SGA leaders take office at VGCC
Vance-Granville Community College’s Student Government Association (SGA) has installed a group of officers to serve during the 2016-2017 year.
Elected officers include President Colton Hayes of Epsom, a student in the College Transfer program through Franklin County Early College High School; Vice President Jeronee Blackwell of Henderson, a College Transfer/Vance County Early College High School student; Secretary/Treasurer Emory Gant-Hawkins of Henderson, a Business Administration student; Parliamentarian Francis Scotland of Oxford, a College Transfer student; and Public Information Officer Micah Roberts of Stem, a College Transfer student.
Students appointed to other offices include Jasmine Allen, Xavier Perry and Autumn Richardson, all of Henderson and all College Transfer/Vance County Early College High School students, along with Michelle McKinnon of Kittrell, a College Transfer student. Perry is assistant public information officer and will soon assume the Public Information Officer position from Roberts when he transfers to continue his education at the four-year level. Richardson is lead campus senator, and Allen and McKinnon are also senators.
As SGA president, Hayes is also the student trustee, representing the interests of his fellow students at all meetings of the VGCC Board of Trustees. He is the first student from an Early College High School ever elected to serve in this leadership role at VGCC.
The Student Government Association is designed to promote the general welfare of the college in a democratic fashion and to facilitate communication among the student body, the faculty, and the administration. SGA also provides a means through which students can promote interest in student activities, both on and off campus. For more information on SGA, contact Jermiel Hargrove, coordinator of Student Activities and Athletics, at (252) 738-3246.
New H-V Crime Stoppers Officers
Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers Elect New Officers for 2017-2018
On Wednesday December 14th the Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers held elections for a new President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.
Kevin Bullock, of WIZS Radio, was elected as President. Chris Fisher, of Henderson Fruit and Produce, was received as Vice President. Lorraine Watkins, of The Screen Master and the immediate past president, was elected as Secretary. Danny W. Wright kept his positon as Treasurer.
Watkins said, “It has been an honor, privilege and very humbling to be president for the past two years. Thank you for your support, and I look forward to working with Kevin and Chris as we move forward in providing our law enforcement the best assistance Crime Stoppers can provide.”
The Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers is a fundraising organization dedicated to assisting local law enforcement in the area. Crime Stoppers will pay rewards up to $2,000.00 for information leading to the arrest of persons responsible for criminal offenses. All information received is kept confidential. The Crime Stoppers phone number is 252-492-1925. Callers do not have to give their name.
(The preceding information was provided to WIZS News by Crime Stoppers in the form of a press release.)
WIZS Radio congratulates Bullock, Fisher, Watkins and Wright. It is a proud day anytime a business person or business owner can serve his/her community beyond the scope of his/her everyday obligations. WIZS is proud that Kevin has chosen to serve such an important organization in our community and that his peers have chosen him to serve in such an important role. Fisher, Watkins and Wright are business owners and are to be congratulated for owning and operating local businesses and for their continued service to Crime Stoppers. The Crime Stoppers organization has been absolutely pivotal since its formation in aiding law enforcement and removing criminals from our streets and neighborhoods. Thanks to the brave members of law enforcement for doing the rough, dangerous job of acting on the information learned and for the brave individuals, albeit sometimes for a reward, who offer the information. Collaboration for the common good is one of the things that makes us a stronger city and county. And thanks for allowing us the brief commentary here. – John C. Rose
(Fisher, Watkins and Wright are also all advertising clients of WIZS with their respective businesses.)
VGCC holds College Day for students continuing their higher education
Vance-Granville Community College hosted admissions officers from four-year colleges and universities on Dec. 8 on VGCC’s Main Campus. The event was VGCC’s annual “College Day,” which allows students to obtain important information about transfer requirements, financial aid and scholarships that can help them take the next steps in their educational journeys.
The VGCC Student Learning and Success Center organized the fair in partnership with the Carolinas Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers (CACRAO).
VGCC students browsed through displays, picked up informational materials, and talked with representatives from 18 four-year schools. Almost all of the represented colleges and universities were from North Carolina.
Each year, large numbers of students start their higher education at VGCC before transferring to four-year institutions. VGCC has numerous articulation agreements with four-year schools (both public and private) that allow students to transfer credits in various programs.
The VGCC College Transfer program provides students with the first two years of a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. College Transfer courses are offered at all four VGCC campuses and online. In recent 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. Graduates of the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science programs at VGCC are guaranteed admission into one of the 16 UNC schools, typically transferring in with the standing of juniors.
High school students in one of the four Early College programs operated by VGCC in partnership with local public school systems can earn up to two years of college-transferable credit, tuition-free. Likewise, eligible students at other high schools and homeschools can take free College Transfer courses through the “Career and College Promise” (CCP) program.
The Spring 2017 semester starts Monday, Jan. 9, 2017. For more information on enrolling at VGCC and transfer options, contact the Student Learning and Success Center at studentsuccess@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3330, or visit any campus.
