VGCC adding new Associate in Fine Arts degree
Vance-Granville Community College is preparing to offer an Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) degree in Visual Arts, with classes starting in August. Prospective students can begin the process of enrollment now.
The degree will be a third college transfer option available at the college, joining the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees already being offered. Earning this two-year AFA degree can serve as a springboard to completing a four-year bachelor’s in fine arts (BFA) degree in visual art at a university. Students will be encouraged to contact four-year universities in which they are interested, to find out about any specific transfer requirements.
In addition to their general education classes, AFA students will take classes in art history, two-dimensional and three-dimensional design, and drawing.
VGCC has offered visual arts classes of different kinds throughout its history. In 2015, VGCC began holding “Fine Arts Day” events, which incorporated not only visual art but also music, dance and dramatic arts.
Isaac Talley, an award-winning visual artist, is a full-time art instructor at VGCC, teaching courses such as Art Appreciation, Two-Dimensional Design, and Drawing. “The AFA will be an excellent way to complete your first two years of college with tuition that’s very affordable, and then proceed on to East Carolina University, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Greensboro or elsewhere,” Talley said. “It’s a great opportunity, especially for people who are interested in painting, as well as digital photography, which we are planning to add in 2018.”
He added that while at VGCC, students will be able to hone their skills and build a portfolio that can help them gain admission to the university of their choice. They also may simply want more training in art without necessarily continuing to the four-year level. Jessie Hartley of Oxford, a current VGCC College Transfer student who won first place at the college’s juried student art exhibition, said that “the AFA program is appealing to me because it opens up more learning opportunities for me involving art. With the Associate in Arts program, I have learned everything from some early art history to painting and drawing. With the AFA program, my knowledge of art can expand even further with the use of different media and techniques that I possibly haven’t even heard of. It will also help my credibility for future job possibilities involving art.”
Hartley said that she has enjoyed all of the art classes she has taken at VGCC thus far. “In painting and drawing, I enjoyed the freedom and self-control it gave me,” she recalled. “I learned that I could express myself in all manners of ways on a canvas that could speak to the viewer of that piece, perhaps even touch their soul. In art history and art appreciation, I enjoyed going through the past, learning facts and valuable information and where it all began. All in all, I am really looking forward to the AFA program, and I feel that all art students, including myself, will benefit wonderfully from it.”
After she graduates from VGCC, Hartley’s plan is to develop her own studio as a freelance artist. “I would like to travel to different art festivals and sell my work, as well as learn different crafts and techniques with a diverse range of media,” she said. “I may pursue further education later on, which the AFA degree will help with to enhance my credibility and experience.”
For more information about the AFA program, contact Betsy Henderson at hendersonb@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3371.
–VGCC–
The WOW starts NOW!
Vance County Schools
For Immediate Release
Parents of children who are pre-kindergarten and kindergarten age are urged to visit Vance County Schools‘ elementary schools this coming week, March 13-17, to tour the school, visit with teachers and administrators and register their children for the upcoming 2017-2018 school year.
Special pre-kindergarten and kindergarten registration activities are planned for Tuesday, March 14, and Thursday, March 16, from 1 to 6 p.m. each day at the schools. Aycock, Carver, Dabney, E.M. Rollins, E.O. Young, L.B. Yancey, Pinkston Street and Zeb Vance have special events planned for Tuesday, March 14. Special events will be held at Clarke and New Hope on Thursday, March 16.
All children who register for kindergarten will receive a colorful, new backpack. Refreshments and special children’s activities also will be available.
For those parents who cannot attend the school events during the week, a special registration event will be held at the Vance County Schools Administrative Services Center at 1724 Graham Avenue in Henderson on Saturday, March 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers will be on hand to talk with parents and to lead children in special activities. Parents of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children can also register them for the 2017-2018 school year at this event. Refreshments and backpacks will be provided. All activities and items are free.
“The WOW Starts NOW!” is the slogan this year for the school system’s pre-kindergarten and kindergarten registration campaign.
To register for the 2017-2018 school year, all pre-kindergarten children must be four years of age on or before August 31, 2017, and all kindergarten children must be five years of age on or before August 31, 2017.
Be careful when burning debris in spring
Wildfire risk typically higher from March to May
RALEIGH – The N.C. Forest Service is urging residents across the state to think safety and exercise caution during the spring fire season, which typically lasts from March to May.
