— courtesy VGCC
The tragic 2015 murders of Granville County residents Jerome and Dora Faulkner shocked and saddened the community. Their loss was particularly felt at Oxford’s Mountain Creek Baptist Church, where the Faulkners were dedicated members.
In the midst of their grief, members of the church started a scholarship fund in their memory at Vance-Granville Community College. Dora had completed her Nursing degree at VGCC, while Jerome had taken many continuing education courses at the college, some related to his electrical contractor’s license and others in the Emergency Medical Services and fire services fields, in his role as a volunteer firefighter.
A huge outpouring of generosity from the community has made this particular memorial scholarship fund one of the largest ever established at the college. Earlier this year, the scholarship became endowed at VGCC’s highest level, as the “Jerome and Dora Faulkner Memorial Presidential Scholar Award.” Jesse Edwards of Henderson, an Associate Degree Nursing student, recently became the first student to receive the scholarship at that level.
From left, VGCC Endowment Specialist Kay Currin, Mountain Creek Baptist Church members Annette Myers and Ann Fiscus, both of Oxford, and VGCC Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson gathered at the recent VGCC Scholarship Awards Dinner. Fiscus, also a nurse, was a friend of Dora Faulkner. (VGCC photo)
Church treasurer Annette Myers, who is also a member of the VGCC Board of Trustees, spearheaded the effort to establish the scholarship fund. “While it is so difficult to adequately express our love for Dora and Jerome,” Myers said, “we hope that, through this scholarship, they will impact generations to come, and this act will help ease some of the deep pain our community feels.”
A Franklin County native, Jerome T. Faulkner served as a deacon and usher at Mountain Creek Baptist Church. He was a founding member of the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department, serving as chief and president of the board of directors. A father and grandfather, Jerome was an electrician by trade.
Dora Boyd Faulkner was a longtime resident of Granville County and a native of Norfolk, Va. After graduating from VGCC in 1984, she worked as a nurse at Revlon and at Central Regional Hospital. Dora was also a first responder with the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department for several years.
In awarding the new scholarship, preference will be given to students in a health-related program of study, such as Nursing or Radiography. Recipients must also meet certain academic requirements.
“We express our gratitude to the members of Mountain Creek Baptist Church, whose gifts have created this memorial scholarship to support VGCC students,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of the college. “We’re deeply touched by their generosity and honored by their faith in the college that served Jerome and Dora Faulkner and helped them to serve their community. This scholarship is a fitting tribute to the Faulkners’ legacy, which will forever inspire our scholarship recipients as they prepare for their own careers of service.”
Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 9,100 scholarships to students since 1982. Scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff. Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Endowment Fund have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business or industry with a lasting gift to education. For more information about the Endowment Fund, call (252) 738-3409.
–VGCC–
(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS.)
News 12/21/17
/by LarryCooperative Extension with Jean Bell 12/21/17
/by CharleneLegacy of local couple lives on with VGCC scholarship
/by WIZS Staff— courtesy VGCC
The tragic 2015 murders of Granville County residents Jerome and Dora Faulkner shocked and saddened the community. Their loss was particularly felt at Oxford’s Mountain Creek Baptist Church, where the Faulkners were dedicated members.
In the midst of their grief, members of the church started a scholarship fund in their memory at Vance-Granville Community College. Dora had completed her Nursing degree at VGCC, while Jerome had taken many continuing education courses at the college, some related to his electrical contractor’s license and others in the Emergency Medical Services and fire services fields, in his role as a volunteer firefighter.
A huge outpouring of generosity from the community has made this particular memorial scholarship fund one of the largest ever established at the college. Earlier this year, the scholarship became endowed at VGCC’s highest level, as the “Jerome and Dora Faulkner Memorial Presidential Scholar Award.” Jesse Edwards of Henderson, an Associate Degree Nursing student, recently became the first student to receive the scholarship at that level.
From left, VGCC Endowment Specialist Kay Currin, Mountain Creek Baptist Church members Annette Myers and Ann Fiscus, both of Oxford, and VGCC Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson gathered at the recent VGCC Scholarship Awards Dinner. Fiscus, also a nurse, was a friend of Dora Faulkner. (VGCC photo)
Church treasurer Annette Myers, who is also a member of the VGCC Board of Trustees, spearheaded the effort to establish the scholarship fund. “While it is so difficult to adequately express our love for Dora and Jerome,” Myers said, “we hope that, through this scholarship, they will impact generations to come, and this act will help ease some of the deep pain our community feels.”
A Franklin County native, Jerome T. Faulkner served as a deacon and usher at Mountain Creek Baptist Church. He was a founding member of the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department, serving as chief and president of the board of directors. A father and grandfather, Jerome was an electrician by trade.
