@VanceCoSchools State of Schools
— courtesy Vance County Schools
All Vance County residents are invited to attend “State of Our Schools” events hosted by the school system on Tuesday, October 24, at Clarke Elementary School, and on Wednesday, October 25, at New Hope Elementary School. Both events will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Superintendent Anthony Jackson will be sharing valuable information about our public schools and all 17 of our schools will have information tables with educators available to answer questions.
VGCC hosts Basic Skills Open House on Main Campus
— courtesy VGCC
Vance-Granville Community College will hold an Open House for its Adult Basic Skills department on Tuesday, October 3, from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and later from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m., in room 7212 of Building 7 on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County.
“We invite all who did not finish high school to come see and hear how our Adult Basic Skills Department can either help adults gain enough credits to earn a high school diploma or gain enough knowledge to earn a High School Equivalency diploma, which is more commonly known as a GED,” said Greg Nash, who chairs the Adult Basic Skills department at VGCC. “Additionally, we invite all whose native language differs from English to come see and hear how our Adult Basic Skills Department can help adults improve their abilities to speak and read English.”
Adult Basic Skills/Literacy Education programs at VGCC help adults improve their reading, writing and math skills and complete their high school education. Classes are available at all four VGCC campuses and at various community locations. VGCC now offers Adult High School and high school equivalency test preparation online, as well. Either way, instruction is offered free of charge.
Another VGCC program is “Basic Skills Plus,” which allows students seeking a high school diploma or equivalent to co-enroll at the same time in occupational training and employability skills within identified career pathways.
Once students complete either the Adult High School or high school equivalency program, they receive a certificate worth free tuition and fees for one semester of courses in curriculum programs at VGCC, absorbing costs not covered by federal financial aid.
For more information, contact Adult Basic Skills Department Chair Greg Nash at (252) 738-3305.
–VGCC–
Virtual Reality Mobile Lab
— courtesy Vance County Schools
zSpace, Inc. sponsored a visit by its Virtual Reality Classroom to the campus of Southern Vance High School on September 21, with the lab available for viewing by local students and educators throughout the school system.
Students and educators had an opportunity to go inside the traveling classroom, contained in a large, mobile trailer, and view 3D hands-on demonstrations to enhance classroom instruction in science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics (STEAM).
Clarke student using the 3D software for dissections
There were approximately 12 computer monitors available for students and educators to view 3D images ranging from various kinds of animals, to mountain landscapes, to parts of the human body. Once at the computer screens, viewers wore 3D glasses and used a special stylus to manipulate the 3D images. They could actually dissect the images electronically using the stylus to see the various layers of the image. The process seemed especially fun for students in dissecting animal images and seeing their various body parts and layers.
The zSpace Virtual Reality Classroom came to Vance County at no cost to the school district. The classroom is designed to provide K-12 school districts with a firsthand demonstration of the zSpace technology available to enhance classroom instruction in the core subject areas. With schools now engaging in new phases of innovation and transformation with the creation of STEAM focused programs, zSpace is striving to provide them with the latest virtually reality based learning experiences. With the help of zSpace representatives, the 3D technology is showing how the computer software and devices can be incoporated into lesson plans and curriculum.
STEM students using the 3D software for dissections
Students visiting the mobile STEAM lab were from Clarke Elementary School, the STEM Early High School and Southern Vance High School. They went into the lab in small groups of about 20 students over a four-hour period. After listening to a short presentation by a zSpace coach on how to use the 3D technology, the students were able to experience the hands-on demonstration at the individual computer terminals. Each student group had about 20 minutes to visit the mobile lab.
Each demonstration for the student groups featured standards based activities, lesson plans and video tutorials aligned with Common Core and state standards.
School administrators and several teachers from all Vance County Schools were able to visit the mobile lab and see the demonstrations.
Group of students listening to a zSpace representative explain how to use the software
Mobile Dairy Classroom visits Southern Vance
The Mobile Dairy Classroom from the Southland Dairy Farmers association, based in Texas, visited with Career and Technical Education students at Southern Vance High School during three class periods on September 20.
