TownTalk: Student Behavior Health Team Helps Students Through Trauma

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Educators are continually assessing the students in their classrooms – whether it’s to make sure they’ve mastered their math facts or can accurately retell a story in their own words to show understanding.

But teachers in Vance County Schools are also being trained to assess their students’ mental health needs as well.  And the district’s Student Behavior Health Team is one resource that teachers can call upon for help.

The SBHT is a collaborative effort of social workers and counselors within the school district, along with trauma conflict/dropout prevention and safety and security experts that works to connects students and their families to resources in the community.

Team members joined guest co-host Phyllis Maynard on Tuesday’s TownTalk as part of the recurring segment “Former Active Duty, Still Boots on the Ground.” Children with a parent who is currently deployed or who is a veteran of the military sometimes face additional struggles and challenges at school because of their parents’ situations, she said.

Maynard spoke with VCS Assistant Superintendent Michelle Burton, VCS coordinator for safety and security Travis Taylor, VCS lead social worker Toni Fletcher, VCS lead counselor Erica Wright and VCS dropout prevention specialist Dr. Ralphel Holloman, Sr. about how the SBHT works to support educators and the students and families across the district.

“What we’re looking at is prevention,” Wright said. Mental health struggles, including children expressing suicidal tendencies, had been on the uptick before the COVID-19 pandemic. The return to school has not been a smooth transition for all students, and it’s important for school staffs to first of all, acknowledge the issues that so many children are dealing with, she added.

This is the first year of the state’s school mental health initiative and it provides a framework through which schools can address mental health issues that students face in and outside of school, Burton said.

Some children are still scared of COVID-19, Fletcher said, which adds to the stress of returning to the classroom. “Many of our children lost family members (to COVID-19),” she said. “It hit home and they’re struggling,” she said, adding that she has seen an increase in emotional issues with children coming back into the classroom.

But there are resources available for students – and their families – in the community, and that’s where the SBHT can step in as a liaison between community partners and the families that may need their help.

“If they have challenges or questions, we are here for them,” Burton said. Sometimes a situation is resolved at the school level, but if additional support is required, outside agencies may be called in to assist.

Holloman said it’s important for students to have a “go-to” person before something happens. “We’re there to educate and build (positive) relationships,” Holloman said. Likewise, teachers are encouraged to pick up on behaviors that could be signs of trouble.

Excessive absences are the primary reason that high school students drop out, and Holloman said early intervention is crucial to keep kids in school. He said prevention, intervention and recovery are the three keys to dropout prevention. Students who have been out of school for one reason or another can transition back to the classroom through the district’s alternative school.

Spotty school attendance could be a sign that a family is experiencing homelessness, Fletcher said. “We want to promote our children being in school so they can be successful,” she said. Identifying the immediate needs of a homeless family is another way the SBHT can provide support through community resources.

Taylor, the district’s safety and security officer, said the district takes seriously the need for safety assessments – whether it’s an assessment of a school building or the safety of a student exhibiting warning signs of a mental health crisis, such as suicide.

“We do not take it lightly at all,” Taylor said. “We never want to be put in a situation where we missed something.”

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TownTalk: African American Cultural Museum Educates And Enlightens

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It’s often said the kitchen is the heart of the home. But if you ask Edythe Thompson, she may just say that about the kitchen at Henderson’s African American Cultural Museum. The museum has converted the rooms of the former residence into a space filled with exhibits that celebrate achievements of African Americans, from politics to sports, education to the arts, and everything in between.

But food has a way of bringing folks together, she said, and the kitchen is where family and friends gather and where that food is cooked and prepared, with love. Meals and snacks can, in fact, be prepared for groups who make the request, Thompson said.

The museum, located at 1513 Oxford Rd., is filled with memorabilia and artifacts, many of which come from Thompson’s own collection – items she has accumulated over her decades of travel and work with the NAACP and now with ReBuild Communities NC, a tax-exempt non-profit community housing redevelopment organization.

