Vance County Board of Education Approves School Consolidations

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Vance County Board of Education Approves School Consolidations

— The Following is a Press Release from Vance County Schools:

The Vance County Board of Education approved at its March 19 meeting a plan to combine the middle schools and the high schools for the 2018-2019 school year.

With the board’s action, Eaton-Johnson and Henderson middle schools will be combined and serve middle school students in the facility currently housing Northern Vance High School and Northern Vance and Southern Vance high schools will be combined to serve high school students in the facility currently housing Southern Vance High School next school year.

In January, members of the Board of Education directed the superintendent and school system staff members to seek community input on a potential facilities consolidation plan for the current, traditional middle and high schools. Discussion of consolidation became necessary as the result of several years of declining student enrollment across the district and the need to improve the efficiency and financial sustainability of school operations.

Since early January, over 25 meetings have been held with community stakeholders to seek input on the feasibility of combining the schools and their programs. School officials have heard from over 500 people in the local community with their attendance at community conversations, through email responses and an online survey with school system employees.

The feedback received during community meetings has been extremely informative as to what the public expects from its public schools and their services and programs for students. The majority of the feedback from parents, students, school system employees, elected officials, business leaders and local residents has been in favor of combining the schools.

The board is expected to review and approve a detailed implementation plan to accomplish combining the schools at its April meeting.

To address the concerns voiced during the community meetings about school safety, an ad hoc committee from the local community will be established to develop recommendations for board consideration.

“I am pleased with the board’s decision tonight and applaud them for their courage and willingness to do what’s right for students,” Superintendent Anthony D. Jackson said. “We have lots to do. Exciting times and great things are ahead.”

City of Henderson Logo

City of Henderson Update 03/15/18

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Home and Garden Show 03/13/18

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VGCC scholarship endowed by Ardagh

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— courtesy VGCC

Ardagh Group, a global leader in packaging solutions with a facility in Henderson, has established a new scholarship at Vance-Granville Community College. Once fully endowed, the Ardagh Academic Achievement Scholarship will be awarded to a VGCC student each year.

Ardagh Group manufactures packaging for some of the world’s biggest brands. The company operates 109 glass and metal manufacturing facilities in 22 countries, employing approximately 23,500 people. Ardagh has won over 100 international awards related to innovation and has been granted over 50 worldwide patents. The company, which was once known locally as Saint-Gobain Containers, has collaborated with VGCC for many years, utilizing the college’s industry services, including customized training. Ardagh also partners with the college on Work-Based Learning opportunities and programs related to advanced manufacturing.

Pictured, from left, at the Ardagh plant in Henderson are VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams, Ardagh Operations Manager Todd Concienne, Plant Manager Stephane Jean, Human Resources Manager Todd Glawe, VGCC Endowment Specialist Kay Currin and VGCC Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson. (VGCC photo)

The manufacturer has supported the VGCC Endowment Fund Golf Tournament for several years and was one of the premier sponsors for the record-breaking 33rd annual Golf Tournament in 2017.

“We send our employees to various VGCC programs, and it’s been a seamless process for us,” said Todd Glawe, human resources manager for the facility in Henderson. “The manufacturing world is changing, with much more sophisticated equipment, so we need the training provided by technical programs at the college in order to help us be efficient and successful.”

Ardagh’s Henderson plant manufactures glass bottles and jars, and counts North Carolina’s own Mt. Olive Pickle Company among its longstanding customers. That company holds a special place in the history of Vance-Granville Community College, as college Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson noted, because the largest single gift in VGCC history came from the estate of Robert B. “Bob” Butler of Warrenton, a retired executive with Mt. Olive.

“We have been pleased to be able to assist Ardagh for many years by meeting their needs for training, and we are delighted by their generous support in the form of a scholarship that will help local students achieve career success while also enhancing workforce development,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of VGCC.

Ferguson added, “Ardagh is not only a leading manufacturer on the international level, but is also one of our great local employers and partners, so we are honored by their investment in the future of our college and our community.”

Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 9,100 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 about the Endowment Fund, call (252) 738-3409.

–VGCC–

Arts Alive Talent Showcase March 24th

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Vance County Schools
For Immediate Release
March 9, 2018

Vance County Schools is joining the Vance County Public School Foundation again this year in presenting the Arts Alive Talent Showcase on Saturday, March 24, at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center on Breckenridge Street in downtown Henderson.

Arts Alive will feature the display of over 200 pieces of visual art work from students in our schools and about 20 performing groups who are our students in the show.

The student art work can be viewed free of charge beginning at 4 p.m. in the McGregor Hall Gallery on March 24.