Dora Boyd Faulkner was a longtime resident of Granville County and a native of Norfolk, Va. After graduating from VGCC in 1984, she worked as a nurse at Revlon and at Central Regional Hospital. Dora was also a first responder with the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department for several years.
In awarding the new scholarship, preference will be given to students in a health-related program of study, such as Nursing or Radiography. Recipients must also meet certain academic requirements.
“We express our gratitude to the members of Mountain Creek Baptist Church, whose gifts have created this memorial scholarship to support VGCC students,” said Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of the college. “We’re deeply touched by their generosity and honored by their faith in the college that served Jerome and Dora Faulkner and helped them to serve their community. This scholarship is a fitting tribute to the Faulkners’ legacy, which will forever inspire our scholarship recipients as they prepare for their own careers of service.”
Through the Endowment Fund, VGCC has awarded more than 9,100 scholarships to students since 1982. Scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff. Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Endowment Fund have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business or industry with a lasting gift to education. For more information about the Endowment Fund, call (252) 738-3409.
–VGCC–
(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS.)
Public Health Serving You 12/20/17
/by CharleneVGCC graduates 11 cadets in school’s 105th BLET Class
/by WIZS Staff— courtesy VGCC
Eleven cadets graduated on Dec. 12, 2017, from the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program at Vance-Granville Community College, in a ceremony held in the Civic Center on Main Campus. After passing the state certification exam, all are authorized to work in any law enforcement agency in North Carolina.
Graduates of VGCC’s 105th BLET class included Christian Sean Bulloss, Robert Joseph Hannon and Brandon Tyler Lomena, all of Butner Public Safety; Tyrell Jamal Perry of the Granville County Sheriff’s Office; Bradley James DeLello of the Greenville Police Department; Matthew Austin Davis and Christian Jurelle Teasley Hill Purnell, both of the Henderson Police Department; Brandon Michael Vajanyi of the Louisburg Police Department; Kyle Samuel Whitson of the N.C. Division of Parks & Recreation; and John Blackwell Hardy III and Logan Thomas Hite, both of the Oxford Police Department.
The ceremony began with a presentation of colors by students from the ROTC program at Northern Vance High School, and the singing of the national anthem by NVHS student Jadyn Jones.
In front, from left, VGCC Basic Law Enforcement Training Class 105 graduates Christian Jurelle Teasley Hill Purnell, Logan Thomas Hite, Christian Sean Bulloss, Brandon Tyler Lomena and Robert Joseph Hannon; and in back, from left, graduates Brandon James DeLello, Matthew Austin Davis, Brandon Michael Vajanyi, Kyle Samuel Whitson, Tyrell Jamal Perry, John Blackwell Hardy III and VGCC law enforcement training coordinator Andrea Hyson. (VGCC Photo)
In welcoming remarks, Dr. Levy Brown, VGCC’s interim vice president of academic affairs, applauded the graduates and thanked their families for being their “support systems” during the 16-week program. Brown expressed his appreciation to all the faculty and staff who had instructed Class 105.
Speaking as leader of the class, Cadet Tyrell Perry added his thanks to the instructors. He presented a plaque on behalf of the cadets to Sgt. Richard Creech of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, honoring him as an “outstanding instructor.”
Graduates selected Lt. Gregory Earp of the Clayton Police Department, one of their instructors, to serve as their featured speaker. Perry said that the cadets had appreciated and benefitted from Earp’s “witty humor and years of experience.” He has been teaching part-time for VGCC since 2005.
Earp cautioned graduates that a law enforcement career takes an emotional toll. “During the journey you are about to embark upon, you will bear witness to some of the ugliness that this world has to offer. It will leave you with scar tissue,” Earp said. Nevertheless, he told the new officers that they would also have a wide variety of career opportunities open to them. “The great thing about this profession is that you can find your passion within this job and make it your own,” he said.
Andrea Hyson, the training program coordinator, presented awards to several students. Perry received a special Leadership Award. Davis won the “Top Gun” Award for having the highest accuracy score in firearms qualification. Whitson earned the Physical Fitness Award for scoring highest in the various fitness tests the cadets undergo during physical training. Bulloss took home the Academic Achievement Award for having the top grade average in the written tests each cadet must pass.
For more information on the BLET program, contact Hyson at hysona@vgcc.edu.
–VGCC–
(VGCC in an advertising client of WIZS.)
Town Talk 12/20/17
/by LarryCooperative Extension with Paul McKenzie 12/20/17
/by CharleneNews 12/20/17
/by LarryNorthern Vance High School Principal Presents Restart School Plans
/by WIZS StaffAt the December 11, 2017 meeting of the Vance County Board of Education, the board gave its approval for Northern Vance High School to move forward in completing plans to apply as a restart school with the state.
