Boys & Girls Clubs Name Club Members of the Month
Meet Chris Blue
Chris is the North Central North Carolina Region’s Youth of the Year for 2016 and 2017!
Chris grew up in Henderson and became a member of the Vance County Unit at a young age and is getting ready to graduate from high school and heading off to college. He will leave high school with two Associate degrees as well as his diploma. Currently he’s mulling offers between Fayetteville State University, UNC Greensboro, and UNC Charlotte. We are so proud of Chris and the amazing young man he has become.
Meet Nyree
Nyree is 8 years old and has been a member of the Franklin County Boys & Girls Club for one year. She is a 3rd grader and enjoys drawing and building with Legos. Nyree’s favorite subject in school is math and her favorite book is Geronimo Stilton. Nyree’s favorite video game is Super Mario Bros. and her favorite game to play at The Boys & Girls Club is dodgeball. Her favorite thing about the Boys & Girls Club is the awesome people and the awesome staff. She hopes to grow up and work as a staff at the club one day!
Meet Terrance
Terrance 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 was chosen to be featured by club staff as member of the month! Terrance is a great joy to be around and admired by his peers.
Meet Lucas
Lucas is the member of the month at the Halifax Unit! Lucas is a first grader and the oldest of three boys. His favorite color is blue and favorite subject at school is math. Lucas loves karate and computer games, but his favorite thing to do is spend time with his family. When asked what is his favorite food, he said “anything my momma is making.” Lucas is the son of Clarissa and Christopher. You can see why Lucas is our member of the month!
Meet Landon
Landon is the Granville County Boys & Girls Club member of the month! He has been a member since August 2016 & has loved every second! He is in 3rd grade & very active in the club. His favorite activity at the club is Triple Play Dodgeball. He also enjoys hanging out with his buddies and eating snack. We are proud of Landon for representing us this month. He was chosen because he is often seen around the club completing random acts of kindness. He is always helping others & showing good character!
VGCC Summer Bridge program accepting applicants
Vance-Granville Community College is now accepting applications from incoming first-year students for the “Summer Bridge” program.
Summer Bridge is a three-week program designed to enhance a student’s transition from high school to college and prepare them to be successful during their freshman year at VGCC. The program is scheduled for Monday through Friday, July 10-July 28, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day.
The program is completely free of charge, including lunch each day, and is conducted at VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. All incoming first-year students who will be attending the college in the fall 2017 semester (which starts in August) and who are North Carolina residents are eligible to participate.
During the program, students will be enrolled in the Success & Study Skills (ACA 115) course, participate in an academic enrichment class and learn about campus support resources in a fun and engaging environment.
The ACA 115 course provides an orientation to campus resources and the academic skills necessary to achieve educational objectives. Emphasis is placed on an exploration of facilities and services, study skills, library skills, self-assessment, wellness, goal-setting and critical thinking.
“Summer Bridge is an excellent opportunity for students to get a head start by gaining the tools and the preparation that will help them succeed during that critical first year of college,” said Jeffrey Allen, VGCC’s dean of enrollment and outreach.
Participants must first apply to VGCC and take the North Carolina Diagnostic and Placement (NC DAP) test prior to enrolling in the Summer Bridge program.
Students are encouraged to register for the program online at www.vgcc.edu/summer-bridge-form.
For more information, contact Allen at allenjl@vgcc.edu or 252-738-3405.
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Vance County Board of Ed Approves 10 million dollar funding request
Vance County Schools
For Immediate Release
April 20, 2017
The Vance County Board of Education at its regular monthly meeting on April 17, approved a funding request of $10,219,321 for appropriations from Vance County for the 2017-2018 fiscal year.
The request will go on to the Vance County Board of Commissioners for its review, along with other county funding requests, beginning at its May 1 meeting.
The school system’s local funding request includes an increase of $1,021,881 from the current fiscal year. The increased funding request would help the school district continue its positive trend through sustaining operations with continuation funds of $121,523, fully funding the school system’s teacher supplement with an additional $400,359 to help retain and support quality staff and increase the capital outlay funding by $500,000 to support the district’s school safety plan.
