Fire and Public Safety Academy holds special training session for Youth Empowerment Academy

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

March 22, 2017

Francis Brown, Fire and Public Safety Academy instructor, hosted a special training session for students in the school system’s Youth Empowerment Academy on March 22.

Brown was assisted by several of his academy students in demonstrating how to properly use a fire extinguisher. He also shared with the middle school students basic fire safety practices and CPR techniques.

Henderson Middle School Nationally Recognized for Creative “Pi Day” celebration

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

March 22, 2017

Geraldo Banaag and his math students at Henderson Middle School have been recognized nationally for their celebration of National Pi Day on March 14.

Lisa Wise of Imagine Nation, the organization which organized Pi Day activities in schools across the United States, recognized Banaag and his efforts at HMS. The HMS celebration was the only one recognized at a school in North Carolina for Pi Day!

Wise stated, “We asked classrooms all across Imagine Nation to share their Pi Day celebrations and we were not disappointed!”

Banaag created a weeklong celebration for his math students. Activities included a Quiz Bee where groups of students answered math problems and math trivia. A pie-eating relay that entailed eating a piece of pie while going through obstacles and solving math problems and puzzles. A Pi memorization contest and a math art contest.

Banaag and his students have won a $50 pizza prize for their outstanding efforts.

Tickets for VGCC Dinner Theater now on sale

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Tickets are now on sale for Vance-Granville Community College’s production of “The Glass Menagerie,” its fifth annual Dinner Theater event. The classic American drama that first launched playwright Tennessee Williams to fame will be preceded by a delicious meal on 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. The event once again involves the collaboration of the VGCC Drama and Culinary Arts departments.

Tickets are $30 per seat and may be purchased online at www.vgcc.edu/dinnertheater.

Audience members are able to choose the table and specific seats they want, at the same time that they buy their tickets online. Patrons are encouraged to purchase their tickets early in order to have the best chance of getting the seats they want for this year’s show.

First staged in Chicago in 1944, “The Glass Menagerie” is a “memory play” (narrated by one of the characters, recalling his experiences) and is based in part on Tennessee Williams’s own memories of his family. In 1945, the play premiered on Broadway, winning the prestigious New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for the best American play of the year. “The Glass Menagerie” has been adapted for television twice and as a Hollywood feature film twice. It has been revived for the Broadway stage numerous times, including a current production starring Sally Field. A drama of great tenderness, charm and beauty, “The Glass Menagerie” has become one of the most famous and acclaimed plays of the modern theatre.

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 cast is set to feature 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. Betsy Henderson, VGCC’s Department Chair/Instructor of Humanities and Fine Arts, is the director of the play.

–VGCC–

Northern Vance students visit E.M. Rollins to help younger counterparts

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

March 22, 2017

Northern Vance High School students visited on March 22 with students and teachers at E.M. Rollins Elementary School to lend a helping hand with reading, math and even recess.

The high school students are positive role models for their younger counterparts.

The Northern Vance students went in to all classrooms at E.M. Rollins, with the exception of the pre-kindergarten classes. They read books with the elementary students, talked about their favorite types of books and worked with them on math practice sheets, among other activities.

The special day was a partnership effort by administrators and teachers from the two schools. Many of the Northern Vance students attended E.M. Rollins during their elementary years in school.

Some of the students are shown in the accompanying photos as they work with the elementary children.

 

STEM Early High School Applications Due Next Thursday

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

March 21, 2017

The deadline for completed applications for students to enroll in the STEM Early High School for the 2017-2018 school year is Thursday, March 30.

Current Vance County Schools students who want to apply should submit their completed applications to their school counselors by Wednesday, March 29.

Other students should submit their completed applications by March 30 to the STEM Early High School on the campus of Northern Vance High School on Warrenton Road or the school system’s Administrative Services Center on Graham Avenue in Henderson.

No late applications will be accepted.

VGCC puts Associate in Arts degree on fast track

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Vance-Granville Community College is introducing a new way for students to complete the first two years of a four-year degree on an accelerated timetable.

Starting with the fall semester that begins in August 2017, students will have the option to earn the 60-credit-hour Associate in Arts (College Transfer) degree in just three semesters: fall, spring and summer. Under the standard pathway currently in place, full-time students typically complete the Associate in Arts in five or six semesters (while taking courses in the summer on a part-time basis).

“The VGCC Division of Arts and Sciences is very excited to be able to offer a new accelerated pathway for the Associate in Arts,” said Cynthia Young, the college’s dean of arts and sciences. “This will allow dedicated students the ability to complete a two-year degree in just one year and quickly move on to a four-year university.”

The new pathway will be rigorous, with students taking a combination of 16-week and eight-week courses. For example, during the fall semester, students on the accelerated schedule will take two courses over the entire 16 weeks, four other courses during the first eight weeks and three others during the second eight weeks. A student would take a maximum of six courses at any one time. Only three courses would be required in the eight-week summer term.

Some required courses will be taken online, while others may be taken either online or in the traditional face-to-face format.

Students must first either complete or place out of any developmental coursework in order to complete the degree on this schedule.