The museum will hold a Juneteenth celebration beginning this Friday, June 15 through Tuesday, June 20. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Thompson spoke with John C. Rose on Monday’s TownTalk and said everything about the museum is done from the perspective of achievement. “Every room in the house is decorated so that you get the African perspective in daily life,” she said. There is a special exhibit that pays tribute to Dr. Andrea L. Harris, who Thompson said played a key role in her coming to Henderson. Harris grew up in Henderson and went on to become a community activist and organizer. She also was instrumental in establishing the N.C. Institute of Minority Economic Development, becoming its president in 1990. She died in 2020.

Although she currently is the primary guide for groups who come to tour the museum, Thompson said other docents are in the process of being trained to share their knowledge to visitors.

Thompson said she’s been a member of the NAACP for more than 30 years, and has served as a branch president as well as on the national board of directors. The museum and its collection give people of a certain age a chance to stroll down Memory Lane as they see artifacts from the Civil Rights Movement era, for example. If they’re like her, they remember back to that time in the country’s history when news headlines talked of protests and segregation, unfair discrimination and equal rights for all.

The museum can serve as a supplement to what schoolchildren learn about Blacks in history – “I’m available to augment the (curriculum) so that it is more inclusive of African American culture,” she said.

Learning what it means to persevere, endure and be tolerant of others are important things to teach children. “We don’t have to stay stuck in the past,” she said. “We can all respect and honor each other – I’m hoping that’s the direction we’re moving in. If we want the future to be different, we have to start with the children.”

Tours may be scheduled by visiting Please call ahead and arrange a time. Book ahead.

www.rebuildcommunitiesnc.org, Thompson said. Because of the size of the museum – about 2,500 square feet – it’s preferred to reserve a time to visit to avoid a crowded situation. The building is sanitized after each tour, to “promote safety as well as education.”

There is no fee to visit to museum, but donations are accepted – and welcomed. There is a donation box at the museum, but others may donate online via the website or other online payment methods.

Although Thompson has been the executive director for 12 years, she is quick to point out that it takes a team of volunteers to keep things running. From teachers who conduct classes to community members who become storytellers, Thompson said the museum is a true collaboration of people who “share the vision and appreciate the mission,” she said with gratitude.

“When you see it, you will realize it’s not something that one person could do,” she said.

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TownTalk Trivia 06-09-22

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A special Thursday edition of TownTalk Trivia.

 

TownTalk: Gas Prices

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Gas Prices and Some of the Impacts.

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TownTalk: Great Shows A Part Of Rec Players’ 50th Anniversary

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The seats in McGregor Hall are a little more comfortable – ok, a lot more comfortable – than those hard, wooden seats in the E.M. Rollins auditorium. But once the house lights dimmed, the audience settled in to those wooden seats to enjoy another performance by the Henderson Rec Players.

This year, the Rec Players celebrate 50 years of bringing live theater to the area. There have been some changes since that first season in the summer of 1972, but not that many. Just ask Tommy Nowell – he’s been around for each and every one.

Nowell said he graduated high school in June 1972 and it was June 1972 when the first rehearsals started. He said a few years ago he’d counted up, and reckons he’s “spent somewhere like 25 years of my life at the auditorium of E.M. Rollins.”

He and Jo Ellen Nowell spoke with John C. Rose on Tuesday’s TownTalk about this season’s shows, as well as the importance of introducing children to the theater arts.

The first production is Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” which will run from June 23-26.

“A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum” is scheduled for early July, followed by a children’s production of “Frozen Jr.” Capping off the season’s offerings is “The Fantasticks,” which will be performed Aug. 12-14.

Dwight Pearce was the group’s first director, and Jo Ellen Nowell said she co-directed “Bye, Bye Birdie” with Pearce in 2002. After that collaboration, Pearce was able to retire knowing that he’d successfully passed the baton. She has served as primary director since 2003.

“Right around that same time,” Jo Ellen said, “we were so fortunate that Mark Hopper came to town” and began working with the Rec Players to direct his first show – “The Wizard of Oz” – in 2003.

Dustin Britt will direct “Our Town,” Jo Ellen will direct “Forum” and Hopper will take the reins for “The Fantasticks.”