If approved, the requested county appropriations funding would maintain existing programs and services based on current per-pupil funding and inflationary factors.
The request for increased teacher supplement funding would boost available revenues which currently fund supplements for only 64 percent of eligible teachers. The school district has been using available fund balance monies to offset the difference each year for the last several years.
The requested increase in capital outlay funds will be used for school safety initiatives that include installing new cameras on all school buses and in school buildings.
The Vance County Board of Commissioners is expected to approve all county funding for the upcoming fiscal year by July 1.
E.M. Rollins becomes first year-round school in Vance County
The Vance County Board of Education at its meeting on Monday, April 17, approved the year-round calendar for the 2017-2018 school year for E.M. Rollins Elementary School, which has been designated as a restart school by the state.
E.M. Rollins will begin the new school year as a STEAM school, with an emphasis on student instruction in the areas of science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.
E.M. Rollins Elementary will be the first year-round school in the Vance County Public School System.
With the approved calendar, school staff members will begin work for the new school year on Monday, July 17. The first day of classes for students at E.M. Rollins will be Tuesday, August 1.
The calendar will follow the basic format of students attending school for 45-day periods (nine weeks) and then having 15 days (three weeks) as a break after each nine weeks through the year.
The school will still observe all designated state holidays, as do our other local schools. The school’s Thanksgiving break will include Wednesday, November 22, as a non-student day and Thursday, November 23-Friday, November 24 as holidays.
Christmas break will be Monday, December 18-Friday, January 5. Their spring break will be observed during one of the school’s three-week breaks, Monday, March 19-Friday, April 6.
The last day of school for the 2017-2018 school year at E.M. Rollins Elementary will be Friday, June 22.
Southern Vance High School Inducts 53 into National Beta Club
A total of 53 students who attend Southern Vance High School have been inducted into the school’s chapter of the National Beta Club.
The students were recognized during an assembly held in the school’s gymnasium on April 6.
They join 74 current members in the chapter’s Beta Club.
Andrea Coleman of Duke Energy Progress, was the featured speaker during the induction ceremony. She praised the students for their high academic achievements that led them to be inducted into the prestigious educational association.
The new inductees are shown in the accompanying photo. They include, seated from left on the front row, Diamond Alston, Corey Baldwin, Justus Baldwin, Kailee Ball, Reyna Orzco, Madonna Baselios, Magan Bass, Karmin Caceres, Sherrod Carter and Miracle Chin. On the second row, from left, are Areli Clemente, Victoria Cruz, Zamari Ellis, Litzi Gonzalez, She’Nyia Hargrove, Deana Hawkins, Shayquan Henderson, Emily Isidro, Jillion Johnson and Joshua Joyner. Seated from left on the third row are Maleny Lopez, Perla Lopez, Crystal Marrow, Diamonds Marrow, Jacob May, Mya McKnight, Desmond Mills, Ashley Mosley, 
April Pendergrass and Shaniya Pernell. Students on the fourth row, from left, include Imani Perry, Wendy Portillo, Hailey Reavis, Litzy Renteria, OnJahlaya Robinson, Camri Ross, Bryanna Simril, William Strickland, Robert Susewell and Kaitlyn Tant. Seated from left on the back row are Dayon Thornton, Tar’Naja Thorpe, Gabriela Ventura, Dyamond Williams, Zachary Williamson and Xavier Wilson.
Additional students who were inducted as new Beta Club members, but were not available for the photo include Hakeem Agbele, Sarah Burns, Itzy Chavarin, Cynthia Hernandez, Natalee Stephens, Conner Thompson and Jodi Waite.
Vance County Schools Announces End-of-Course Test Dates
Beginning in mid-May state testing will begin in Vance County Schools.
