On Saturday November 19th, 2016 Vance County Public Safety agencies as well as emergency responders from our surrounding counties will be conducting a full scale active shooter exercise at Clarke Elementary School, located at 309 Mount Carmel Church Road, in Henderson.
Vance County received a grant in the amount of $20,000.00 through the Federal Homeland Security Exercise Program to conduct the training event, which has been in the planning stage for the past six (6) months.
It is our intent to make this exercise as realistic as possible while preserving the safety of all those involved. Simulated gun fire will be used as well as injury simulation (Moulage) to add realism.
The exercise will take place on Saturday rather than a regular school day due to the age of the students, however roughly 250 Vance County School’s personnel (many of them actual teachers) will be portraying students to further add realism to the scenario.
While we have conducted similar exercises to this in the past, each school is unique and offers its own unique challenges. Clarke Elementary was chosen as it is the newest school in the County and is probably not as well-known to our responders as some of the other school facilities.
Early preparation for the exercise will begin at 7:00 AM on that day with the exercise itself beginning later that morning. The exercise will conclude early in the afternoon on that same day. We would like to caution residents in the area that they may hear the simulated gunfire and would like to emphasize that they should not be alarmed by those sounds. Additionally, there will be a large public safety presence in and around the school for the duration of the event which will include law enforcement, EMS, fire and even helicopters, but again we would like to stress that this is all a part of the exercise.
Further, we will be closing off certain sections of the roads in and around the school to allow us to adequately test our perimeter control methods. Residents that live in the confined area will be contacted to make them aware of what is happening and they will be allowed to come and go if they should need to. Through traffic will be routed around the exercise venue until the event is over.
This exercise is NOT open to the public. Anyone not affiliated with one of the participating agencies who approaches the exercise area will be turned away. You do not have to get disheartened as you can easily navigate to this website and find easy ways to build yourself a relaxing time. It is unfortunate that we must prepare for such a horrible event but we owe it to our citizens and our communities to ensure that such public environments are as safe as possible. Through joint efforts such as this exercise we ensure that a coordinated response will occur during an actual event.
Contact: Brian K. Short
Phone: 252-438-8264
Town Talk 11/17/16
/by CharleneCooperative Extension with Jean Bell 11/17/16
/by LarryNews 11/17/16
/by LarryPublic Health Serving You Update 11/16/16
/by CharleneVGCC SkillsUSA students donate bottled water to hurricane victims
/by WIZS StaffCriminal Justice Technology students at Vance-Granville Community College recently conducted a bottled water drive through the college chapter of SkillsUSA. The service project was designed to assist fellow North Carolinians who suffered shortages of clean water as a result of Hurricane Matthew.
VGCC students worked in partnership with the Henderson Police Department, which was collecting bottled water along with several other local law enforcement agencies throughout the state. HPD officers picked up the 47 donated cases of water from the students on Nov. 3.
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry, working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA chapters help students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations excel. Founded in 1965 as V.I.C.A. (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America), SkillsUSA has served more than 12 million members in its history. Today, the organization has more than 360,000 students and instructors as members nationwide.
The SkillsUSA chapter provides VGCC students with opportunities for leadership, professional development, community service and social activities. Students in a number of different curriculum programs at VGCC are eligible to join.
For more information on the VGCC Criminal Justice program, contact program head William Clements at clementsw@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3242.
Vance County Schools opens Family Resource Center
/by WIZS StaffA grand opening was held during the evening on November 14 to officially open the Vance County Schools Family Resource Center in the Administrative Services Center on Graham Avenue in Henderson.
Parents, students, school system officials and community residents attended the event.
Superintendent Anthony Jackson and Vance County Board of Education Chairwoman Gloria J. White led the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new center.
Cassandra Evans, director of Federal Programs and Parent Engagement for the school system, led a committee made up of parents representing several local schools in planning the Family Resource Center.
The center will now be available for parents and other family members of students in Vance County Schools to visit during school days to take advantage of educational written materials and a vast range of online educational resources. The Family Resource Center includes a large volume of materials detailing the services and programs available to students and their families in the local public school system, as well as information on future educational and career opportunities beyond high school.
