Carver Elementary Media Specialist Boosts Literacy
— courtesy Vance County Schools
Diane Averett, media specialist at Carver Elementary School, has purchased 165 new books for beginning readers with $3,000 in grant funds from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.
First-grade students at Carver Elementary School are shown in the photo as they hold some of their new books. They include, from left, Natalie Roberts, Colton Morgan, Anora Hamrick and Lupita Gonzalez.
The grant funding is for the school’s “Carver Readers Soar!” project for youth literacy.
(VCS Photo – Carver Elementary)
The new books will be used for students to read in their classes during the school day and during their sessions with Averett in the media center.
Averett adds the Dollar General grant funding to funds from two other grants she has secured. Those include $500 from Donors Choose to purchase LEGOS and other educational manipulatives and a $750 Walmart Community Foundation Grant for materials for the school’s Maker Space classroom.
Governor appoints VGCC President to commission
— courtesy of VGCC News Release on 11-27-17
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has appointed Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of Vance-Granville Community College, to the Governor’s Commission on Access to Sound, Basic Education. The Commission, which the governor created through an Executive Order, will focus on the critical importance of North Carolina meeting its duties under the state constitution as underscored by the landmark court rulings in Leandro v. North Carolina and Hoke County Board of Education v. North Carolina.
The new commission includes experts from a wide range of fields that are relevant to education and student and school success. Dr. Williams was appointed as the representative of North Carolina community colleges. The commission will focus on key areas highlighted in the original Leandro ruling, including:
• staffing each classroom with a competent, well-trained teacher,
Dr. Stelfanie Williams (VGCC Photo)
• staffing each school with a competent, well-trained principal, and
• identifying the resources necessary to ensure that all children, including those at risk, have an equal opportunity to obtain a sound basic education.
The commission is scheduled to hold its first meeting on Nov. 30 in Raleigh. Its goal is to develop recommendations for specific actions necessary to achieve sustained compliance with the constitutional mandates established in Leandro.
“I look forward to the opportunity to work with the other leaders on this commission to identify concrete steps that our state can take to improve public education for all our young people in all corners of North Carolina,” President Williams said. “The success of our great state depends on strong K-12 schools, working in partnership with strong community colleges and universities.”
Williams became the sixth president of VGCC in 2012. Since then, she has focused the college strategically on educational excellence, continuous improvement, employee and student engagement in college life, and institutional stewardship. During her tenure, the college has added seven curriculum degree programs, secured the largest grants in the college’s history, the second-largest private donor gift, and held six consecutive highest-yielding annual golf tournaments for scholarships. With a focus on student success, the institution has improved completion rates, graduating the largest classes ever in 2015 and 2016, and initiating a private donor-sponsored college promise program called the “VanGuarantee” in an effort to make college more accessible for students with the greatest financial need.
Prior to leading VGCC, Williams served as faculty and in several administrative capacities at other North Carolina community colleges. She also currently serves as adjunct faculty for the North Carolina State University College of Education. Williams holds dual baccalaureate degrees from Duke University, a graduate degree from Western Carolina University, and a doctorate from North Carolina State University. In 2014, she was awarded the I.E. Ready Distinguished Leadership Award by North Carolina State University.
The Governor’s Commission on Access to Sound, Basic Education is the second education-related panel for which the VGCC leader has been selected in recent months. Dr. Williams was appointed to the “My Future NC” Commission by the president of the University of North Carolina, Margaret Spellings; the acting president of the North Carolina Community College System, Jennifer Haygood; and the state superintendent of public instruction, Mark Johnson.
–VGCC–
Vance Board of Ed is Level I Master Board
— courtesy Vance County Schools
Vance County Board of Education members in the photo are, from left, Ruth Hartness, Ed Wilson, Gloria J. White, Darlynn Oxendine, Dorothy Gooche, Superintendent Anthony Jackson, Clementine Hunter and Margaret Ellis.
The Vance County Board of Education was recognized during the N.C. School Boards Association’s (NCSBA) 2017 Annual Conference in Greensboro on November 14, as a Level I Master Board.
It was the only board recognized at the conference for the Level I achievement.
Master Board is a knowledge and skills based training program that provides school boards with the opportunity to develop governance skills as a full board. All board members and the superintendent must commit to the training.
The Master Board Level I distinction requires 20 hours of training. Topics covered in the training include understanding school boards in a democracy, solving problems and making decisions and analyzing ethical challenges.
Dr. Greg Hicks, shown in the photo second from right, was their trainer.
Kedecia Stewart of Pinkston Street, North Central Region Teacher of the Year
— courtesy Vance County Schools
Kedecia Stewart, a teacher at Pinkston Street Elementary School, has been named the North Central Region Teacher of the Year.
The announcement was officially made today at a school-wide assembly at Pinkston Street, where Stewart teaches math to fourth and fifth graders.
Stewart also is the 2017-2018 Vance County Teacher of the Year.
Kedecia Stewart, left, reacts as Superintendent Anthony Jackson talks about her recognition as the 2018 North Central Region Teacher of the Year. (VCS Photo)
Lisa Godwin, the 2017 N.C. Teacher of the Year, attended the assembly to make the announcement.
