National School Choice Week

/by

Parents encouraged to apply for Opportunity Scholarships Now

Raleigh, NC – Parents of more than 280,000 students choose non-traditional education options in North Carolina.  This week is National School Choice Week.  “I have been a strong advocate for parental school choice during my tenure in the North Carolina General Assembly,” said Representative Paul Stam.  “I believe that parents should have school choice options among traditional public schools, public charter schools, private schools, and home schools,” he continued.  Competition and choice work for schools just like it works for any other business or industry.  Where school choice exists, all schools improve.

The legislature passed the Opportunity Scholarship program that allows families to receive up to $4,200 per year to attend a participating private school of their choice.  There are scholarships remaining for the spring semester of the current school year.  Applications for the current school year must be completed by January 31, 2016.

The application period opens for next school year (fall 2016- spring 2017) on February 1, 2016.  The priority application period for next school year ends on March 1, 2016.  The application period will remain open as long as funding is available.  There is funding for approximately 6,000 scholarships per year.  Parents may complete a scholarship application by going to the website of the North Carolina Education Assistance Authority at www.ncseaa.edu.

To be eligible for the scholarship the student must have attended a public school the previous school year. The prior public school experience is waived for students entering kindergarten or first grade.  Also, parents must meet income limits to be eligible for the scholarship.  The income limits varies based upon the number of people in the household.  For example, for a family of four the household income must be less than $59,667 per year.

“I encourage eligible families to apply now for the Opportunity Scholarships,” said Representative Stam.  If they have any questions, they may contact the North Carolina Education Assistance Authority at 1-855-330-3955 (toll-free).

(This information came to WIZS in the form of a Press Release from N.C. Rep. Paul Stam of Wake County.)

Home And Garden Show 01/19/16

/by

Vance County Schools on the Air 01/11/16

/by

VGCC Vanguards to play JV Tar Heels at Dean Dome

/by

For the first time, the Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards men’s basketball team will soon travel to the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill to face the University of North Carolina Tar Heels junior varsity team.

Playing against the prestigious program in one of college basketball’s most well-known arenas has been a longtime goal for VGCC head coach Michael Woody, now in his third season. The JV game is set for Saturday, Jan. 16, at 9 a.m. Later that day, the varsity Tar Heels will take on the N.C. State Wolfpack.

Henderson-based radio station WIZS 1450 AM will provide live coverage of the game starting at 8:45 a.m. Even for those outside the range of the radio station, the broadcast can be streamed online at wizs.com/listennow/ or on a smart phone with the free “TuneIn Radio” app.

The Vanguards compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II, which includes ten two-year colleges in North Carolina and Virginia.

The UNC JV squad has several community college teams on its schedule this year, including one of VGCC’s Region X conference rivals, Wake Tech Community College. The Tar Heels defeated the Wake Tech Eagles on Dec. 6 by a score of 83-73. Likewise, the Vanguards beat the Eagles by the same margin, 67-57, in VGCC’s season opener on Nov. 6.

VGCC is 1-1 versus the junior varsity squads from four-year schools so far this season. The Vanguards beat the University of Mount Olive JV team on Nov. 8, but lost to the St. Andrews University JV squad on Nov. 16.

Coincidentally, one of the stars of the UNC varsity team, junior Isaiah Hicks, is a former teammate of VGCC sophomore Tyrek Beverly from their days at J.F. Webb High School in Oxford.

Admission is free to the UNC JV game. Attendees must present a valid North Carolina driver’s license at Entry Gate “B” to enter. For more information, call the Smith Center at (919) 962-2296.

Beverly returns to leading role with Vanguards

/by

Vance-Granville Community College sophomore Tyrek Beverly of Oxford scored 23 points Jan. 5 as the Vanguards men’s basketball team faced the University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie. He and his teammates fought hard, but the visiting squad eked out a narrow win, 74-71, at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson.

As a freshman in 2014-15, Beverly was often the team’s leading scorer, but at the beginning of this season, he was sidelined by an injury and only started to get back on the court in late November. His strong performance versus the USC Salkehatchie Indians marked a return to form for the J.F. Webb High School alumnus. Beverly had three rebounds and two steals, as well. Also scoring in double figures were Raekwon Hall of Raleigh, with 15 points, and Ty’Quon Reid of Durham, with 11. Donal Gooch of Raleigh had the most rebounds (8) for the Vanguards.

VGCC’s last three games of 2015 were also losses. On Nov. 24, the Vanguards fell to the reigning national champions, the Statesmen of Richard Bland College, by a score of 102-81 in Petersburg, Va. Hall and Reid led their team in scoring, with 27 and 25 points, respectively. Reid posted 6 rebounds to lead the Vanguards in that statistic.

