Boys and Girls Club Welcomes New Members

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Vance County

Please join our Vance family in welcoming Mr. Qundarious Freeman back for the 2017-2018 school year. Qundarious has been a member for almost a year now. Though the start of his membership was rocky he has truly become a member that recognizes and accepts positive change.

Granville County

We are so excited to welcome a ton of new members this school year, including Jayla!

Jayla is a spunky 4th grader that has really been enjoying her first couple weeks at the club. She stated that she was most excited to start Boys & Girls Club so that she can make new friends. Jayla has made made some great friendships already, but her favorite thing so far is joining cooking club! She loves cooking at home & is looking forward to learning more in the kitchen!

Warren County

Terrance Wiggins is a club member at the Mariam Boyd Extension of the Warren Unit! He is an exceptional young man, always willing to help other club members and staff. Very respectful and a model club member! He enjoys playing basketball and computer time at the club! He’s a great joy to be around and admired by his peers. He’s excited about finishing up his Elementary journey and heading to the middle school next year.

Franklin County

Meet Georgia! She is a 1st grader who is attending our Franklin Unit for the first time this year! Some of Georgia’s favorite things to do at The Boys & Girls Club is play dodgeball and compete in Hula Hoop competitions! Georgia has already made some new friends at the club and enjoys playing with Trinity and Jesus.

She is most excited about having fun with her friends, doing science experiments and reading all of the books in our library!!

Halifax County

Please welcome Amura Minggic. This is her first year at the Boys and Girls Club of North Central North Carolina, Halifax Unit! Amura is a tomboy who loves learning!  Her favorite subject in school is math.  Amura also loves to read!  Her favorite thing about the club is all the FUN she has at the club.  Amura is always willing to help out however she might be needed;  from helping others with homework to helping staff with projects!  Amura is extremely excited about the upcoming school year!!!

Vance County Schools 09/18/17

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Aycock Elementary School will host My School Color Run

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The students of Aycock Elementary School will host the inaugural community wide My School Color Run on Saturday, October 14th, 2017 at 10:00 am to raise money for their school. The My School Color Run is an un-timed fun run for all ages and fitness abilities.

Along the route, participants pass through vibrant color zones, making it a “colorful experience.” Additionally, each pre-registered participant is provided with a single powder color packet that will be thrown in the air at the final color celebration at the finish line. “Rather than sell goods, we want to engage the entire student body in a fitness initiative that aims to encourage a life-long healthy way of living,” says Aycock Elementary PTA. Participants that register by Friday, September 29th will receive a t-shirt, race bib, and individual color packet. You can sign up for the run by visiting AycockMSCR.eventbrite.com or by completing a paper registration form. Business sponsorship opportunities are also available. Please contact the event organizer for more information.

At A Glance WHAT: My School Color Run for Aycock Elementary School WHEN: Saturday, October 14th, 2017 at 10:00 am WHERE: Aycock Elementary School 305 Carey Chapel Rd., Henderson, NC 27537 REGISTER: AycockMSCR.eventbrite.com CONTACT: Aycock Elementary PTA – 252-492-1516

Dabney Elementary collects donations for Hurricane Harvey Relief

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Students, parents and staff members at Dabney Elementary School collected over 1,800 basic personal items for donations to needy families affected by Hurricane Harvey in southeastern Texas.

The donations will be transported to Texas through the Salvation Army with local chapters of the organization ensuring that families who need the items the most will receive them.

All classrooms in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade donated items for the hurricane relief project. Donations included personal hygiene items, washcloths, towels, toilet tissue, paper towels, facial tissues, baby diapers, bottled water and much more.

Scarlett Ellis, who works in Exceptional Children’s classrooms at Dabney Elementary, coordinated the effort at the school. She was assisted by teachers and students in collecting and counting the items.