N.C. End-of-Course and N.C. Final Exams will be administered to students at the Vance County Early College High School May 16-19 and May 22-25. At the Early College, May 16 and May 17 testing will include Math II, Math III and district testing. May 18 will include testing for seniors and will involve exams that have constructive responses. On May 19, students will take their first-period exams for the N.C. End-of-Course, N.C. Final Exams, Career and Technical Education assessments and any teacher made exams. The same exams will be administered on May 22 for second-period classes; May 23 for third-period classes; and May 24 for fourth-period classes. Make-up exams will be given to students who need them May 22-25. Each school day, testing will begin by 8:30 a.m. The last day of classes for students at Early College High this year is May 24.
Testing in elementary and middle schools begins on May 26.
On May 26, the N.C. Final Exams (NCFE) will be given to students in grades 4, 6 and 7 in science or social studies and students in grade 8 will take the NCFE in social studies.
N.C. End-of-Grade (EOG) exams will be given May 30-June 1 in elementary and middle schools. The testing calendar includes: Math EOGs on May 30; Reading EOGs on May 31; and Science EOGs for fifth and eighth graders on June 1. Students in grades 3-5 in the elementary schools and in grades 6-8 in the middle schools will participate in the math and reading state testing.
On June 2, NCFE will be administered to students in grades 6 and 7 in science or social studies. On June 5 and June 6, middle school students will take Career and Technical Education assessments. June 7 will involve testing for selected eighth graders for the N.C. Math I test and Career and Technical Education assessments for all eligible middle school students. Eighth graders in English I classes will take this N.C. End-of-Course test on June 8 and eligible middle school students will take additional Career and Technical Education assessments on June 8. Make-up exams for middle school students will be administered June 2 and June 5-9. Remediation instruction also will be given to affected students beginning June 2 and continuing each school day through June 8.
The third-grade N.C. Read to Achieve exam will be administered to students on June 8. At the elementary level, students will have make-up exams June 2 and June 5-9. Remediation instruction also will be given to affected elementary students June 2 and June 5-8.
In all local elementary schools, testing will begin each school day by 9 a.m. The elementary and middle schools will operate on a normal schedule during each of the testing days.
At Northern Vance and Southern Vance high schools, Extend 1 testing begins the testing period on May 26. The Extend 1 test is given to selected students. May 31 and June 1, Math II, Math III and district made tests will be given to students taking those courses in grades 9-12 at the high schools. High school seniors will take exams that have constructive responses on June 2. Students in grades 9-12 in the high schools will be given N.C. End-of-Course exams, N.C. Final Exams, Career and Technical Education assessments and teacher made exams for their courses on the following schedule: first-period exams on June 5; second-period exams on June 6; third-period exams on June 7; and fourth-period exams on June 8. Make-up exams will be administered in the high schools June 6-9. On each of the testing days in the high schools, exams will be administered from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 12:45 to 2:45 p.m.
Breakfast and lunch will be served to students at all schools on all of the testing days.
The last day of classes for this school year for elementary, middle and high school students (except at Early College) is June 9.
Southern Vance High School Announces Graduation Marshals
A total of 17 juniors, who make up the top 10 percent of their class this year at Southern Vance High School, have been selected as graduation marshals for the Class of 2017.
The top juniors were honored today at a reception held at the school and attended by their parents and school officials.
Those students selected as Southern Vance graduation marshals include: Kailee Ball, Itzy Chavarin, Cody Edwards, Adriana Evans, Cynthia Hernandez, Walter Hernandez, Perla Lopez, Brandon Loyd, Crystal Marrow, Ashley Mosley, Litzy Rentera, Onjahlaya Robinson, Karen Sandoval, Keyunia Smith, Kaitlyn Tant, Destiny Williams and Aliyah Wright.
They are shown in the accompanying photo, with the exception of Cynthia Hernandez, Brandon Loyd and Aliyah Wright who were unavailable for the photo.