“During the spring fire season, people do a lot of yard work that often includes burning leaves and yard debris,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “There are many factors to consider before doing any burning.”
North Carolinians thinking about burning debris should contact their county ranger for advice first, Troxler said. “The ranger can help maximize safety for people, property and the forest.”
Follow guidelines to reduce risk of wildfire
For people who choose to burn debris, the NCFS urges them to adhere to the following tips to protect property and prevent wildfires:
- Consider alternatives to burning. Some yard debris, such as leaves and grass, may be more valuable if composted.
- Check with your county fire marshal’s office for local laws on burning debris. Some communities allow burning only during specified hours; others forbid it entirely.
- Make sure you have an approved burning permit, which can be obtained at any NCFS office, county-approved burning permit agent, or online at https://ncforestservice.gov.
- Check the weather. Don’t burn if conditions are dry or windy.
- Only burn natural vegetation from your property. Burning household trash or any other man-made materials is illegal. Trash should be hauled away to a convenience center.
- Plan burning for the late afternoon when conditions are typically less windy and more humid.
- If you must burn, be prepared. Use a shovel or hoe to clear a perimeter around the area where you plan to burn.
- Keep fire tools ready. To control the fire, you will need a hose, bucket, a steel rake and a shovel for tossing dirt on the fire.
- Never use flammable liquids such as kerosene, gasoline or diesel fuel to speed burning.
- Stay with your fire until it is completely out. In North Carolina, human carelessness leads to more wildfires than any other cause. In fact, debris burning is the No. 1 cause of wildfires in the state.
- These same tips hold true for campfires and barbecues, too. Douse burning charcoal briquettes or campfires thoroughly with water. When the coals are soaked, stir them and soak them again. Be sure they are out cold and carefully feel to be sure they are extinguished. Never dump hot ashes or coals into a wooded area.
- Burning agriculture residue and forestland litter: In addition to the guidelines above, a fire line should be plowed around the area to be burned. Large fields should be separated into small plots for burning one at a time. Before doing any burning in a wooded area, contact your county ranger, who will weigh all factors, explain them and offer technical advice.
For more information on ways you can prevent wildfires and loss of property visit https://ncforestservice.gov.
Mike Waters Announces New Assistant District Attorney
Henderson, NC– District Attorney Mike Waters is pleased to announce the addition of David Erdmann as an Assistant District Attorney.
Mr. Erdmann was sworn in by District Court Judge Carolyn Thompson on Thursday, March 2, 2017. He joins the District Attorney’s staff after four years of practice as a criminal defense attorney in Surry County, North Carolina.
Mr. Erdmann is from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, and will relocate to the Ninth Prosecutorial District. He was a 2007 graduate of North Carolina State University, and earned a Juris Doctor from Florida State College of Law in 2011.
Mr. Erdmann also clerked for the Honorable Jose Lopez in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
He will be primarily working in Vance County prosecuting narcotics cases.
District Attorney’s Office Comments on Horrific Franklin County Murder
Louisburg, NC – The District Attorney’s Office was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of 35 year old Yesenia Funes Machada on Monday, March 6, 2017. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the Funes Machada family.
Shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Monday, March 6, 2017, deputies with the Franklin County Sheriffs Office were called to a home located at 90 Morgan Drive in Zebulon, North Carolina. When authorities arrived at the scene, they found the victim deceased. The suspect, her 18 year old son Oliver Mauricio Funes Machada, was taken into custody without incident.
A warrant was issued and served for the arrest of Oliver Mauricio Funes Machada on the charge of First Degree Murder. The Defendant is currently in the custody of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and is being held without bond.
The circumstances of this crime are very unusual and horrific. While it is too early to know for sure what the Defendant’s mental state was at the time of the murder, it will be reviewed at the appropriate time and place.
In the meantime, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office will continue to prepare this case for trial. The probable cause hearing in this matter is scheduled for March 14, 2017, and the District Attorney’s Office will prepare the case to be presented to the grand jury on April 3, 2017.
The District Attorney’s Office has been and will continue to work closely with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in this ongoing investigation. Anyone with additional information is urged to contact the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Investigative team at (919) 496-2186.
Michael Waters