Teachers gain new skills through robotics training at VGCC
Vance-Granville Community College and the Advanced Manufacturing Skills Training Alliance (AMSTA) recently partnered to hold a five-part “Rover-Bot” Workshop for area teachers. The series was held on Thursday evenings in October and November in the electronics lab at VGCC’s South Campus, where the Electronics Engineering Technology program is based.
In the workshop, VGCC Engineering Technologies program head Wesley Williams taught the educators about basic electronics and programming while they assembled a “rover” robot, a small, autonomous moving vehicle. The Rover-Bot has two battery-powered motors that move independently, so it is driven like a tank, Williams explained. “Over the course of the workshop, we built the rover and learned how to drive it with a platform called Arduino, which is basically a small computer,” Williams said. “We then incorporated sensors that would activate based on light and temperature and other features. The teachers really enjoyed the building process and the hands-on nature of the class. They said they want to incorporate what they learned in their own classrooms, so I gave them links to more information and ideas.”
According to AMSTA Project Manager Stephanie Ayers, “the goal of the Rover-Bot workshop was to expand teachers’ knowledge of robotics and enable them to sponsor robotics clubs in their school or implement project-based learning in their classroom.”
Among those who attended all or part of the series were: Beverly Spivey-Judkins from Franklinton High School; Kelly Dixon and Fred Reed, both from Granville Central High School; Marva Burrell-Smith from J.F. Webb High School (Granville County); Kevin W. Moran and Traci Branch, both from Mt. Energy Elementary School (Granville County); Audra Neunkirchner from Northern Granville Middle School; Penny Collins and Pamela Huff, both from Northern Vance High School; and Henry Bobbitt from Warren County High School. Each teacher received continuing education credits for attending.
AMSTA is a partnership involving VGCC and the public school systems in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties, who work together to prepare students in the region for careers in manufacturing. A grant from the North Carolina Education and Workforce Innovation Fund supported this workshop and other AMSTA projects. “By providing quality professional development activities that are relevant to manufacturing in our region, we increase our teachers’ ability prepare students to enter these careers,” Ayers said. “Also, by partnering with VGCC to provide these workshops, we have opened up lines of communication between K-12 teachers and community college instructors to share information and ideas about preparing students for advanced manufacturing careers.”
This was the first time Williams has conducted a project-based robotics course for schoolteachers; he offered a broader course in 2015 in partnership with AMSTA on various topics related to electronics and robotics.
VGCC offers both a two-year degree and a certificate in Electronics Engineering Technology (EET). The certificate is also available as a Career and College Promise (CCP) Pathway for eligible high school students. In the EET curriculum, students learn to apply basic engineering principles and technical skills to design, build, install, test, troubleshoot, repair, and modify developmental and production electronic components, equipment, and systems such as industrial/computer controls, manufacturing systems, communication systems and power electronic systems. For more information on the EET program, contact Williams at (252) 738-3541.
VGCC Health Sciences students connect with employers
Vance-Granville Community College held its second annual Health Sciences Career Fair in December at the college’s South Campus in Granville County. The event was organized by the VGCC Career Services department and Health Sciences division to help students in health-related programs to meet potential employers and explore career options.
Participating health care facilities included Granville Health System, Murdoch Developmental Center, Maria Parham Medical Center, UNC Physicians Network, Rocky Mount Rehabilitation, the R.J. Blackley Center, Franklin Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital and Central Regional Hospital. Representatives talked to students about their career aspirations and accepted their resumes.
Several institutions of higher learning were also on hand to talk with students about options to continue their education. The four-year schools included Chamberlain College of Nursing, Grand Canyon University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina A&T State University, UNC Wilmington, Lees-McRae College and Cabarrus College of Health Sciences.
Attendees included students from VGCC programs including Nurse Aide I and II, Medication Aide, Phlebotomy, Practical Nursing, Associate Degree Nursing, Medical Assisting, LPN to ADN Transition, Criminal Justice Technology, Medical Office Administration, Radiography, Pharmacy Technology and Medical Coding, along with some who are preparing to enter Health Sciences programs.
For more information on VGCC’s Health Sciences programs, contact Audrey Stainback at (252) 738-3210.
For more information on career services at VGCC, contact Linda Fletcher at (252) 738-3466.
Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputies arrest two for string of B&Es
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Investigative Unit arrested two Franklin County residents on December 16th, 2016 and charged them each with 22 counts of breaking and entering of a motor vehicle and 13 counts of larceny.
These incidents are alleged to have occurred December 6th, 2016 through December 8th, 2016.
Christopher Wells is currently being held in the Franklin County Detention Center under a $125,000 secured bond for the above charges.
Joshua Wells is currently being held under a $120,000 secured bond.
Christopher William Wells
2620 N.C. 98 Highway West Louisburg, NC 27549
03/17/1996
Joshua Wells
2620 N.C. 98 Highway West Louisburg, NC 27549
03/25/1999
Terry M. Wright, Chief of Staff