Registration Underway for Tour de Vance Cycling Event

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Registration is now underway for the Seventh Annual Tour de Vance bike ride, scheduled for Saturday, October 19, 2019. The ride has been growing steadily since its inception, drawing families and first-timers in addition to the most seasoned of cyclists for four separate cycling events.

This year’s ride will help VGCC’s Endowment Fund to support scholarships for students enrolled in Health Sciences programs at the college. Programs include Associate Degree Nursing, Radiography, Practical Nursing, Histotechnology, Medical Assisting and Pharmacy Technology.

Proceeds from this year’s ride will also go to the Vance County United Way. The organization’s goal is to support the work of local public service agencies such as the Addition Recovery Center for Men, Community Partners of Hope, Smart Start, Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, LifeLine Outreach and the Harold Sherman Adult Day Center.

Several different options are available for cyclists. The 9-mile “fun ride” is ideal for youth, families and beginners. A 20-mile course suits riders ready for a bit more distance. Experienced cyclists can choose a 31-mile “Forest and Farmland” circle route through the country or a 62-mile “metric century” that adds to that 31-mile circle route an out-and-back spur to the Kerr Lake area.

The rides will start and finish at VGCC’s Main Campus, located off Interstate 85 and Poplar Creek Road at 200 Community College Road in Henderson.

All riders can register through the Vance-Granville Community College website at vgcc.edu/tourdevance. Online registration will end at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18. On-site registration will be an option at 7:30 a.m. on the day of the event.

The 9-mile ride will cost $10 for each rider. The 20-mile ride will cost $20 for those who register by Sept. 9, increasing to $25 thereafter. The 31-mile and 62-mile (or “metric century”) rides will cost $30 for those who register by Sept. 9, increasing to $40 thereafter.

“Vance-Granville is honored to once again be associated with an event that has become such a success and a symbol of our college’s 50-year history of community involvement,” said Eddie Ferguson, director of the VGCC Endowment Fund. “Joining forces with the United Way means that we can make an even bigger impact, raising funds for good causes while promoting the importance of exercise and good health.”

Check-in begins at 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 19. The 62-mile ride starts at 8:30 a.m., the 31-mile ride at 9:30, the 20-mile ride at 10 a.m., and the 9-mile ride at 10:30 a.m. Law enforcement will accompany riders on the 9-mile route.

Lunch will be provided.

Participating sponsors include Granville-Vance Public Health, Carolina GI Associates PC, Joel Goodwin MD, Barnett Properties, Henderson Fruit & Produce, Prim Rentals, T&T Laundries, Inc., AAA Gas, College Station, Ted’s Catering, and Bearpond Market.

For more information, contact Eddie Ferguson at (252) 738-3264 or tourdevance@vgcc.edu.

Scholarship Fund Established at VGCC in Memory of Local Teacher

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Friends and colleagues of the late Robert C. Pirie, Jr., have established a scholarship fund in his memory at Vance-Granville Community College.

Pirie passed away in May at the age of 75. A Vance County native, he was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, including service in Vietnam. He retired from the Vance County school system after teaching for more than 30 years, primarily at Zeb Vance Elementary School.

From left, Mike Bullard, Billy Horner, Wanda Bullard and VGCC Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson meet to discuss plans for the scholarship in memory of Robert Pirie. (VGCC photo)

Retired educators Michael and Wanda Bullard, along with Pirie’s best friend, Billy Horner, and his wife, Patricia Horner, helped set up the scholarship at VGCC. “I was a student of Mr. Pirie’s during his first year of teaching and then had the honor of teaching with him for 12 years,” Wanda Bullard said. “He encouraged me to become a teacher and then became my mentor. We became very close and I thought of him as a second father. I am one of many that he encouraged and supported.”

Bullard noted that Pirie received several awards for his math teaching abilities. He also coached the Zeb Vance Eagles Pee Wee football team for many years and was well-respected in the school system and the community. She recalled that Pirie and Horner shared a love of college sports, attending numerous Duke University home football games and ACC basketball tournaments together.