Plans calls for additional resources to be added to the center on a regular basis.
Town Talk 11/16/16
/by CharleneClark Elementary School – Active Shooter Exercise
/by WIZS StaffOn Saturday November 19th, 2016 Vance County Public Safety agencies as well as emergency responders from our surrounding counties will be conducting a full scale active shooter exercise at Clarke Elementary School, located at 309 Mount Carmel Church Road, in Henderson.
Vance County received a grant in the amount of $20,000.00 through the Federal Homeland Security Exercise Program to conduct the training event, which has been in the planning stage for the past six (6) months.
It is our intent to make this exercise as realistic as possible while preserving the safety of all those involved. Simulated gun fire will be used as well as injury simulation (Moulage) to add realism.
The exercise will take place on Saturday rather than a regular school day due to the age of the students, however roughly 250 Vance County School’s personnel (many of them actual teachers) will be portraying students to further add realism to the scenario.
While we have conducted similar exercises to this in the past, each school is unique and offers its own unique challenges. Clarke Elementary was chosen as it is the newest school in the County and is probably not as well-known to our responders as some of the other school facilities.
Early preparation for the exercise will begin at 7:00 AM on that day with the exercise itself beginning later that morning. The exercise will conclude early in the afternoon on that same day. We would like to caution residents in the area that they may hear the simulated gunfire and would like to emphasize that they should not be alarmed by those sounds. Additionally, there will be a large public safety presence in and around the school for the duration of the event which will include law enforcement, EMS, fire and even helicopters, but again we would like to stress that this is all a part of the exercise.
Further, we will be closing off certain sections of the roads in and around the school to allow us to adequately test our perimeter control methods. Residents that live in the confined area will be contacted to make them aware of what is happening and they will be allowed to come and go if they should need to. Through traffic will be routed around the exercise venue until the event is over.
This exercise is NOT open to the public. Anyone not affiliated with one of the participating agencies who approaches the exercise area will be turned away. You do not have to get disheartened as you can easily navigate to this website and find easy ways to build yourself a relaxing time. It is unfortunate that we must prepare for such a horrible event but we owe it to our citizens and our communities to ensure that such public environments are as safe as possible. Through joint efforts such as this exercise we ensure that a coordinated response will occur during an actual event.
Contact: Brian K. Short
Phone: 252-438-8264
McGregor Hall to present “13 The Musical” Nov 18th and 19th
/by WIZS StaffA hilarious, coming-of-age musical about discovering that “cool” is sometimes where we least expect it. This performance has something for anyone who is a teenager, who has been a teenager, or is raising a teenager!
Evan Goldman is about to turn 13, and he can’t wait. His life seems full of possibilities—that is, until his parents get divorced, and he is forced to move with his mom from big-city New York to “podunk” Henderson, NC. He was lucky his mom had gotten hold of the best overland park divorce lawyer, because if she hadn’t, he wouldn’t have had been in the custody of his mother. If Evan can’t get the coolest kids to come to his bar mitzvah, how is he going to survive the school year, not to mention, the rest of his life? And how will he ever accomplish that in a place where kids don’t even know what a bar mitzvah is?
Geek. Poser. Jock. Beauty Queen. Wannabe. These are the labels that can last a lifetime. Thirteen is a musical about fitting in—and standing out. As Evan navigates the world of cool kids and nerds, jocks and cheerleaders, first kisses and heartbreak, he comes to understand what it means to be a friend and that Henderson “isn’t so bad after all.”
With a bright, catchy pop score from Tony-winning composer and pianist Jason Robert Brown, equal doses of humor and pathos, and a cast of wildly talented teens, Thirteen is irresistible to grown ups and almost-grown ups alike. A six-piece live rock band of local talent will bring the music of Jason Robert Brown to life.
Thirteen is the only Broadway musical ever to perform with a cast and band entirely made of teenagers. Some of the finest young talent from Henderson and beyond will bring the musical to our stage in a way you never thought possible.
News 11/16/16
/by Larry