On Dec. 2, VGCC returned home and played area rival Louisburg College in the second annual “Vanguard Night” game. Festivities included a DJ, prize drawings and performances by the Vanguard Spirit Pep Squad and a step team from a Granville County youth organization, “Un-Rappin’ the Gift.” After a close first half, the Hurricanes pulled away in the second, winning 89-77. Reid’s 30 points made him the Vanguards’ top scorer. Hall contributed 18 points. Gooch recorded 6 rebounds.

The calendar year ended with a 117-111 double-overtime loss to Central Carolina Community College in Sanford on Dec. 8. Hall put up 35 points, while Beverly showed improvement by scoring 22, just one more point than Reid. Gooch again led in rebounding, with 9.

Upcoming VGCC home games at Aycock Recreation Center are scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m., versus Lenoir Community College, and Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 6:30 p.m., versus Catawba Valley Community College. Admission is free.

School Bus Driver Training

/by

Vance County Schools will be hosting school bus driver training sessions Tuesday, January 19, through Thursday, January 21, at L.B. Yancey Elementary School.

Interested persons must attend the training on all three days to receive certification.

The training sessions will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at approximately 3 p.m. each day.

Those interested in participating in the training sessions must register prior to the sessions with the school system’s Transportation Department, located at 226 Welcome Avenue off Raleigh Road south of Henderson. For additional information, call the Transportation Department at 438-5012.

Home and Garden Show 01/05/16

/by

VGCC to host Martin Luther King Holiday Celebration on Jan. 20

/by

Vance-Granville Community College will hold a special program celebrating the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 11 a.m. in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. The celebration is free and open to the public.

The theme of this year’s event is “The Courage to Dream, The Determination to Achieve.” The program will include inspirational music presented by a choir of VGCC faculty and staff, as well as remarks by guest speaker Kanika Turrentine, founder and CEO of the Henderson-based non-profit organization, Infinite Possibilities, Inc. Through her organization, Turrentine has developed and implemented numerous programs and outreach events for targeted groups such as single mothers, at-risk youth, the homeless, and victims of domestic and sexual violence. The Henderson native and former public school teacher graduated from Elizabeth City State University with a Bachelor’s in Business Management and from Strayer University with a Master’s in Public Administration.

Also participating in the program will be officers of the VGCC Student Government Association.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to a local charitable organization. All attendees who donate a food item will be eligible to win a door prize.

In case of inclement weather, the event is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 11 a.m.

For more information, contact Melanie Copeland at (252) 738-3271 or copelandm@vgcc.edu.

Vance County Schools Show 01/04/16

/by

VGCC to offer Agricultural Entrepreneurship program in Vance & Granville counties

/by

With partners at the local and state levels, the Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center will soon offer the “NC REAL Agricultural Entrepreneurship” program in Henderson and in Oxford.

The seven-week course is designed specifically to help local farmers and budding entrepreneurs succeed in developing profitable, environmentally-sound small farms or agricultural businesses.

The class will be offered at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market (210 Southpark Drive, Henderson) on Saturdays, Jan. 23 through March 5, from 8 until 11 a.m.

At the Granville County Expo & Convention Center (4185 U.S. Highway 15, Oxford), the class will be offered on Mondays, Feb. 8 through March 21, from 6 until 9 p.m.

Space is limited to 20 students at each location.

NC REAL Agricultural Entrepreneurship is designed for small business owners who grow crops or trees, raise livestock, or make sauces, pickles or jams with items from a garden. The goal is for participants to strengthen their business savvy in order to gain the highest profit margin possible.

Participants will consider challenges such as pricing their products; the logistics of getting their products to the market; selecting the best market; and how to generate income between growing seasons. Other topics include business development and management, finance and regulatory requirements, quality and safety standards. Participants will also be introduced to resources and contacts that can help them operate more efficiently and effectively.

The instructor at both locations will be Carrie Harvey of Harvey Hills Farms in Oxford, who is also a client of the VGCC Small Business Center.

“This is a hands-on, interactive program, beneficial to farmers or anyone who grows a marketable agricultural product, who wishes to start a business or has been in business less than three years,” said Tanya Weary, director of the Small Business Center. Each participant will receive free, one-on-one counseling as a client of the Small Business Center, which will help them take their ideas to the next level of business planning.

Tuition for the course is $70, and the cost of the textbook is $25. Scholarships to offset the cost of tuition are available to qualified participants, thanks to support from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.

For more information and to register, contact Kyle Burwell, coordinator of Human Resources Development, at (252) 738-3276 or hrd-wk@vgcc.edu, or Tanya Weary at (252) 738-3240 or smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.