Audience members will have an up-close and person vantage point for “Our Town,” Jo Ellen said, because the audience also will be located on the stage.

Tommy said the seating will create almost a theater-in-the-round experience, making it intimate and different.

“You get a lot of energy from the audience when you’re that close,” he said.

“Forum,” with music by the late Stephen Sondheim, has two weekend runs – July 8-10 and 16-17.

“It is a flat-out comedy,” Jo Ellen said, “and fairly politically incorrect – it should be very interesting.” This production will have a full orchestra.

And the final production of the season is “The Fantasticks,” which includes a 4-piece orchestra. This season finale is special for Nowell and for Hopper – “It is Mark’s and my favorite musical ever,” he said.

The Rec Players have not shied away from performing long-running Broadway shows like “The Fantasticks” and others that have great lasting power. The company sticks to much of the traditional production, but feels free “to put our own twist” in the performances.

“You want to do shows that will appeal to the most people,” Tommy said.

That may be one reason why the children’s theatre camp will perform Frozen Jr.

Cindy Clark will conduct the two-week camp in July, culminating in a July 31 rendition of the blockbuster Disney movie.

“A lot of these children can sing the songs already,” Jo Ellen noted. During the first week or more of the camp, the young people will be learning about the theater, how it works and the different technical aspects that go along with a production.

“It’s a really great learning experience for the kids,” she said. The last part of the camp will be performing the show at McGregor Hall.  The camp runs from July 18-31. Performances are scheduled for July 29-31.

Education is an integral part of what the Rec Players is all about. “We need to expose the arts to our children,” she said. “We need to teach it to them and teach them to love it, because they are the ones to carry it forward.”

The casting calls are less about auditioning and more about finding a way to include anybody who wants to be a part of a production, she said.

Tommy said there’s just something about being part of a production that, once you’ve experienced it, stays with you.

Just ask Robert Peace. He called in to the show to express his thanks for the Rec Players and bringing live theater to the community. He said he participated in the Rec Players in the late 1970’s and enjoyed every moment. “I just fell in love with theater,” he said, adding that he continued to find ways to tap in to theater during the next 15 years or so when he was in the military.

“This is great what you guys are going,” he said to the Nowells. “Kids get a feel for this and it just stays with you. I still love it to this day.”

Purchase season tickets by calling 252.598.0662 or visit www.mcgregorhall.org.

The deadline to become a season patron is June 21.

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TownTalk: LGBTQ Event Scheduled For Henderson

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The inaugural “LoveFest” is set for downtown Henderson Saturday afternoon as the community comes together to celebrate and observe Pride Month.

Melissa Elliott, founder of Gang Free, Inc. and Michael Venable are working to organize the event, which will take place June 11 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 205 Breckenridge St. They spoke with John C. Rose on Monday’s TownTalk.

Gov. Roy Cooper has proclaimed June as LGBTQ Pride Month, and Elliott and Venable said there will be food, fun and festivities for the community as part of Love Fest. Local DJ Corey Hanks will provide musical entertainment.

Elliott said Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington will be present and will read a local proclamation as well.

“We talk about equality,” Venable said, “but if we want to move forward, we need to include everyone.”

There will be plenty of vendors out for the event, but Elliott said there’s always room for more. Contact her at melissaelliott@gangfreeinc.org or 252.598.0067  to learn more about participating as a vendor or organization.

Elliott said the event is being planned as a “nonjudgmental zone” where the community can lay aside misunderstanding and miscommunication to promote inclusion and diversity among all people.

“It’s about people who just want to be treated equal and treated fair,” Venable said.

Event sponsors include Henderson Police Department, the City of Henderson, Food Lion, print company Kolor Kode, Vance-Granville Community College, Miguel’s Beauty Salon, Henderson-Vance Parks & Recreation Dept., Downtown Development, the NAACP, Gang Free, Inc. and Graceful Buttah, a company that sells body scrubs, lotions and butters.

Whether you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community, have a family member who is or you just want to learn more, this event is a chance to come out and show support.
“I feel like there’s not enough here for the LGBTQ community,” Venable said. “They judge the book by the cover – they don’t read the book,” he said.