Courtney Bumgarner of the association, led each of the presentations to students. Her mobile classroom included a trailer, which is the “on the road” home for Clarice the Holstein cow, who is part of the presentations.
Bumgarner talked about the process of milking a cow, noting that most cows now are milked by machines with the process taking about eight minutes as opposed to 30 minutes when a person milks by hand.
She also shared with students the details of dairy production and the importance of dairy products and milk to our diet.
The mobile classroom is one of several across the United States provided through the farmers’ association. Bumgarner, who is based in Greensboro, visits schools across North Carolina. The Mobile Dairy Classroom makes presentations to students free of charge.
Dr. Laike Green, agriculture teacher at Southern Vance High School, arranged for the Mobile Dairy Classroom to visit at the school.
VGCC Trustees adopt budget for 2017-2018
The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees adopted a budget of $32,324,089 for the new fiscal year at its bi-monthly meeting on Monday, Sept. 18, on the college’s Main Campus.
The trustees approved VGCC’s budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2017-2018 on a recommendation from the Budget Committee of the board, chaired by Trustee Abdul Sm Rasheed.
On the Current Expense side of the budget, $19,552,255 comes from the State of North Carolina, $2,578,292 from the four counties served by the college, and $9,652,832 from institutional funds. In the Capital Outlay budget, $35,649 comes from the State, $502,442 from the counties, and $2,619 from institutional funds.
At the county level, Vance County is contributing $1,151,597 to the current operating funds; Granville, $752,184; Franklin, $369,168; and Warren, $225,625, with an additional $79,718 coming from institutional funds. Among capital improvement funds from the counties, Vance is contributing $41,220; Granville, $28,740; Franklin, $20,000; and Warren, $6,000. The county capital improvement funds also include one-time funding of $304,831 and a Main Campus fund balance of $101,651.
The 2017-2018 budget is allocated as follows: institutional support: $5,195,362; curriculum instruction: $10,001,433; continuing education: $2,690,176; academic support: $1,299,114; student support: $2,074,683; plant operations and maintenance: $2,015,066; proprietary/other: $2,499,903; student aid: $5,215,433; capital outlay, excluding capital improvements: $792,209; and capital improvement projects: $540,710.
Among institutional budget highlights, Steve Graham, VGCC’s vice president of finance and operations, noted that 47 VanGuarantee Scholarships were awarded in the total amount of $50,514 to qualified students during the 2016-2017 academic year, with a similar amount budgeted for the new year. The VanGuarantee program was made possible by a bequest from the estate of Wilbert Edwards of Oxford, with the aim of ensuring that every student residing in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties, who wants to earn a college degree, will be able to do so. This scholarship program guarantees that student financial need, that is unmet by federal financial aid and other support, will be covered.
In other action:
- The board’s Building Committee noted that the roof replacement project for Building 6 on Main Campus has been completed, and repairs to the parking lots at South Campus are done. The committee is preparing for future projects, including exterior masonry repairs and renovations and the replacement of heating and air systems and fire alarm systems at the Main Campus, and renovation of the Welding Technology lab at Franklin Campus, among various other capital needs.
- The Curriculum Committee, chaired by Trustee Barbara Cates Harris, presented new appointments to the Advisory Committees for college programs for the 2017-2018 academic year.
- Trustee L. Opie Frazier, Jr., chair of the board’s Investment Committee, reported the college’s investments have grown by 7 percent since the beginning of the calendar year.
- Trustee Sara Wester, chair of the board’s Personnel Committee, provided an informational report on new employees, retirements, resignations and changes in positions.
- In her report to the board, Dr. Stelfanie Williams, VGCC’s president, highlighted recent accomplishments and opportunities at the college.
Presiding over the meeting was Board of Trustees Chair Danny Wright.
The Board of Trustees will hold its next regular meeting on Nov. 20 at the Main Campus.