The Associate in Arts (A.A.) is ideally suited for students who want to pursue bachelor’s degrees in communication, education, humanities, fine arts, languages, and social and behavioral sciences. Students in the program complete essentially the same required general education courses that they would take at most four-year universities and colleges. Graduates with an A.A. who make a grade of “C” or better in every course are assured of admission into one of the 16 universities in the University of North Carolina system, usually transferring in with junior ranking.

In the past few years, the comprehensive articulation agreements between all North Carolina community colleges, the UNC System and the private N.C. Independent Colleges and Universities have been revised with clearer pathways, simplifying the transfer of credits for both A.A. and Associate in Science (A.S.) graduates.

Registration for the fall semester at VGCC is currently ongoing, and ends on Aug. 10.

For more information on the accelerated pathway, contact Oluwunmi Ariyo at (252) 738-3270 or ariyo@vgcc.edu.

–VGCC–

Vance County School Update 03/20/17

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Henderson Collegiate looking for career day volunteers

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On Friday, March 24th, 2017, share what you love with Henderson Collegiate’s 7th – 10th grade students at their 3rd annual Career Day!

This event will create opportunities for students to explore the diverse and amazing careers that will be open to them once they graduate from college and go out into the world to change it for the better.

To do this, they need volunteers from various professions who are able to come set up a table and to talk with students about their careers.

Where: Henderson Collegiate Middle School, 1071 Old Epsom Rd., Henderson, NC

When (revised): 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 24th, 2017
Volunteers are invited to begin arriving at 8:45 a.m. to set up their tables and enjoy coffee and networking.

Who’s Invited: Professionals who are interested in sharing about their careers and the education linked with their professions

What: Set up a table with information about your career and talk with students about your experiences

Questions?

Contact Caitlin Terranova with questions or to RSVP. Email: cterranova@hendersoncollegiate.org | Phone: 252-204-8750

VGCC to hold Enrollment Day on Saturday, April 8

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Vance-Granville Community College will hold “Enrollment Day” on Saturday, April 8, from 9 a.m. until noon, in Building 8 on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County.

During those hours, VGCC staff members will be ready to assist anyone who is interested in enrolling at the college for the summer term, which starts on May 30, or the fall semester, which starts in August. Prospective students are encouraged to pre-register at www.vgcc.edu/enrollment-day-registration. The deadline to pre-register is March 31. All who register in advance will receive a free VGCC T-shirt on Enrollment Day.

The April 8 event will include campus tours, an information session for future Vanguards, help with financial aid and Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), along with assistance with choosing programs and registering for classes. Incoming students who have already completed applications for admission will also have the opportunity to take a placement test.

Breakfast items will be available, while supplies last.

VGCC’s Main Campus is located on Poplar Creek Road in Vance County (about midway between Henderson and Oxford) at the intersection with Interstate 85 (Exit 209).

Registration for classes at VGCC is ongoing. For more information, contact VGCC at studentsuccess@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3330, or visit any campus.

–VGCC–

VGCC, Library partner for discussion of Tennessee Williams and “The Glass Menagerie”

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Vance-Granville Community College is partnering with the Granville County Library System to present a program on playwright Tennessee Williams and his classic drama, “The Glass Menagerie,” which the college is preparing to stage as a dinner theater event.

The educational program is scheduled for Wednesday, April 5, from 10:30 a.m. until noon at the Richard H. Thornton Library on Main Street in Oxford. The event is free and open to the public. Betsy Henderson, VGCC’s Department Chair/Instructor of Humanities and Fine Arts, will make a presentation and lead a discussion on Williams (1911–1983) and the play, including its poetic elements, in celebration of April as National Poetry Month.

Henderson will also talk about VGCC’s upcoming production of “The Glass Menagerie,” which she is directing. The college’s fifth annual Dinner Theater is scheduled for the evenings of Thursday, April 27, and Friday, April 28, in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County.

First staged in 1944, “The Glass Menagerie” is based in part on Tennessee Williams’s own memories of his family. In 1945, the play premiered on Broadway, won the prestigious New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for the best American play of the year, and launched Williams to fame.

Henderson has an MFA in Acting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi. She was VGCC’s 2005 Instructor of the Year. As an actress, Henderson has worked professionally with Raleigh Ensemble Players (REP), Deep Dish Theatre Company, Burning Coal Theatre Company, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Theatre of the American South, Hot Summer Nights @ the Kennedy, Temple Theatre, and Justice Theatre Project. Henderson has toured nationally with productions of “Miracle Worker,” portraying Annie Sullivan, and “Diary of Anne Frank,” portraying Mrs. Frank. Her performance in REP’s “Distracted” in 2011 was recognized by the Independent Weekly as one of the Best Lead Performances of the year. Henderson has served on local theatre boards of directors, and as a faculty member for Cary’s Applause Youth Theatre. She is currently vice-chair of the board of directors of Granville Little Theatre, as well as the chair of the GLT education committee. She has also been the Creative Director for the Broadway and Beyond/TeenWorks summer camps for 10 years.

For more information, contact Betsy Henderson at hendersonb@vgcc.edu or Granville County Adult Services Librarian Carly Cox at Carly.Cox@granvillecounty.org.

–VGCC–