You can read the full board briefs for the meeting online by clicking here or by navigating to it through the Vance County Schools webpage by clicking here.
In an email to WIZS News, Vance County Schools Public Information Officer Terri Hedrick responded to a series of questions, and she wrote, “NVHS would still be a high school for grades 9-12. There are no changes planned for SVHS at this time. All of the restart plans currently under development at NVHS, must be approved by our Board of Education before being submitted in a restart school application to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. There are similar plans underway at Eaton-Johnson Middle School, but they haven’t been presented to our board yet. The EJMS plan probably will be shared with board members in January.”
Hedrick also broadcasts a weekly Vance County Schools Update on WIZS 1450 AM, live streamed at wizs.com, throughout the school year at 4:30 p.m. on Mondays. You can hear her full update from Monday, Dec 18, 2017 by clicking here. The update about Northern Vance begins at the 10-minute mark.
The following comes straight from the December 11th Board Briefs online:
The board’s action came after a presentation by Northern Vance by Principal Andrew Markoch who provided details about the school’s restart plans. Markoch said the plans include establishing a ninth-grade academy for all freshmen, an arts academy, a career innovations academy and a digital technologies academy. He noted that all incoming freshmen will leave the ninth-grade academy at the end of their first year and go into at least one of the additional academies. It is possible that a student will be part of more than one academy based on their course selections. Within the academies, students will still have a choice of academic, honors or advanced placement courses. Markoch stressed a focus of the restart plans is to provide students with more choices and more of a voice in their educational opportunities. Another key will be increased flexibility in the school day scheduling and to have the school’s calendar align more closely to the calendar at Vance-Granville Community College, similar to the calendar now followed by the Vance County Early College High School. He added that the ninth-grade academy will provide students and their parents with more guidance and information as they start high school and should assist students in being more successful academically. “We want to provide our students with future proof programming to help them be successful beyond high school,” Markoch said. The restart school plans outlined by Markoch were developed with input from a team of staff members at Northern Vance, as well as parents and students.
VGCC to offer Food Truck Entrepreneurship on Main Campus with new instructor
/by WIZS Staff— courtesy VGCC
Vance-Granville Community College will soon offer its Mobile Food Truck Entrepreneurship Workshop Series at the college’s Main Campus in Vance County for the first time. Previously, the course was offered on the Franklin County and Warren County campuses.
A partnership of VGCC’s Small Business Center and Personal Enrichment department, the program will be held in Building 7 on Main Campus on four Monday evenings, Feb. 5 through Feb. 26, 2018.
Serving as instructor for the first time will be Ray Chow, founder of Hibachi Xpress and Catering by Ray. Chow has worked in restaurants since he was seven years old. A graduate of N.C. State University, he started Hibachi Xpress restaurant in Cary, and expanded to three locations, as well as managing some of his family’s other restaurants in the Raleigh and Wilmington areas.
In 2011, Chow expanded his restaurant/catering business with the addition of a food truck to participate in different festivals and large gatherings. Over the years, the popularity of food trucks has continued to grow, and in 2014, Hibachi Xpress shifted focus towards catering and the food truck business, moving away from the brick and mortar stores. Chow is also a co-founder of “foosye,” a startup tech company building innovative technology applications tailored to the food truck industry.
The first class in the series, “The Art of the Food Truck,” will be held on Feb. 5 from 6-9 p.m. This workshop serves as an introduction to the program and covers the fundamentals of owning and operating a mobile food unit.
“Preparing for Success: Concept and Design” will follow on Feb. 12 from 6-8 p.m. The design of the food unit as well as budgeting and costs are covered in this session.
“Administrative Necessities” is scheduled for Feb. 19 from 6-8 p.m. Participants will learn about federal, state and local regulations, zoning, licenses and permits they will need.
“Marketing for Success” will conclude the series on Feb. 26 from 6-8 p.m. This session will include a panel discussion with several food truck owners, focusing in part on how they promote their food trucks through social media and other forms of advertising.
The cost of the program is $60 for the first class. The other three sessions are offered free of charge.
Participants in the program will also be required to sign up as clients of the VGCC Small Business Center, which is free of charge, and to complete the ServSafe food safety certification course. A separate fee of $74, plus materials, is charged for ServSafe.
The deadline to register is January 29, 2018. For more information and to register, contact VGCC Small Business Center director Tanya Weary at (252) 738-3240 or smallbusiness@vgcc.edu or Gail Clark at (252) 738-3385 or ped@vgcc.edu.
–VGCC–
(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS.)