Vance Co. Middle School Teacher Selected to Attend Energy Literacy Fellows Program

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-Press Release, Vance County Schools

Pamela Perry, a member of the faculty at Vance County Middle School, has been selected to participate in the prestigious 2019 Energy Literacy Fellows Program for this year through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Institute for the Environment.

Perry begins her participation in this statewide program with fellow educators in early March. As an Energy Literacy Fellow, she will receive benefits including:

  • access to current science content related to emerging energy issues and technologies
  • resources to support classroom integration of content
  • over $250 worth of instructional materials to support hands-on STEM investigations
  • access to a peer learning network including 2017 and 2018 Fellows
  • credit towards CEUs and the N.C. EE Certification Program
  • support for sharing energy-related STEM instructional strategies and successes with other teaching professionals at the district, regional, state and national levels

Perry will be able to participate in lots of on-site professional development sessions and several virtual sessions with educational colleagues across the state.

“I’m so excited to be chosen to participate in this program,” said Perry, who will be among the third cohort for the Fellows Program. “I see this as a great opportunity to use my training as a teacher in science and math to network with other educators and to bring back strategies and practices that will benefit both my students and my colleagues. Since we have our zSpace and MakerSpace labs here at the school, I think this experience will be a wonderful way to learn more about how we can use these innovations in our everyday instruction.”

Pamela Perry, a member of the faculty at Vance County Middle School, has been selected to participate in the prestigious 2019 Energy Literacy Fellows Program for this year through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Institute for the Environment. (Photo courtesy VCS)

Henderson Vance Recreation & Parks

Registration Deadline for Adult Winter Basketball Extended!

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-Information and flyer courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center

Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Department announces the return of adult winter basketball for 2019. This league is designed for adults who enjoy the game of basketball. Games will be played on Tuesday and Thursday nights with game times depending on the number of teams that register.

The registration deadline has been extended to Friday, March 8, 2019! $420 entry fee per team.

Each team will be guaranteed at least eight regular season games. A double elimination tournament will follow the end of the regular season.

For more information, please contact Steve Osborne at 252.438.2670 or sosborne@ci.henderson.nc.us or Victor Hunt at 252.438.3408 or vhunt@ci.henderson.nc.us.

News 02/28/19

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Commissioner Causey to Visit Vance Co. Fire Stations, Insurance Agencies Thursday

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-Press Release, N.C. Dept. of Insurance 

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey plans stops in Vance County on Thursday, February 28, 2019, where he’ll present grant checks to fire departments for needed improvements, congratulate departments on their improved insurance ratings, and discuss efforts to modernize the insurance industry with insurance agencies.

During stops at fire stations, Commissioner Causey, who is also the State Fire Marshal, will also listen to firefighters’ concerns and discuss the need to improve volunteer recruitment and retention. At insurance agencies, Commissioner Causey will meet with agents to better understand their needs.

Two of the fire departments Commissioner Causey will visit Thursday – Bearpond and Epson – recently received improved ratings following inspections. Achieving a better rating can mean lowered insurance rates for businesses and homeowners in that district.

The Bearpond Volunteer Fire Department is one of four fire departments that will receive ceremonial grant checks from Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Causey. Watkins Community Volunteer Fire Department ($29,752), Epson Fire Department ($11,572), and the Hicksboro Volunteer Fire Department ($29,765) will join the Bearpond Volunteer Fire Department ($5,893) on the receiving end of check presentations.

Here is Commissioner Causey’s public schedule for the day:

10 a.m. – Watkins Community Volunteer Fire Department, 1590 Horseshoe Bend Road, Henderson

10:45 a.m. – Bearpond Volunteer Fire Department, 325 Bearpond Road, Henderson

11:30 a.m.  – Epson Fire Department, 8120 N.C. 39, Henderson

1:30 p.m. – Joel T. Cheatham Insurance, 106 W. Winder St., Henderson

2:00 p.m. – Jeffrey Ayscue Allstate Agency, 946 W. Andrews Ave., Suite A2, Henderson

2:30 p.m. – Hicksboro Volunteer Fire Department, 6595 Hicksboro Road, Oxford

Vance Co. Schools Hosts Edcamp Vance; 200 Educators in Attendance

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-Press Release, Vance County Schools

Approximately 200 educators attended Edcamp Vance on Saturday, February 23, to share their expertise, successful strategies and ideas about public education in our society today.