Guest designer helps VGCC bring “The Glass Menagerie” to life
When audiences enjoy the upcoming Vance-Granville Community College Dinner Theater production of “The Glass Menagerie,” they will see the work of a set designer who has worked on professional productions all along the Eastern seaboard. Shannon Clark is the first official “guest designer” for a VGCC theatrical production.
VGCC’s fifth annual Dinner Theater event, featuring the classic American drama that first launched playwright Tennessee Williams to fame, is scheduled for the evenings of Thursday, April 27, and Friday, April 28, starting at 6 p.m., in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. Tickets are $30 per seat and may be purchased online at www.vgcc.edu/dinnertheater.
Clark has known Betsy Henderson, VGCC’s Department Chair/Instructor of Humanities and Fine Arts and the director of the play, ever since they were both undergraduate students studying theatre at the University of Southern Mississippi. Clark and Henderson are, like playwright Tennessee Williams, also Mississippi natives. “Tennessee Williams has been a favorite of mine for a long time,” Clark said, so he relished the opportunity to work with Henderson on this production.
“’The Glass Menagerie’ is an impactful piece of literature,” Clark explained. “It’s about family, relationships and hope. The matriarch character, Amanda, has hopes and dreams for her children. I think the play has a really powerful message.” He said that his approach to the VGCC production played with the concept of a “memory play” and the themes of dreams and wish fulfillment. “We’re using muslin and lace on the walls, which gives them the ability to ‘glow’ with a dream-like quality,” Clark said. He also gave the scenery a period feel, since the setting is an apartment built in the 1920s. “It’s a bit disjointed and disconnected, because the family is disconnected,” Clark noted. “The pieces of the set belong together, but we don’t know exactly how they fit together, which is a metaphor for the family unit.” All the design elements are tied to the story, with lace representing delicacy and fragility (like the “glass” of the title), while warm colors are used to contrast with the characters’ cold family relationships.
After an initial visit to talk with the VGCC students, Clark returned to campus for what he called “a glorious three days” to work with students on building the sets and putting together the costumes. “I’m thrilled to be working with such a talented, dedicated cast and crew,” he said of the students. For her part, Henderson said, “It has been a wonderful opportunity for our students to work with such an accomplished professional in the field of theatrical design.”
With a career in the theatre spanning 25 years, Clark has called North Carolina home since completing his master’s in fine arts at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2000. He has managed the Fine and Performing Arts Center at Cary Academy for the last 17 years, and his work is often seen on stages across the region, with credits including: Meredith College, William Peace University, Raleigh Little Theater, StreetSigns Center for Literature and Performance, Manbites Dog Theater, Bright Star Touring Theatre, Raleigh Ensemble Players, Honest Pint Theatre, the Justice Theater Project and NC Theatre. Clark has been an artist for opera and ballet productions, as well as traditional plays.
First staged in 1944, “The Glass Menagerie” is based in part on Tennessee Williams’s own memories of his family. The story focuses on Amanda Wingfield, a “faded Southern belle” who lives in poverty in a dingy St. Louis apartment with her son, Tom, and her daughter, Laura. The crux of the action comes when Tom invites a young man of his acquaintance to eat dinner with the family. Jim, the caller, is at once pounced upon by Amanda as a possible husband for Laura.
The VGCC cast features Brittney Patterson of Henderson as Amanda Wingfield; Ben Taylor of Franklinton as Tom Wingfield; Samantha Hines of Henderson as Laura Wingfield; and Jordan Bunting of Rocky Mount as Jim O’Conner. Members of the crew include Chadstity Copeland of Henderson (Assistant to the Director/Stage Manager), Allison Hines of Henderson (Assistant Stage Manager/Props), Jamie McGinn of Wake Forest (Costumes/Assistant for Props), Camden Jones of Henderson (Lighting/Sound operator), Lauren Elliott of Oxford (Head of Props) and Mya Hargrove and Evan O’Geary, both of Henderson (Hair and Make-up). All are current students at the college, except for Elliott, an alumna and VGCC staff member.
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