Dr. Cindy Bennett has been superintendent of Vance County Schools since July 1. In these past few months, she and her team have continued to navigate the rough waters of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent tragedies affecting VCS students and families have offered challenges as well, and Bennett said her team is pitching in to provide support for students and staff.
“I firmly believe in servant leadership,” Bennett said on Tuesday’s Town Talk with John C. Rose. “It’s all hands on deck and that’s the way we operate,” she added. It’s the way she and her administrative team – her Cabinet, as she calls the central services staff – deals with issues and problems, as well as in times of great success.
Last week’s tragic car accident that took the lives of two teenage siblings on their way to Vance County High School also injured two students and their mother who were on their way to Aycock Elementary.
Upon hearing the news of the accident, Bennett said a team of guidance counselors and social workers were dispatched immediately to the high school. The leadership team went as well, to offer support to their colleagues at the high school, as well as to students.
The students were well-loved, she noted. “It’s been a tremendous loss.”
She added that she hopes and prays for a speedy recovery for the two Aycock students.
Feeling part of a team is an important component of Bennett’s attitude of leadership. She said she and former superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson had a very good working relationship before they found themselves working in the same school district. Jackson arrived about six months before Bennett, who has now in her 7th year with VCS.
In fact, she said, they both applied for the VCS superintendent job that Jackson ultimately won. “I had a desire to be a superintendent,” Bennett said, whether in this district or elsewhere.
Vance County has been “home” now for the past 13 years, and Bennett said she is very grateful to have a chance to give back to her community.
In her first six years or so with VCS, she said she has observed a real focus on innovative practices. “I think there is a very strong mindset of innovation and a desire to provide the best possible opportunities and experiences for our students,” Bennett said. “That is something I want to continue.”
Opportunities sometimes arise from challenges, and she said the COVID-19 pandemic certainly has proven to be a challenge for everyone. And educators are no exception. She said she hopes to be able to continue to offer school staffs and families social emotional support as the district and the community face a “new normal or our next normal, whatever that might be.”
The district will continue to focus on what is best and what is right for students, she said. “I think one of my areas of focus will be providing authentic experiences for students” so that whether they decide to further their education after high school or stay at home to join the work force, they will have had great opportunities and experiences with VCS.
Focusing on this aspect surely will have a positive effect on graduation rates and staff retention, she noted.
“Ultimately, our one responsibility is to the students in this community to recognize where the gaps in learning might be, to recognize where there are places and experiences that we can provide for them,” Bennett said.
Understanding the needs of the community while tapping the expertise of educators is key to providing a quality education.
The Center for Innovation is one such facility that Bennett looks to for creative ways to teach students. “I don’t want this to be a facility that is planned from the top down,” she said. “We want to be good neighbors and good partners, she added.
“We want to be seen as an organization providing experiences to our community but also providing support to our community,”
Bennett said.
“it’s all about relationships – those that trickle down and those that bubble up in the organization. We want to be seen as an organization that values its community…sees the value, power and worth of every single student that comes through our doors. (We want to) take them from where they are and grow them as much as we possibly can…That’s what we are here for.”
A couple of things that nag at the superintendent are staff shortages and bus driver shortages.
She said she’s trying to get a pay increase for bus drivers and there’s a $2,500 signing bonus to entice prospective drivers. “They are essential to everything we do,” she emphasized.
Making sure that parents feel reassured about safety protocols in schools is uppermost in her mind as well. The district follows a layered protection approach to achieve the COVID-19 safety protocols – masks, daily temperature checks and school nurses diligently monitoring the health of everyone inside school buildings – all serve to keep the school environment safe.
She commended parents, staff and students for working together in this effort and encourages anyone in the community to ask if something is unclear. “We do not mind answering their questions,” she said. “We understand how important it is to know that our children are safe.”
For Bennett and her leadership style, it’s all about focusing on relationships and on transparency.
“It’s all about servant leadership – that’s what we’re practicing,” she said.
Two arrested on drug charges in Vance subdivision; methamphetamine, heroin seized
/by WIZS StaffTwo men were arrested Monday on drug charges following the investigation of a suspicious vehicle in a Vance County subdivision, according to Sheriff Curtis Brame.
The sheriff’s office received a call in reference to a suspicious vehicle in Huntstone, located off Hwy. 158 Business near the Granville County line.
According to a press statement from the sheriff’s office, the investigation and subsequent search of the car turned up 28 grams of methamphetamine and 21 units of heroin. Arrested were David Martin, 42, and John Edward Macmillan, 29.