VGCC instructor graduates from leadership program

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Dr. Kambiz Tahmaseb, a Biology and Chemistry instructor at Vance-Granville Community College, recently graduated from the North Carolina Community College Leadership Program (NCCCLP). He is one of approximately 35 community college faculty and staff members from across the state who completed the program this year.

The six-month leadership program, which includes face-to-face instruction at various locations, provides preparation and training to develop future community college leaders. The program is highly experiential in nature, and, this year, participants worked in teams to address challenges at hypothetical community colleges. They became involved in every aspect of those colleges, from naming and branding to strategic planning.

In addition to strengthening their leadership skills, NCCCLP participants learn about the structure and governance of the community college system, enjoy opportunities for networking, and form a diverse pool of qualified educational leaders.

“The major lesson I learned from the program is that leadership is not about being the president of a college, or a company or a nation,” Dr. Tahmaseb said. “Leadership happens in every level of our lives. In the NCCCLP, I learned a lot about myself, and how I interact with others, both in my private life and professional life, and how those interactions affect how I may influence those individuals. The lessons I learned will help me as a husband, father, teacher and colleague.”

A resident of Durham, Tahmaseb earned bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Chemistry at Willamette University in Oregon and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science at Wright State University in Ohio. He was also a postdoctoral research associate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Tahmaseb joined the VGCC faculty in 2012 and has taught both face-to-face and online science courses, spending most of his time at the college’s South Campus near Creedmoor. He is also currently serving his second term as the elected vice president of external affairs for the North Carolina Community College Faculty Association.

The North Carolina Community College Leadership Program was created in 1989, under the auspices of the state chapter of the American Association for Women in Community Colleges, to provide an interdisciplinary approach to leadership training through professional development. Graduates have used the skills and connections gained from the program to be more successful leaders in all areas and at all levels in the North Carolina Community College System.

–VGCC–

Vance County Board of Education presented Gold Bell Award

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The Vance County Board of Education was presented with the Gold Bell Award from the N.C. School Boards Association (NCSBA) during the District 3 meeting for the organization in Chapel Hill on September 13.

The Gold Bell Award is a prestigious award presented by the NCSBA to boards after all of their members have successfully completed extensive training.

The local Board of Education members earned the award after each of the seven members completed 12 hours of training from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017.

The Gold Bell Award was presented during the district session held at Smith Middle School in Chapel Hill, and attended by representatives of 16 public school systems in the North Central Region of the state.

Members of the Vance County Board of Education who earned the award are Chairwoman Gloria J. White, Vice Chairwoman Darlynn Oxendine, Margaret Ellis, Dorothy Gooche, Ruth Hartness, Clementine Hunter and Edward Wilson.

#VanceCoProud – We Inspire 2.0

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— courtesy Vance County Schools

Vance County Schools has begun a “We Inspire 2.0” initiative for the 2017-2018 school year as the district’s second year in training local educators on how to effectively use technology to enhance daily classroom instruction with students.

The district hosted a “Draft Day” event for this year’s initiative in the Board Room of the school system’s Administrative Services Center during the afternoon on September 12. Superintendent Anthony Jackson, wearing his “VCS Proud” baseball cap, led the festivities. He individually called up the 52 local educators involved in this year’s initative. The team of educators, which includes school administrators, teachers, counselors and media specialists, will participate in training sessions throughout the school year. The sessions will be led by blended learning experts from the Friday Institute on the campus of N.C. State University.

Educators walked the red carpet at our blended learning “Draft Day” and signed a “We Inspire 2.0” pledge banner while Superintendent Anthony Jackson, background in cover photo, called their names.

Costs for the training sessions are funded through a three-year grant secured by the school system from the Golden Leaf Foundation.

During “Draft Day,” the educators walked down – and many actually danced down – a red carpet to the front of the Board Room where they signed a “We Inspire” pledge banner to commit their time and talents to the blended learning training sessions and to lead blended learning efforts with their colleagues in their respective schools. This year’s participants join another 50-member group of educators who went through the training last school year. Together the cohort groups form a strong leadership team to lead technology teaching and learning in their schools.