The event, the second Edcamp hosted by Vance County Schools, was held throughout the morning at AdVance Academy in Henderson.

Educators came together to network and learn from one another in an effort to celebrate their profession and move forward with positive momentum for the remainder of the 2018-2019 school year and beyond.

Educators crowd into the cafeteria at AdVance Academy to begin their participation in Edcamp Vance. (Photo Credit: VCS)

Vance County High School Vipers band members and cheerleaders, along with the cheerleaders from Vance County Middle School, welcomed all of the educators as they arrived for the event. The opening of Edcamp was lively and very energized as participants had fun posing in front of a photo board, even putting on crazy hats, sunglasses, pure contact lenses, scarves and more after they arrived and then greeting their colleagues with lots of smiles and hugs.

Edcamp Vance drew educators from across our region of the state, but the largest contingency by far was from Vance County Schools.

Superintendent Anthony Jackson was on hand to welcome everyone and to challenge all of the educators to teach all children as if they are their own and to disrupt the educational process every day to bring out the best in their students.

Assistant superintendents Dr. Trixie Brooks and Dr. Cindy Bennett also attended, as did most of our district principals and assistant principals. Classroom teachers made up the majority of the participants, but there were also lots of support staff in attendance. Everyone came together based on their strong commitment for students and public education.

AdVance Academy, led by Principal Stephanie Ayscue, was a wonderful host site for Edcamp. The planning committee for the event, which included several educational leaders from Vance County Schools, did an absolutely marvelous job in planning details of the event and making all participants feel welcomed and a huge part of the proceedings.

Educators attended some very powerful collaborative sessions, during which everyone had the opportunity to make the most of the experience and share their opinions and expertise on the educational process. At the end of the day, educators stressed that they thoroughly enjoyed being with their colleagues and learning from one another.

Superintendent Anthony Jackson of Vance County Schools, welcomes everyone to Edcamp Vance. (Photo Credit: VCS)

Angela Cusaac, Vance County Schools Teacher of the Year, left, and Principal Stephanie Ayscue of AdVance Academy, were two of the members of the Edcamp Planning Committee. (Photo Credit: VCS)

Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market

Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market to Hold 2019 Vendor Meeting

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-Information courtesy Paul McKenzie, Agricultural Extension Agent, NC Cooperative Extension

In a few short weeks, spring will be here and the Vance County Regional Farmers Market will once again open for business. Anyone who is interested in becoming a vendor for the 2019 season is invited to our annual Vendor Meeting on Thursday, March 7, 2019, at 5:30 pm.

The meeting will take place at the Farmers Market, which is located at 210 Southpark Drive in Henderson. A light dinner will be served.

Topics for discussion include a review of the guidelines and application, input on the opening date, procedures review and more.

For more information, please contact the Market Manager, Tracy Madigan, at tmadigan@vancecounty.org or 252-598-0814.

Renovations Complete, Maria Parham Health’s Cafeteria Open for Business

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-Information courtesy Maria Parham Health’s Facebook page

Maria Parham Health announces their cafeteria renovations are complete. The cafeteria reopened today for normal business hours.

Business hours are:

Breakfast – 7:30 – 9:30 a.m.

Lunch – 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Dinner – 4 – 6 p.m.

Maria Parham Health thanks the community for their patience and understanding during the renovation process.

Rebuilding Hope Registering Participants for Servants on Site Week

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-Information courtesy Rebuilding Hope, Inc. 

While the deadline for registering for this summer’s Servants on Site is May 1, 2019, over half of the 200 openings for participants have already been filled.

RHI coordinator Randolph Wilson reports that 109 Early Bird registrations have been received for the June 22-29 event and that a theme for the Servants on Site week has been chosen.

This year’s theme is “I.D. Identify Defined.”

Encourage your youths to take part in this mission endeavor. If you know of any churches or youths you feel would be interested, call our office with contact information.

The cost is $150 per participant. Youths must have completed sixth grade.