Martin was charged with felony possession of Schedule I heroin and
possession of a controlled substance with the intent to manufacture, sell or deliver Schedule I (heroin). Martin’s bond was set at $25,000. He has a court date of Dec. 7, 2021.
Macmillan also was charged with felony possession of a Schedule I substance (heroin) and possession of a controlled substance with the
intent to manufacture, sell or deliver Schedule I (heroin). Macmillan’s bond was set at $30,000 bond. He also has a court date for Dec. 7.
WIZS Radio Local News Audio 11-3-21 Noon
/by Bill HarrisClick Play to Listen. On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM
Home And Garden Show 11-3-21
/by Bill HarrisOn the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.
Click Play
TownTalk: Midterm Elections Are 370 Days Away
/by Bill HarrisMidterm Elections are now just over a year away and the idea of conformity vs. non-conformity will possibly be what could define the election season.
Discolored Water
/by John C. RoseThe City of Henderson today issued a press release about discolored water.
Kerr Lake Regional Water System customers, including those in the City of Henderson and those served in Vance County, will experience periods of discolored water over the next few days.
According to the press release, there was a water line break and repair. The release says the water is safe to drink and should become clear after running the water for a short period of time.
Questions concerning this matter should be directed to Christy Lipscomb – KLRW Director/ORC at 252-430-9387, or Public Works Director – Andy Perkinson at 252-431-6117.
In speaking with Lipscomb, WIZS News learned that the break occurred near Greystone Quarry. She indicated that when an alternate feed line was used, it changed the speed of the water moving through the line and it scoured the line.
This is an apparent indication that anything inside that line was forced or flushed out and into the system at large.
South Granville HS Campus Converts To Middle School In 2022-23; SGHS, Granville Central Merging
/by Laura GabelThe Granville County Board of Education made some moves toward school reorganization and consolidation by voting Monday to move the campus of G.C. Hawley Middle School to the current South Granville High School campus. The move will be effective for the 2022-23 school year. The board chose not to close any other schools, according to information from Dr. Stan Winborne, associate superintendent of curriculum & instruction and student services and public information officer.
The decision effectively merges the two southern-end high schools at the current Granville Central High School location in Stem. In a written statement to WIZS Tuesday, Winborne said the southern-end high school would have its own identity, which implies that it will be called neither South Granville High nor Granville Central.
The decision to move Hawley was not unanimous; the board voted 5-2, with Dr. Tom Houlihan and Leonard Peace, both former school board chairmen, voting against the motion. The motion to shift the middle school students to the campus of South Granville and the high school students to Granville Central’s campus was made by Chairman David Richardson and seconded by Dr. Gregory McKnight.
The school board has been considering different options for reorganization and consolidation for the past couple of years; some of the options included closing Wilton and Creedmoor elementary schools and converting Tar River Elementary to a middle school so the Hawley students could be relocated there.
County commissioners recently nixed the renovation of Hawley Middle School when the estimated costs were shown to be upwards of $25 million.
In the past several years, enrollment in Granville County Public Schools has trended downward, due in part to families choosing to send children to charter schools. The district has faced schools with more empty classrooms and teachers taking jobs in larger districts nearby in search of higher pay and supplements.
There have been opportunities for the public to comment on the various options that the school board was considering; at a public hearing on Oct. 18, parents and staff of Tar River Elementary spoke strongly against making the K-5 school a middle school.
In addition to the votes mentioned above, Winborne outlined the different motions that passed and failed during Monday’s board meeting:
Granville Economic Development Director Appointed To Regional Foreign Trade Zone #93 Board
/by Laura GabelGranville County Economic Development Director Harry Mills has been appointed to the Rates, Tariff, and Legal Review Board for the Research Triangle Area Foreign Trade Zone #93. Mills will serve a three-year term, beginning Jan. 1, 2022, along with eleven others representing Granville, Chatham, Durham, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Orange, Person, Sampson, Vance, Wake, Warren and Wilson counties, according to a statement from Granville County’s public information officer Terry Hobgood.
The Foreign Trade Zone #93 Board’s job is to review and recommend applications for zone status; adopting a zone schedule including rates, rules and regulations; and ensuring the Grantee operates the zone as a public utility.
Triangle J Council of Governments is the grantee of the Research Triangle Area’s full-service, multi-site Foreign Trade Zone #93, which allows companies importing and exporting products to reduce or delay custom duties or taxes on products received within the zone. All zone activities must result in public benefit and a net positive economic effect. Triangle J Council of Governments views the Foreign Trade Zone as a benefit to member organizations through its ability to stimulate international trade in the region, create jobs engaged in international trade, and encourage job creation in the larger market.