All educators in Vance County Schools have laptop computers to use in classroom instruction. With the presence of computers, interactive SmartBoards and additional technology devices in local classrooms, they are able to have students engaged in technology enhanced instruction that actually compliments the efforts of teachers. Many of our students also have laptop computers, iPads, smart phones and other devices they can use in their classrooms at school and at home.

VGCC to hold Bone Marrow registration events

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Vance-Granville Community College, in partnership with the Project Life Movement, is planning a three-day, three-campus bone marrow registration drive in October.

Members of the community are invited to join VGCC students, faculty and staff at one of the events being held on three of the college’s campuses: Tuesday, October 3, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the seminar room (G1131) on South Campus, located between Creedmoor and Butner; Wednesday, October 4, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the student center/lounge in Building 2 on Main Campus in Vance County; and Thursday, October 5, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the multi-purpose room on the Franklin County Campus near Louisburg. 

At each event, participants will have their cheek swabbed to provide DNA that will enter a growing bone marrow donor registry. The painless registration process takes only a few minutes, but could save a life if a participant turns out to be a match for someone in need of a bone marrow transplant. Such treatments are the only hope for many people diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia and other blood cancers and diseases. Around 60 percent of those in need of a donation currently cannot find a donor match, according to Project Life, a national movement that started with students at Davidson College and has spread to more than 25 other schools. VGCC first held a college-wide bone marrow registration event with Project Life in the fall of 2015.

Participants must be between the ages of 18 and 60 and in good health to be on the bone marrow registry.

Taking the lead on this initiative at VGCC are students in the Radiography program.

For more information, contact Radiography Clinical Coordinator/instructor Stacey Soles at (252) 738-3515 or soless@vgcc.edu, or Ann Henegar at (704) 299-6310 or www.projectlifemovement.org.

Anyone who is unable to attend one of the VGCC events but wants to join the bone marrow registry can find more information at www.deletebloodcancer.org.

–VGCC–

Home and Garden Show 09/12/17

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VGCC invites community to Manufacturing Day

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Vance-Granville Community College will hold a “Manufacturing Day” celebration on Thursday, Oct. 5, from 8:30 to 11:15 a.m. and 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. Job seekers and students are invited to attend and to learn more about manufacturing and related careers.

Local manufacturers and equipment vendors will provide demonstrations and information highlighting their products and their employment opportunities. Attendees will learn about career options in the region’s industries and the technical skills required to succeed in such careers.

Participants are set to include Altec of Creedmoor, Boise Cascade of Roxboro, Glen Raven of Norlina, Mars Petcare of Henderson, CertainTeed of Oxford and Carolina Sunrock of Butner, among others.

Representatives of VGCC technical programs, including those that provide education and training related to advanced manufacturing, will also be on hand. These include curriculum programs in Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Technology, Automotive Systems Technology, Electronics Engineering Technology, Mechatronics Engineering Technology and Welding Technology. VGCC’s Admissions and Financial Aid departments will also have representatives there. Attendees will also be able to learn about the North Carolina Triangle Apprenticeship Program (NCTAP), a four-year program that leads to a student obtaining an associate degree at a community college and paid, on-the-job training at a participating employer.

Event organizers hope to develop a pipeline of highly trained and skilled employees. “VGCC and industry partners are working together to address the skills gap, connect with future generations, and educate them about the outstanding opportunities that manufacturing careers can provide,” said Ken Wilson, project manager for the TechHire grant at VGCC, which supports advanced manufacturing training and information technology training.

The VGCC event is one of many across the country celebrating National Manufacturing Day (also known as “MFG Day”). The annual observance was established by the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the Manufacturing Institute (MI), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).

For more information, contact VGCC Academic & Career Coach Tiffani Polk at polkt@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3291.