 

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Drink To Your Health: The Story Of Mineral Springs

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Nowadays, health professionals are quick to point out the importance of staying hydrated and drinking enough plain ol’ water as a key component of good health. A good rule of thumb is eight 8-ounce servings of water each day.

But around the time of the Civil War to the turn of the 20th century, there were a number of mineral springs in the area whose proprietors made great claims about their water’s restorative properties.

There was sort of a mineral springs “belt” that was loosely situated across Halifax County that ran through Warren and Vance counties on the way toward the Clarksville area, according to Mark Pace, local historian and N.C. Room specialist at the Richard Thornton Library in Oxford. Pace joined WIZS’s Bill Harris on the tri-weekly history segment of TownTalk Thursday and talked about the heyday of the area’s mineral springs and the visitors who came in search of health restored.

The waters of Panacea Springs in Littleton, for example, was reportedly good for whatever ailed you – from excema to digestive problems and everything in between.

Shocco Springs in Warren County and Buckhorn Springs in northern Granville County joined other mineral springs that developed national reputations – not just for their water’s restorative powers, but as vacation destinations for the rich and famous of the time.

Marketing played a key role in the popularity of the springs, Pace said, but it was the railroad that played a major role.

“Kittrell wouldn’t even exist if the railroad hadn’t come through,” Pace said. The medicinal benefits of the waters aside, hotels sprang up around some of them to accommodate the travelers. There were four hotels in Kittrell, for example. Kittrell Springs Hotel had a bowling alley, miniature golf, concerts and horseback riding just to name a few amenities.

Back in 1858, “you didn’t go to Nags Head, you went to a place like this,” Pace remarked.

The Panacea Springs resort in Littleton hosted Renaissance festivals back in the years leading up to the Civil War; Jones Sulphur Springs in Warren County included among its guests Annie Lee, daughter of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. She was sent there to ease the effects of tuberculosis  and died there in 1862.

There aren’t many structures left on the sites of the old springs, Pace said – some stone foundations and a small bottling building here are a couple of remnants.

The Buffalo Springs near Clarksville remains active, and visitors can see where the famous water erupts from the ground.

It used to be called Buffalo Lithia Springs because of the claims that the water contained contained lithium bicarbonate.

But when Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, the Buffalo Lithia Springs claims were called into question. When the water was tested in 1910, Pace said, but the news wasn’t good: Although the water was shown to have traces of lithium, a person would have to drink  hundreds of thousands of GALLONS of water a day to reap the benefits. Needless to say, the springs operation lost the Supreme Court case and had to change its name to Buffalo Springs.

They sold bottled water from there until 1941, Pace said, making it one of the last mineral springs operations in the area.

It also was a stop on the vaudeville circuit and one of the seasonal performers was a very talented Mr. Ebsen from Florida, Pace recounted. Eventually, Ebsen’s son, Frank, got his start at Buffalo Lithia Springs, Pace said.

He became better known as the performer and actor Buddy Ebsen.

 

 

TownTalk: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Is June 15

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State law requires that residents report suspected cases of elder abuse to the local Department of Social Services. But what, exactly, constitutes elder abuse? Learn more about this subject on June 15 at the Vance County Senior Center.

The Kerr-Tar Council of Government’s Agency on Aging is hosting an event to mark Elder Abuse Awareness Day from 9 a.m. to noon. The morning will be filled with resources from more than a dozen vendors from the five-county area that KTCOG serves, with activities designed for older adults and others interested in learning more.

The first 200 participants will get a t-shirt and a box lunch, compliments of two area long-term care facilities, and there will be goodie bags and various presentations during the morning designed to increase awareness of elder abuse. Aim High, a local health and wellness center, will discuss ways for older adults to remain active.

KTCOG Regional Ombudsman Kim Hawkins spoke with John C. Rose on Wednesday’s TownTalk and explained more about signs of elder abuse and the process that DSS representatives and others take to help keep disabled adults safe.

Mistreating older adults, no matter the form it takes, is not only wrong, it’s a crime.

A report may be made anonymously, Hawkins said. Once a report is received, the local DSS adult services unit will assess the information to determine whether the individual is in need of protection.