When Pirie struggled with health issues in his later years, Bullard and Horner helped take care of him. “He was like family to both of us,” Bullard said. “We wanted to start the scholarship in his name as a way to continue his legacy of encouragement and support of students being the best they can be.”

“We are touched that those who knew and worked with Mr. Pirie, those he taught and those he inspired, have been generous and thoughtful enough to honor his memory through a scholarship,” said VGCC Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson. “When fully endowed, this new scholarship will help VGCC students continue their education, and that’s a perfect way to pay tribute to an outstanding educator.”

Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 9,400 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 or to make a contribution to help fully endow this scholarship, call Kay Currin at (252) 738-3409.

Contributions to the scholarship fund can be mailed to the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund, at P.O. Box 917, Henderson, NC 27536.

Vance Charter School Earns ‘B’ Grade, Exceeds Expected Growth

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Renee Currin, Vance Charter School

On Wednesday, the North Carolina State Board of Education approved school performance data for all public schools in North Carolina. We are proud to announce Vance Charter School earned a B letter grade and exceeded expected growth for the 2018-2019 school year.

This is a testament to the diligent work our students and teachers demonstrated on a daily basis and their commitment to academic excellence.

Please congratulate our students and teachers for this accomplishment and help spread the word about our success.

Vance Charter is UKnighted!

Vance Co. Schools Surpass State Graduation Rate for First Time

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, Vance County Schools

The performance of the Vance County Public Schools ticked up last year in several areas and revealed areas needing continued focus on the state’s annual School Performance Grade accountability measurements. This year more schools met or exceeded expectations for student gains and more schools earned grades of C or better than in previous years. VCS also posted the highest graduation rate in the history of the district.

At the end of our first year with our newly consolidated schools, while improvements were made at both schools, these data reveal mixed reviews. Vance County High School, while improving its biology scores by 26 points from 23% in 2018 to 49.4% in 2019, earned a school performance grade of D, missing improving their overall grade to a C, by less than one percentage point.

Additionally, Vance County Middle School, while making tremendous progress including increases in grade level proficiency by 6.2 points in reading from 30% in 2018 to 36.2% in 2019; 12 points in math, from 13.9% in 2018 to 26.4% in 2019 and 20.5 points in science from 34% in 2018 to 54.7% in 2019, earned a school performance grade of F. This was extremely disappointing, as they missed earning the next letter grade of D, by less than .04 of a percent.

The district also had several other bright spots in the report – 9 of 15 schools (60%) earned a letter grade of C or better.

Two schools – STEM Early High Middle School and Vance County Early College High School – earned the School Performance Grade of A.

Seven schools – Aycock, Carver, Clarke, Dabney, LB Yancey, Pinkston, and Zeb Vance – earned the School Performance Grade of C.

Four schools – EM Rollins, EO Young, New Hope and VCHS – earned the School Performance Grade of D and one school – VCMS earned the School Performance Grade of F.

8 of 15 schools (54%) met or exceeded growth – VCECHS, STEM-EH, Aycock, Carver, Dabney, EO Young, New Hope, and Pinkston Street.

Additionally, we are extremely proud of our STEM Early High Middle School and Vance County Early College students who posted perfect scores of 100% on the 8th grade science end-of-grade test and the Biology end-of-course exam.

We are also pleased to report that our 2018-2019 graduation rate is 86.7%, compared to the states graduation rate of 86.4.  This represents an increase of four-points over last year’s four-year graduation rate and a 21.8 point increase in six years.  This is the highest graduation rate in the district’s history and the first time VCS has ever surpassed the state average.

Superintendent, Dr. Anthony Jackson said, “This is a tremendous accomplishment and credit must be given to our entire team. We have worked diligently to implement strategies over the last few years to address the graduation rate and we are pleased to see a return on these efforts.”