All of the students and staff at Pinkston Street Elementary School were in attendance and they all stood and cheered when it was announced Stewart had earned the regional honor.
Superintendent Anthony Jackson presented Stewart with a plaque from the school system in recognition of the Regional Teacher of the Year award and a bouquet of pink roses.
Stewart won the regional honor in a field of Teachers of the Year from 14 public school systems in this region of the state including Wake, Durham, Johnston, Franklin, Granville and Warren counties.
She will now go on to represent the North Central Region in competition for the 2018 N.C. Teacher of the Year.
Vance County Early College High School Applications
— courtesy Vance County Schools
Our Vance County Early College High School is now accepting applications from current eighth-grade students to attend the school for the 2018-2019 school year.
Students who attend Early College have the opportunity to complete their high school education and two years of college coursework at no cost to them.
The Early College is designed for diverse learners who want the opportunity to be enrolled in a relevant, rigorous and innovative course of secondary curriculum and a tuition free college course of study. All students are expected to receive their high school diploma and an Associate of Arts degree or Associate of Science degree from Vance-Granville Community College.
Applications for the 2018-2019 school year may be obtained at the school, located on the third floor of Building 2 on the campus of Vance-Granville Community College near Henderson, or on the school’s website.
Applications from rising ninth graders will be accepted until February 16, 2018.
Principal Debbie Hite and her staff also will be leading parent and student informational meetings over the next few weeks. More information on these meetings will be made available soon.
For further information, interested persons may contact the Early College High School by phone at 252-738-3580.
VGCC President appointed to major education commission
— courtesy VGCC
Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of Vance-Granville Community College, has been appointed to serve on the “My Future NC” Commission, a new statewide group focused on educational attainment.
My Future NC was recently created by the leaders of the North Carolina public education systems, including the president of the University of North Carolina, Margaret Spellings; the acting president of the North Carolina Community College System, Jennifer Haygood; and the state superintendent of public instruction, Mark Johnson. The Commission’s work is being underwritten by grants from The John M. Belk Endowment, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Goodnight Education Foundation. My Future NC brings together top leaders from education, business, non-profit organizations and state government.
The commission will study and discuss state education and training needs, identify obstacles to meeting those needs, and generate policy recommendations. President Spellings is the co-chair for the effort, along with Dale Jenkins, chief executive officer of Medical Mutual Holdings, and Andrea Smith, chief administrative officer of Bank of America.
Dr. Williams is one of two community college presidents on the panel, along with Dr. Jeff Cox of Wilkes Community College. Other members of the commission include corporate and non-profit foundation chief executives, a local school superintendent, a university chancellor, a legislator, and a pair of members of the clergy. Darryl Moss, the mayor of Creedmoor and a member of the VGCC Endowment Fund board, has also been appointed to the commission.
“We have two North Carolinas when it comes to education and opportunity — the affluent, well-educated population centers — and the small towns and rural communities that have been left out of the rising economic and educational tide that has lifted our state,” said President Spellings. “And North Carolina is one of only a few states without a comprehensive strategic plan from pre-K through post-secondary education. The goal of this effort is simple but by no means easy: to develop a multi-year education plan that recommends a robust attainment goal for the state and a broad-based agenda for a stronger and more competitive North Carolina. We can do better and we should do better—the future of our great state depends on it.”
The commission’s goal is to complete its work by the end of 2018.
“Higher education is an absolute imperative for the future of our state and our workforce,” said Andrea Smith, Bank of America CAO and My Future NC co-chair. “Two of every three new jobs now require some form of post-secondary education — whether that’s training credentials, an associate degree, a four-year degree or higher. This reality underscores how critical education is to career growth and how important it is to increasing economic mobility.”
“I am honored to join a distinguished group of North Carolina leaders who will bring our diverse perspectives to the challenges of strengthening and aligning our state’s excellent educational institutions so that all children and adults can succeed,” President Williams said. “I bring to this task my experience from VGCC, which reflects the entire education pipeline, with our two five-star child care centers as well as our partnerships with K-12 school systems, with the business community and with universities.”
Williams became the sixth president of VGCC in 2012. Since then, she has focused the college strategically on educational excellence, continuous improvement, employee and student engagement in college life, and institutional stewardship. During her tenure, the college has added seven curriculum degree programs, secured the largest grants in the college’s history, the second-largest private donor gift, and held six consecutive highest-yielding annual golf tournaments for scholarships. With a focus on student success, the institution has improved completion rates, graduating the largest classes ever in 2015 and 2016, and initiating a private donor-sponsored college promise program called the “VanGuarantee” in an effort to make college more accessible for students with the greatest financial need.
Prior to leading VGCC, Williams served as faculty and in several administrative capacities at other North Carolina community colleges. She also currently serves as adjunct faculty for the North Carolina State University College of Education. Williams holds dual baccalaureate degrees from Duke University, a graduate degree from Western Carolina University, and a doctorate from North Carolina State University. In 2014, she was awarded the I.E. Ready Distinguished Leadership Award by North Carolina State University.
For more information about My Future NC, visit www.myfuturenc.org.
–VGCC–