Computer-aided design course offered at VGCC
Vance-Granville Community College has scheduled a “CAD with Solid Edge” course, to be held Monday through Thursday, Aug. 29 through Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. until noon, on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. Grant funding from the NC TechHire program can help eligible area residents pay for this training.
Solid Edge is a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software program, produced by Siemens PLM Software, which is used in a variety of industries, including advanced manufacturing.
This course introduces students to basic three-dimensional solid modeling and design software. Topics include basic design, creation, editing, rendering and analysis of solid models, and creation of multi-view drawings. Upon completion, students should be able to use design techniques to create, edit, render and generate a multi-view drawing.
Solid Edge is a portfolio of affordable, easy-to-use software tools that address all aspects of the product development process – 3D design, simulation, manufacturing, data management and more, thanks to a growing ecosystem of apps. Solid Edge combines the speed and simplicity of direct modeling with the flexibility and control of parametric design – made possible with synchronous technology. With Solid Edge, students can learn to create and print 2D drawings from 3D solid models and send solid models to a 3D printer.
The instructor for the course is Peter M. Robinson.
Students may become certified through Siemens upon passing the credentialing exam.
The cost of this course is $187 plus the cost of the textbook and the exam.
The course is approved for funding through the NC TechHire grant that VGCC received last year as part of a consortium of four community colleges. Area residents between the ages of 17-29 may qualify for grant funding, which can pay for registration fees, course fees, and certification fees.
Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/schedules/occupational-extension-schedule. The deadline to register is Aug. 22.
For more information, contact Sara Lloyd at 252-738-3433 or lloyds@vgcc.edu.
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Microsoft Office training courses scheduled at VGCC
Microsoft Office software training courses are set to be offered soon at Vance-Granville Community College, and grant funding from the NC TechHire program can help eligible area residents pay for them. These courses are offered in a “hybrid” format, with some coursework online and some on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County.
The “Microsoft Office Specialist I” course is scheduled to start Aug. 24 and continue through Nov. 2. The on-campus meetings are set for Thursdays from 5:30-8:30 p.m. This course introduces students to word processing (Microsoft Word) and presentation (Microsoft PowerPoint) computer applications. The deadline to register is Aug. 18. The cost of the course is $187.
“Microsoft Office Specialist II” is scheduled to be held from Sept. 11 through Nov. 13, with on-campus meetings on Mondays from 6:30-9:30 p.m. In this course, students learn how to create and use spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel) and databases (Microsoft Access). The deadline to register is Sept. 4. The cost of the course is $187.
Upon completion of these courses, students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the role and function of computers and the ability to use the computer to solve problems.
These courses are approved for funding through the NC TechHire grant that VGCC received last year as part of a consortium of four community colleges. Area residents between the ages of 17-29 may qualify for grant funding, which can pay for registration fees, course fees, and certification fees.
Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/schedules/occupational-extension-schedule.
Taylor New Eaton-Johnson Principal
— courtesy Vance County Schools
Students, parents and members of the community will have an opportunity to meet Travis Taylor, the new principal at Eaton-Johnson Middle School, on August 10.
The school is hosting meet-and-greet sessions entitled, “Tea with Taylor,” on August 10 from 9 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.
Everyone should plan on attending one of the sessions to get to know Mr. Taylor and meet the school’s two assistant principals, Lemondre Watson and Sandra Byrd.
VGCC Culinary program moves to new scheduling format
The Vance-Granville Community College Culinary Arts program is changing the way it schedules core courses when the fall semester begins on Aug. 14. Culinary courses will now be taught in eight-week sessions rather than in the traditional 16-week semester format.
“One benefit of the eight-week format is that our students will have more concentrated time in each specific lab,” explained VGCC Culinary Arts Program Head/instructor Chef Teresa Davis. Even though each individual course will be completed in fewer weeks than under the former schedule, the amount of instructional time spent in each course will be the same. A baking class might meet for three hours each week instead of one hour, for example, allowing students to continue their training rather than waiting several days between classes.
“We think that this schedule should make it easier for many students to schedule their classes around their jobs and other responsibilities, along with any Work-Based Learning opportunities that they may have,” Davis added.
Four courses will be offered during the fall semester’s first eight-week mini-term, from Aug. 14 through Oct. 11: Sanitation & Safety (CUL-110), Baking I (CUL-160), Culinary Skills II (CUL-240) and Pastry & Confections (CUL-280).
Then, two other courses will be offered from Oct. 12 through Dec. 11: Culinary Skills I (CUL-140) and Global Cuisines (CUL-230).
The Culinary Arts degree program, based at the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford, prepares students to assume positions as trained culinary professionals in a variety of settings, including full-service restaurants, hotels, resorts, clubs, catering operations, contract foodservice, and health care facilities. In addition to the associate degree, VGCC offers certificates in “Basic Baking” and “Restaurant Hospitality.” Eligible high school students can enroll in Basic Baking through the Career & College Promise program.
For more information about the Culinary Arts program, contact Chef Teresa Davis at davist@vgcc.edu or (919) 690-0312.
Recent VGCC Culinary Arts graduate Hayya Wright of Louisburg prepares a dish in the kitchen at the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford, where the program is based. (VGCC photo)
Little Free Libraries Pop Up Around Henderson
by Garry Daeke
FGV Smart Start has started the Little Free Library program as a way to promotion reading for children, literacy for adults and libraries around the community. 
It’s a “take a book, return a book” gathering place where people share their favorite literature and stories. In its most basic form, a Little Free Library is a box full of books where anyone may stop by and pick up a book (or two) and bring back another book to share.
Vance County United Way, through its United We Read, United We Succeed program, granted funds to Smart Start to start this effort. Smart Start will set up four of these libraries in the community. Smart Start has ample supplies of children’s books for the libraries, and local citizens, along with the Friends of the Perry Library, will be assisting with book drives and collections to assist with additional books.
The mission is to promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges, and to build a sense of community as we share skills, creativity and wisdom across generations.