Six years ago, Vance County Schools’ posted a graduation rate of 64.9% – the lowest in the state. “The graduation rate this year is a huge jump and we certainly are proud of that,” said Jackson. “The high school diploma gives our students options after graduation to pursue higher education, enlist in the military or to join the workforce prepared to be successful. We will not be satisfied until all of our students graduate on time, the stakes are too high to accept otherwise.”

The district is already working to address areas of deficit, train staff and implement new structures to support students. The district invites the community to its annual State of OUR Schools address on Wednesday, September 25, 2019, at 6 p.m. at Vance County High School to hear both our challenges and accomplishments as well as our plans for continuous improvement.

VGCC Holds Convocation to Start New Academic Year

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College recently held its annual fall convocation to bring faculty and staff together for a kick-off to the new academic year.

Much of the event focused on a discussion of student success. Special guests for the convocation were representatives of “Achieving the Dream” (ATD), a national education reform organization designed to assist community colleges with improving student success. VGCC joined the ATD network of colleges in 2018.

ATD Leadership Coach Dr. Joanne Bashford and ATD Data Coach Dr. Linda Hagedorn presented information about the college’s progress in moving the needle on student success in the past six months.

VGCC Director of Planning & Research Julie Hicks and English faculty member Frankie Frink provided their colleagues with updates on key data points and forms of support to address the needs of students who are food insecure, respectively.

VGCC’s participation in Achieving the Dream and the leadership of Dr. Rachel Desmarais, who became college president earlier this year, have caused the college to place a greater emphasis on data related to teaching and learning, and equitable student outcomes for all.

Approximately 44 VGCC faculty and staff members serve on one of four ATD teams: the Core, Data, Communications, and Strategies teams. These teams will continue to work collaboratively throughout the fall semester to develop an Action Plan derived from the feedback and planning that took place during the fall convocation. This ATD Action Plan will be connected to the VGCC Strategic Plan.

“Convocation provided an opportunity for all new and returning faculty to learn more about the latest with ATD and provide feedback,” said Dr. Levy Brown, the college’s vice president of Learning, Student Engagement & Success. “We are committed to equitable student outcomes, which ultimately impact student success.”

The event also included the opportunity to recognize VGCC employees who have recently hit milestones by completing five, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years of service.

“As we mark the 50th anniversary of Vance-Granville Community College’s service to the community, we celebrate the dedicated people who have made the college a wonderful place to work and learn, while we also look ahead to the future through the Achieving the Dream program,” said Dr. Desmarais.

VCS Bus Drivers Wanted; Next Training Scheduled for Sept.

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Vance County Schools

Want to be a child’s hero? Greet students every morning and see them home in the afternoon as a Vance County School’s bus driver. VCS is looking for folks who have a class B license with P and S endorsements.

Please contact VCS transportation at (252) 438-5012 ext. 1, or stop by the transportation department to complete an application. Make sure you bring your license.

Don’t delay…. the next bus driver training class is September 23-25, 2019.

VGCC Holds Convocation, Recognizes Employees’ Years of Service

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information and photos courtesy Vance-Granville Community College

Vance-Granville Community College held Convocation on Friday, August 16, 2019, at the Main Campus in Henderson.

Faculty and staff with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of service were recognized and are pictured below.

5 Years of Service (front row, seated, left to right) Dr. Erica Fleming, Julie Hicks, Erin Folz (second row, left to right) Leslie Hurt, Stacey Soles, Victoria Whited, April Rossi, Melanie Copeland, Faith Harris, Stephen Barney (third row, left to right) Stewart Lyon, Isaac Talley, Robert Newby, Gregory Wilson, Steven Graham, Luther Curtis, Wallace Evans, Ken Wilson, Mike Brodie.

10 Years of Service (front row, left to right) Frankie Frink, Veta Pierce-Cappetta, MaryBeth Vick (back row, left to right) Sean Newton, Lyndon Hall.

15 Years of Service (left to right) Rusty Pace, Dr. Tracey Carter, Lisa Edwards.

20 Years of Service (seated, left to right) Julie Jones, Wille Mae Foster-Hill, Jennifer Allen (standing) Craig Saunders.