The show will begin at 7 p.m. in the McGregor Hall auditorium on March 24.

Tickets for the show are $5 per person. The tickets will go on sale beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 24, at McGregor Hall.

All proceeds from Arts Alive go to the Vance County Public School Foundation to support programs in our public school system.

STEM Early High School Applications Due 3-12-18

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— submitted by Vance County Schools

Applications for the 2018-2019 school year at STEM Early High School are being accepted through March 12, 2018. Applications are available at the school, located at Southern Vance High School at 925 Garrett Road near Henderson, and on the school’s website. Interested persons should call the school at 738-2260 with any questions regarding the application process.

Kerr Tar Regional Council of Governments

Project To Reconnect Local Youth To Education And Work

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— submitted by Shea Fitzgerald, Director of Development and Community Outreach, www.triangleliteracy.org

TRIANGLE LITERACY COUNCIL AND KERR-TAR REGIONAL COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD TO START CONSTRUCTION PATHWAY FOR AREA YOUNG ADULTS

DURHAM, N.C. (March 6, 2018) – Today the Triangle Literacy Council (TLC) and the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments’ Workforce Development Board announced the launch of a Regional Construction and Skills Trades Career Pathway for young adults, ages 16 to 24, in Henderson, NC. The 24 week-long program, called Constructing Pathways to Prosperity, will offer three integrated components to area young adults: high school equivalency preparation, occupational training, and construction work-based learning.

Constructing Pathways to Prosperity aims to build a productive future for young men and women who have dropped out of school or have other barriers to employment. The program will blend academic and occupational course content along with leadership and life skills training, as well as follow-up support to young adults in Henderson. Participants are able to earn up to $50 a week for program attendance and wages for the work-based learning portion of training. Upon completion of the program, participants will have earned a nationally-recognized construction certificate, along with OSHA Certification and work experience, and be given the opportunity to find gainful employment, significantly improving their futures.

“We are pleased to collaborate with the Triangle Literacy Council on this project which strives to reconnect youth to education and work and to help them make a successful transition into a lifelong career,” said Diane Cox, Executive Director of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments.

TLC currently operates a similar YouthBuild program in Durham, NC, providing job training and educational opportunities for at-risk young adults in the inner-city. TLC and the Kerr-Tar Workforce Development Board are excited to provide this service model for the rural region which will inject positive energy into the lives of a sensitive group of young adults and Henderson’s affordable housing market.

“We are so excited to take the next step in our Triangle expansion through partnering with the Kerr-Tar Workforce Development Board for the Constructing Pathways to Prosperity initiative,” said Laura Walters, President and CEO of the Triangle Literacy Council. “Our program will work closely with the Vance County community to provide young adults with new educational and workforce development opportunities to increase their quality of life and help them better provide for themselves and their families.”

With a grant of $247,000, Triangle Literacy Council’s Constructing Pathways to Prosperity will serve two cohorts in 2018/19 and begin recruiting students in March.

About the Triangle Literacy Council
Since 1970, the Triangle Literacy Council (TLC) has been teaching adults, youth and families how to read, write, speak better and improve their lives through the use of volunteer, one-on-one tutoring and group classes. All services are provided free of charge to participants. All programs use best practices with evidence-based outcomes and have a high rate of success. The Triangle Literacy Council is the oldest literacy organization in North Carolina.

About the Kerr-Tar Workforce Development Board
The Kerr-Tar Workforce Development Board provides direction and assurance for strategic initiatives in a five-county regional effort, representing Franklin, Granville, Person, Vance and Warren Counties. The Board is business driven to meet current and future employment needs, those needs of local businesses, and those individuals seeking careers and career enhancements. The overarching goal of the workforce development system is to build a well-trained, ready workforce and attract high-skilled, high wage jobs through collaborative leadership from experts throughout our communities’ business, education, government, and non-profit organizations. The Kerr-Tar Workforce Development Board works in partnership with these organizations to ensure the performance, accountability, and achievement of regional workforce goals are met.

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Early College Application Deadline Extended

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— submitted by Vance County Schools

The application deadline for incoming freshmen to the Vance County Early College High School for the 2018-2019 school year has been extended to Thursday, March 22.

Interested students have until 3 p.m. on March 22, to turn in their completed applications.

All applications should be turned in to the office of the Early College High School, located on the top floor of Building 2 on the campus of Vance-Granville Community College near Henderson. The school’s office is located in room 2314.

The applications can be picked up at the school and are available on the Early College High School website.

Home and Garden Show 03/06/18

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Home and Garden Show 02/27/18

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