“It’s an intensive intake process,” she said, but the end result is to make sure that the report meets the criteria to be investigated. A team discusses the information and then, when warranted, makes contact with the individual to offer services.

As an ombudsman, Hawkins said she tries to encourages individuals to consent to services, or to get someone they feel comfortable talking with to relay the information to DSS on their behalf.

She said residents report incidents, but also medical professionals, outreach workers and others also have reported suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation of a disabled adult.

“We go out and monitor the facilities and visit,” Hawkins said, adding that she has received calls from individuals who wish to remain anonymous about paying a visit to a facility.

“Residents have called and asked to come visit,” she said, and she will inform DSS officials when she gets calls from those who don’t want to give their name.

It’s not necessary to contact the ombudsman to report suspected abuse situations, Hawkins said. “You can bypass the ombudsman process and call DSS directly,” she explained. “It’s more important…that it gets reported and reviewed,” she added.

People want to help, but often don’t want to get involved, Hawkins said. In some situations, the suspected abuser may be another family member, which makes the anonymous reporting important to avoid undue stress.

Although difficult to prove, mental or psychological abuse is perhaps most often reported. Hawkins said when she is investigating such cases, she and Adult Protective Services representatives look for how the individual’s reactions. One resident of a long-term care facility suffered anxiety attacks requiring hospitalization following verbal abuse from a facility administrator, she said.

Often, the mental or psychological abuse eventually will manifest in physical ways, validating the charge of abuse. By the way, Hawkins said the administrator was ultimately fired from the facility in that particular case.

Hawkins estimates that cases of elder abuse are under-reported, and added that in addition to reporting cases, it is important to educate others about elder abuse.

“Education is one of the biggest ways to prevent elder abuse,” she said. Empowering disabled adults through awareness and education is important.

Hawkins said she is planning a virtual meeting on the Zoom platform on June 9  that will be geared to residents of long-term care facilities, but it is open to others who may have family members or loved ones in a long-term care facility.

Please call the KTCOG at 252.436.2040 for details about how to join the virtual meeting, which should last 30-45 minutes.

Following is the list of phone numbers for the departments of social services in the five-county region served by KTCOG:

 

Vance: 252.492.5001

Granville: 919.693.1511

Warren: 252.257.5000

Franklin: 919.496.5721

Person: 336.599.8361

 

Following is a list of the eight most common forms of elder abuse, according to the website www.worldelderabuseawareness.com

  • Self-Neglect – Refusal or failure to provide himself/herself with adequate food, water, clothing, shelter, personal hygiene, medication (when indicated), and safety precaution.
  • Physical Abuse– The use of physical force that may result in bodily injury, physical pain, or impairment; or any physical injury to an adult caused by other than accidental means.
  • Neglect by Others– Failure to provide the basic care, or services necessary to maintain the health and safety of an adult: this failure can be active or passive.
  • Sexual Abuse– Sexual contact with a non-consenting adult or with an adult considered incapable of consenting to a sexual act.
  • Financial Abuse– The illegal or unethical exploitation and/or use of an elder’s funds, property, or other assets.
  • Mental Abuse– Verbal or emotional abuse includes threatening significant physical harm or threatening or causing significant emotional harm to an adult through the use of: Derogatory or inappropriate names, insults, verbal assaults, profanity, or ridicule; or harassment, coercion, threats, intimidation, humiliation, mental cruelty, or inappropriate sexual comments.
  • Abandonment – the desertion or willful forsaking by anyone having responsibility for care.
  • Isolation– Preventing the individual from receiving mail, telephone calls, or visitors.

The website also lists some of the signs that could indicate an individual may be experiencing some type of elder abuse:

  • Lack of basic amenities
  • Cluttered, filthy living environment
  • Unexplained or uncharacteristic changes in behavior
  • Unexplained sexually transmitted diseases
  • Unpaid bills, new credit cards and/or increased cash withdrawals
  • Harassment, coercion, intimidation, humiliation
  • Caregiver isolates elder

Learn more about elder abuse awareness at https://worldelderabuseawareness.com/

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TownTalk: Chief Barrow Discusses Weekend Shootout

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Henderson police are searching for four suspects in connection with an exchange of gunfire outside a convenience store on West Andrews Avenue Saturday afternoon.

