s five year history.

Larry Johnson, who owns SaddleRock Farm, said it’s just so the whole community can come and have a free event. He said, “We are doing it because Jesus loves us, and we love others because of that.”

Longtime Vance County commissioner of 28 years and recent Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year for 2014, Danny Wright, was in attendance. And as he has each year, Mr. Wright had his trusty camera strapped around his neck. He said, “This is my community,” in reference to the Weldon’s Mill area as well as his home in nearby Cokesbury. He said, “This is primarily an evangalistic outreach effort to reach the children, and if you reach the children, then you reach their families. We are trying to change hearts, and when you change hearts you change cultures, and when you change cultures you change the community. So that’s what this is all about.”

 

Volunteer Phyllis Burnette said, “It’s wonderful to volunteer for this event, to see the children come out, to see the smiles on their faces, and to see so many churches out here working together, and to know that we have the opportunity to show Christ’s love.”

Harriett Baptist Church Pastor Wil Breedlove was in attendance, with his two children, and Breedlove said, “It’s a bunch of different churches in our community who love our community and want to make a diffence. It’s a great day; it’s a great family day. At seven o’clock this morning my kids got up and said, ‘Daddy, we are ready to go to the spectacular.'”

The morning prayer for the volunteers, just before the event started at 11:00am, brings it full circle for Kilgore and others. To the Glory of God only.

Vance County Teacher Executive Institute

/by

A total of 17 educators in Vance County Schools completed their participation in the Vance County Teacher Executive Institute (TEI) program for 2014-2015 on March 19.

They were honored at a dinner and ceremony held at the Henderson Country Club after completing four all-day sessions in the leadership program.

TEI 2014-2015

The participants are shown in the photo and include, seated from left, Deris Mora of Henderson Middle; Lauren Murvine of E.M. Rollins Elementary; Tonia Davis of Clarke Elementary; Deborah Bullock-Harris of Dabney Elementary; Aarika Sandlin of Eaton-Johnson Middle; and Cynthia Traynham of Southern Vance High. Standing from left, are Erika Barnett of Aycock Elementary; Ana-Maria Topliceanu of Northern Vance High; Joshua Patterson of STEM Early High; Cheryl Jones of Pinkston Street Elementary; Carrie Hoffler of New Hope Elementary; Joy Darden of E.O. Young Jr. Elementary; Analiza Maghanoy of L.B. Yancey Elementary; Sophia Miller-Ford of Early College High; Alison Tiangson of Western Vance High; Mary Frances Wiggins of Carver Elementary; and Bonnie Stallings of Zeb Vance Elementary.

TEI is a leadership program for local public school educators. It is presented each year by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce and the Vance County Public School Foundation.

Dr. Rebecca Garland, deputy state superintendent of North Carolina, was the featured speaker for the TEI dinner and closing ceremony. The evening was sponsored by Walmart Distribution Center #6091 of Henderson.

Embrace Henderson Family Spectacular

/by

Where else can you go to see Dan the Animal Man, get popcorn, sno cones, your face painted, ride a horse, jump around and see lots of friendly faces…….absolutely FREE? Join in on the fun this Saturday.

THE EMBRACE HENDERSON FAMILY SPECTACULAR IS THIS SATURDAY FROM 11 UNTIL 3. LOCATED AT SADDLEROCK FARM AT 1786 WELDON’S MILL ROAD. IT’S A FREE FAMILY FUN DAY. EVERYTHING IS FREE. HORSE RIDES, SNACKS, GAMES, MOON BOUNCES PLUS DAN THE ANIMAL MAN AND MOST OF ALL…THE GREATEST STORY EVERY TOLD!! THIS SATURDAY 11 TO 3 ON WELDON’S MILL ROAD BY Embrace Henderson, CHILD EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP AND LAMM EVENTS. PROMOS AND LIVE BROADCAST ON WIZS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE BEES’ KNEES COUNTRY STORE AT WELDON’S MILL. STOP BY FOR ONE OF A KIND GIFTS, CARDS, JEWELRY, SOAPS AND LOCAL HONEY. NOW WITH 38 VENDORS WITH EVERYTHING FROM APRONS TO WALKING STICKS, HIVE PRODUCTS INCLUDING HONEY, POLLEN, SOAPS, HAND CREAMS, LIP BALM AND CANDLES. A PLACE FOR CONVERSATION AND RELAXATION.
Embrace Henderson Spectacular 2015 poster
Embrace Henderson Spectacular 2015 poster

Vance County Animal Shelter

/by

The shelter is full of dogs, cats and kittens in urgent need of adoption. Please call or visit the shelter if you are interested in fostering or adopting.

The Vance County Animal Shelter is in need bleach in order to disinfect and keep a disease free environment. If you are interested in donating the shelter is open Mondays 12:30-4:30, Tues-Thurs 10am-2pm and Saturdays 8am-12 noon.

The Animal Shelter is located at 165 Vance Academy Rd in Henderson. Phone number is 252-492-3136.