Keep in mind that for every five youths, we require one adult of the same sex.

Financial Support for SOS Projects

Churches provide financial support to purchase materials that a crew will need for the work project at their work site, and they provide lunches to the crew and homeowner during the week. Churches serve the crew and the homeowner, but they will tell you that they are also blessed by both.

Crew partners could number as many as 15 participants from as many as eight of our different registered groups. The crew, and often the homeowner, worship with their sponsoring church on Sunday morning and have lunch with them afterward. This is the first time the crew members meet together as a crew. It is a great time for all the partners to begin knowing each other.  Crews serve the homeowner and the church, and they will tell you they are blessed by both.

The homeowners are also both blessed and a blessing.

We expect the partnership of a sponsoring church, an SOS crew, and a homeowner to provide a rewarding experience for everyone. We have seen that the relationships that are built last beyond the week of SOS.

SOS will have worship services at Central Baptist Church at 7:30 p.m. Sunday through Friday, June 23 – June 28, with the exception of Wednesday. We hope many will join us as often as possible.

News 02/27/19

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Citizens Aligned to Take Back Henderson Wants ‘Better, Safer’ Community

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Hope Hoyle Howard, one of the original founders of Citizens Aligned to Take Back Henderson, NC, was on Tuesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss recent job developments and positive growth in Vance County.

Founded by Howard and fellow members Tommy Haithcock and Heidi Owen four years ago, the goal of the group was to bring positive change to the community.

“At first, there was some confusion with our name and questions of who we were trying to take the community back from,” said Howard. “We explain that the name represents wanting to take Henderson back to a time when everyone was proud of the community, a time when we looked out for our neighbors and did what was best for the next person.”

Tired of hearing the negative talk on Henderson’s crime rate, dilapidated buildings, unemployment and business outlook, the group started a Facebook page in 2015. Today, the page includes posts designed to bring attention to areas in the community that need work and to help educate the community on the positives of the area.

Citizens Aligned to Take Back Henderson, NC members are shown left to right: Heidi Owen, Tommy Haithcock and Hope Hoyle Howard. (Photo courtesy Hope Hoyle Howard)

“Starting off, we didn’t have that many people behind us, but we earned peoples’ trust and pushed and pushed until we were heard,” Howard said.

“It’s paid off, and we now have over 3,200 members on our Facebook page, many who are active, if not daily, weekly.”

Howard feels the concern Citizens Aligned expressed with the abandoned Howard Johnson property on Parham Road in Henderson was a huge catalyst for why the remains of the hotel were demolished. According to the group’s Facebook page, “every time an abandoned, dilapidated crime-riddled building is removed Henderson becomes a better, safer place to live.”

“We have a great backing between the City Council, the Mayor’s Office and the County,” said Howard. “The City and County have really come together to take down many of the jointly-owned [dilapidated] properties. We’ve got to get the code enforcement where it needs to be to continue this process.”

Mayor Eddie Ellington said Citizens Aligned does a good job of holding local governmental offices accountable for multiple situations. “They will bring various issues, such as dilapidated properties, to our attention or ask for follow-up on a situation. They are my friends and I know what they’re doing is for the betterment of our hometown.”

Recent postings to their Facebook page show the group is proud of job growth in Henderson, including the current construction of an Aldi on Dabney Road. The Aldi sign has been installed and the new grocery store will bring job opportunities, along with another shopping option, to area residents.

Howard points to other positives including the beginning of the cleanup and rebuilding process for the Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant that was destroyed in a fire in November, the recent addition of a “thriving” Planet Fitness and the 84-acre extension of the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park located off US-1.

Howard can tell the group’s research and inquiries have made a difference by the number of phone calls she receives from other towns complimenting Citizens Aligned and asking for suggestions. “It is the biggest compliment when someone reaches out to us to ask how we’ve accomplished what we have done here and asks how they can get started in their town.”

The first step in getting started with such a group, according to Howard, is to focus on positive change. “When we formed, we didn’t want to be just another group that points out the negatives. We wanted to find the good, and there is so much good in our city and our county.”

To hear the Town Talk interview with Hope Hoyle Howard in its entirety, please click here. Howard’s portion of the interview begins at the 14:00 mark.