Police Chief Marcus Barrow spoke with John C. Rose on Tuesday’s Town Talk and provided an update on the weekend incident that took place over the course of about one minute in the parking lot of Gate City Foods on 601 W. Andrews Ave.

“We received a call around 4:15 or 4:20,” Barrow said, but officers arrived to find that the suspects had left the scene. After reviewing the surveillance video, the police identified four suspects and subsequently obtained warrants for their arrest.

“For the past two days, we’ve been out looking for the suspects,” he said, adding that his office is working closely with other agencies, including the Vance County Sheriff’s Office.

A vehicle thought to have been involved in the incident was located on Nutbush Road Saturday evening, and Barrow said between the store’s surveillance video, the location of the car and other evidence, he believes his department has made “a really good case against these individuals.”

While taking cover from the exchange of gunfire, one of the suspects was seen with a long gun of some sort – Barrow said he thinks it could be a type of automatic rifle. One of the subjects recently had been released from prison in connection with a homicide that had taken place several years ago; Barrow said it is believed that the incident was retaliation for that homicide.

According to Barrow, warrants have been issued for:

Jaymon Gibson, 24; Charles Green, Jr., 23; Anthony Sanders, Jr., 18; and Jordan Turnage, 21;

All four suspects are charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and discharging a weapon into occupied property. Gibson also is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.

Barrow said one of the suspects is believed to have injured one or both feet in the incident.

Anyone with information about the location of the four suspects is urged to call 911, Henderson Vance Crime Stoppers at 252.492.1925, or use the P3 app or Facebook Messenger.

 

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TownTalk: Maria Parham Memorial Day Ceremony

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Maria Parham Health was the site Thursday morning for a solemn ceremony to remember all the members of the military who have given their lives in service to the country and to hear read aloud the 77 names of members from the local area who died serving their country.

CEO Bert Beard welcomed those in attendance to begin the “No Greater Love” observance, in which various members of the hospital staff had roles. Pastor Frank Sossamon led opening and closing prayers and members of hospital security presented the colors. Travis Thompson, director of imaging and wound care, led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance and Hope Schuler, daughter of MPH employee Lisa VanFleet, sang the National Anthem.

Rickey Padgett, with N.C. Detective Agency and also a member of the hospital staff, shared remarks and reflected on what the Memorial Day holiday means. It’s a time to remember all men and women in uniform, Padgett told the gathering but especially those who sacrificed their lives.

“They paid the price so that we could be here today,” he said. The families of the fallen continue to grieve, so it is also important for us to remember, Padgett said, “and to celebrate the freedoms that we have and the life we are given…to remain grateful and never forget.”

Padgett said he had been friends with one particular man who also was a veteran of World War II. This friend had told Padgett that, upon his death, Padgett would receive something from him. That “something” turned out to be a long, typewritten letter – from a real typewriter, not a word processor – that recounted some of what the man had encountered as a U.S. infantryman in the European theater.

Padgett read excerpts from this letter, which chronicled snowy, muddy conditions on and near battlefields in France and the grim task of recovering soldiers’ bodies strewn along the countryside.

“’I could hear the Germans digging foxholes’” in the snowy landscape not far from where this soldier and his unit were camped, the letter read. “’We had to pick up dead bodies, American and German,’” Padgett continued.

Although he said he has met and talked with many veterans of World War II, Padgett said this letter helped answer a question he had often wondered about: How do the bodies of fallen soldiers make it back home, where they can be laid to rest and receive a proper burial?

Soldiers like the one who wrote the letter and sent it to Padgett, that’s how.

Whether it was from a battlefield in Europe or the desert-like conditions in Afghanistan, members of the military take care of each other until the end.

Padgett said he asked this friend what he did in the war. “He said, ‘I was a soldier,’” Padgett recalled.

A simple answer with layers and layers of meaning.

Listen to the recorded ceremony in its entirety just below.

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