25 Years of Service (left to right) Susan Cease, Donna Gill, Tomeka Carter.

30 Years of Service Larraine Abbott.

VGCC’s 50th Anniversary Celebration to Include Food Truck Rodeo, Live Music

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

Vance-Granville Community College invites the public to join administrators, faculty, students and staff in a celebratory event, sponsored by Duke Energy, in honor of the college’s “50 Years of Excellence Since 1969.”

This “golden” anniversary celebration will include a food truck rodeo on Wednesday, September 4, 2019, from 4:30 until 7:30 p.m. at the gazebo of the Main Campus in Henderson (200 Community College Road).

The band “Liquid Pleasure” will also be entertaining the crowd with live music.

*Please note that alcoholic beverages and drugs are strictly prohibited at VGCC. 

VCS: Traditional Calendar Schools to Hold Open House Aug. 22

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Vance County Schools

Vance County Schools will hold Open House sessions for schools on the traditional calendar on Thursday, August 22, 2019.

Vance County Middle School’s Open House will be held from 3 until 7 p.m.; all other traditional schools will be held from 2 until 7 p.m.

All students who attend Vance County Middle School, AdVance Academy, STEM Early High School and all Vance County elementary schools except E.M. Rollins will begin school on Monday, August 26, 2019.

All parents and students are invited to attend open house events.

Note:

E.M. Rollins Elementary School, Vance County Early College and Vance County High School began school on Monday, August 5, 2019.

Vance Co. Board of Education Approves Strategic Plan – FORWARD TOGETHER 2025

/by

100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, Vance County Schools

After a full calendar year of staff and stakeholder engagement, the Vance County Board of Education at its regular monthly meeting approved the district strategic plan, FORWARD TOGETHER 2025, which redefines the mission, vision and goals that will guide the work of the district through the year 2025.

The plan includes input from the Board of Education members, parents, students, staff, administrators and school supporters and represents a consensus of over 500 individual voices that engaged in this process.

The FORWARD TOGETHER 2025 plan asks stakeholders to “Reform,” “Re-imagine,” “Rethink” and “Renew” what they believe, think, and do every day in classrooms across the district. The FORWARD TOGETHER 2025 plan is a call to action for our community to critically evaluate daily instructional and operational practices and ensure that all are aligned to provide excellent instruction in the classroom and high student achievement as our outcome.

Included in the FORWARD TOGETHER 2025 Strategic Plan is the approved Vision and Mission Statement. The new Vision Statement is, “To provide an adaptable educational setting where learning is a catalyst to the pursuit of dreams in an evolving society.”

The board also approved the new Mission Statement which reads, “Vance County Schools is committed to providing broad experiences and opportunities to students that enable them to compete globally.”

Over the next five years, district staff will work collaboratively with the board of education, schools and other key stakeholders to implement the FORWARD TOGETHER 2025 plan district-wide. Annually, the board of education will formally evaluate the district’s progress towards meeting the five strategic priorities and their corresponding objectives, and this information will be shared publicly with the community.

Priorities identified in the FORWARD TOGETHER 2025 include improving our progress in areas associated with school performance grades earned by each school, improving discipline and civility in our schools, increasing staff retention, implementation of innovative practices and engaging the community to reach parents and attract students.

The FORWARD TOGETHER 2025 plan will allow both our internal and external stakeholder a means by which to hold us accountable for making progress on each of our stated priorities over the next five years against baseline performance data.

The overarching theme of FORWARD TOGETHER 2025 is to ensure that every student has ample opportunity to reach his/her full potential while pursuing their personalized pathway to graduation and their high school diploma.

The redesign of the district’s instructional model in the FORWARD TOGETHER 2025 plan outlines a focus on providing authentic experiences, modern learning environments, a learner-centered culture and modern curriculum.

By integrating these key change levers into our delivery of instruction, Vance County Schools firmly believes that FORWARD TOGETHER 2025 will allow us to become that true catalyst for student success and future prosperity that every student needs and deserves.