Granville County is the home of two companies conducting operations as approved sites in Foreign Trade Zone #93: one is Revlon Consumer Products in Oxford, and the second is AW North Carolina in Butner.
To learn more, visit https://www.tjcog.org/focus-areas-community-economic-development/foreign-trade-zone .
TownTalk: Supt. Bennett Proud To Serve Vance County Schools
/by Laura GabelDr. Cindy Bennett has been superintendent of Vance County Schools since July 1. In these past few months, she and her team have continued to navigate the rough waters of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent tragedies affecting VCS students and families have offered challenges as well, and Bennett said her team is pitching in to provide support for students and staff.
“I firmly believe in servant leadership,” Bennett said on Tuesday’s Town Talk with John C. Rose. “It’s all hands on deck and that’s the way we operate,” she added. It’s the way she and her administrative team – her Cabinet, as she calls the central services staff – deals with issues and problems, as well as in times of great success.
Last week’s tragic car accident that took the lives of two teenage siblings on their way to Vance County High School also injured two students and their mother who were on their way to Aycock Elementary.
Upon hearing the news of the accident, Bennett said a team of guidance counselors and social workers were dispatched immediately to the high school. The leadership team went as well, to offer support to their colleagues at the high school, as well as to students.
The students were well-loved, she noted. “It’s been a tremendous loss.”
She added that she hopes and prays for a speedy recovery for the two Aycock students.
Feeling part of a team is an important component of Bennett’s attitude of leadership. She said she and former superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson had a very good working relationship before they found themselves working in the same school district. Jackson arrived about six months before Bennett, who has now in her 7th year with VCS.
In fact, she said, they both applied for the VCS superintendent job that Jackson ultimately won. “I had a desire to be a superintendent,” Bennett said, whether in this district or elsewhere.
Vance County has been “home” now for the past 13 years, and Bennett said she is very grateful to have a chance to give back to her community.
In her first six years or so with VCS, she said she has observed a real focus on innovative practices. “I think there is a very strong mindset of innovation and a desire to provide the best possible opportunities and experiences for our students,” Bennett said. “That is something I want to continue.”
Opportunities sometimes arise from challenges, and she said the COVID-19 pandemic certainly has proven to be a challenge for everyone. And educators are no exception. She said she hopes to be able to continue to offer school staffs and families social emotional support as the district and the community face a “new normal or our next normal, whatever that might be.”
The district will continue to focus on what is best and what is right for students, she said. “I think one of my areas of focus will be providing authentic experiences for students” so that whether they decide to further their education after high school or stay at home to join the work force, they will have had great opportunities and experiences with VCS.
Focusing on this aspect surely will have a positive effect on graduation rates and staff retention, she noted.
“Ultimately, our one responsibility is to the students in this community to recognize where the gaps in learning might be, to recognize where there are places and experiences that we can provide for them,” Bennett said.
Understanding the needs of the community while tapping the expertise of educators is key to providing a quality education.
The Center for Innovation is one such facility that Bennett looks to for creative ways to teach students. “I don’t want this to be a facility that is planned from the top down,” she said. “We want to be good neighbors and good partners, she added.
“We want to be seen as an organization providing experiences to our community but also providing support to our community,”
Bennett said.
“it’s all about relationships – those that trickle down and those that bubble up in the organization. We want to be seen as an organization that values its community…sees the value, power and worth of every single student that comes through our doors. (We want to) take them from where they are and grow them as much as we possibly can…That’s what we are here for.”
A couple of things that nag at the superintendent are staff shortages and bus driver shortages.
She said she’s trying to get a pay increase for bus drivers and there’s a $2,500 signing bonus to entice prospective drivers. “They are essential to everything we do,” she emphasized.
Making sure that parents feel reassured about safety protocols in schools is uppermost in her mind as well. The district follows a layered protection approach to achieve the COVID-19 safety protocols – masks, daily temperature checks and school nurses diligently monitoring the health of everyone inside school buildings – all serve to keep the school environment safe.
She commended parents, staff and students for working together in this effort and encourages anyone in the community to ask if something is unclear. “We do not mind answering their questions,” she said. “We understand how important it is to know that our children are safe.”
For Bennett and her leadership style, it’s all about focusing on relationships and on transparency.
“It’s all about servant leadership – that’s what we’re practicing,” she said.
Cooperative Extension with Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden
/by Bill HarrisListen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.
WIZS Radio Local News Audio 11-02-21 Noon
/by Bill HarrisClick Play to Listen. On Air at 8am, 12pm, 5pm M-F
WIZS Radio ~ 100.1FM/1450AM