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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
A virtual pinning ceremony was held using Zoom on Thursday, May 14, 2020, at 6 p.m., for the Vance-Granville Community College Associate Degree Nursing Class of 2020.
The family and friends of the 43 graduates were sent a link to the Zoom session so that they could watch the pinning ceremony, which opened with welcoming reflections from Dr. Levy Brown, VGCC Vice President of Learning, Student Engagement & Success/Chief Academic Officer; Dr. Anna Seaman, VGCC Associate Degree Nursing Program Head; and Henrry Rebollar-Miguel, class president.
Dr. Seaman noted that 2020 is the ‘Year of the Nurse’ and that no one could have imagined what this year would actually mean for Nursing. She noted that these graduates would soon put on their ‘superhero costumes’ and enter into the workforce.
Jamie Davis, VGCC Nursing instructor, presented cords to students who participated in the VGCC Student Nurses Association, which is a chapter of the National Student Nurses Association.
Maggie King-Harris, VGCC Nursing instructor, recognized those students graduating with honors (a GPA of 3.5 or higher). Those recognized include Reuben Aluoch; Jessica Baker; Susan Carr; Michelle Harris-Evans; and Stephanie Parham. Raine Tucker-Smith was recognized as the graduate with the highest GPA in the class.
Brande McILroy shared the story of the VGCC Nursing Pin and graduates were then ‘handed’ their pin virtually by Dr. Seaman. As each graduate received their pin, they shared where they planned to work; their plans for continuing their education; and their appreciation to family, friends and faculty for their support during their time in school.
After receiving their pins, the graduates recited the Nursing Pledge (written by Beverly Hansen O’Malley, RN) with Vanessa Ramseur, VGCC Nursing Instructor. Ugur Celimli, VGCC Nursing Instructor, presented the class as official graduates of the Associate Degree Nursing Class of 2020.
Even though the ceremony was not able to be held on the VGCC campus, as traditionally done, the graduates remarked that it was still a meaningful and memorable way to mark the end of their nursing school journey at VGCC.
The graduates are:
From Henderson: Bridget Eaton, Cassidy Ivey, Cayla Ranes
From Oxford: Tammie Davis, Taneisha Jordan, Erica Thorpe, Hannah Tuck
From Creedmoor: Eunice Ayaa, Caliegh Katz
From Louisburg: Brittany Sullivan, Shanika Upchurch
From Rolesville: Raine Tucker-Smith
From Zebulon: Joshua Miller
From Raleigh: Aniekan Akpan, Reuben Aluoch, Elizabeth Kenney, Dennis Mutisya, Andrew Zambrano
From Durham: Charles Ngeve, Annah Ongeri, Abigail Rodriguez, Solange Tant, Hser Tha
From Franklinton: Henrry Reboccar-Miguel
From Holly Springs: Irene Solomon
From Apex: Rebekah Speed
From Wake Forest: Jessica Baker, Christopher Ellis, Anne Onsomu
From Macon: Tracey Brown
From Bullock: Brittany Buchanan
From Rougemont: Susan Carr, Branice Chogo, Cherrie Satterfield
From Hollister: Tiara Daniel
From Youngsville: Patrisha Ferrick, Michelle Harris-Evans, Sheniqua Pruden, Wyverta Rawls
From Kittrell: Diedre Joyner, Stephanie Parham, Rachel Spall
From Norlina: Chiatyra Turner
In lieu of the class picture that is normally taken before the ceremony, graduates were asked to submit personal photos to be used in making a class collage that will be posted on the VGCC website.
Pictured from left: Reuben Aluoch; Eunice Ayaa; Jessica Baker; Tracey Brown; Brittany Buchanan; Susan Carr; Branice Chogo; Tiara Daniel; Tammie Davis; Bridget Eaton; Christopher Ellis; Michelle Harris-Evans; Patrisha Ferrick; Cassidy Ivey; Taneisha Jordan; Deidre Joyner; Caliegh Katz; Elizabeth Kenney; Shanika UpChurch-McBride and Henrry Rebollar-Miguel.
Pictured from left: Charles Ngeve; Annah Ongeri; Anne Onsomu; Stephanie Parham; Sheniqua Pruden; Cayla Raynes; Wyverta Rawls; Abigail Rodreguiz; Cherrie Satterfield; Raine Tucker-Smith; Irene Solomon; Rebekah Speed; Solange Tant; Hser Tha; Erica Thorpe; Hannah Tuck; Chiatrya Turner and Andrew Zambrano.
Not Pictured in either collage — Aniekan Akpan, Jr.; Joshua Miller; Dennis Mutisya; Rachel Spall, and Brittany Sullivan.
Vance-Granville Community College Holds Virtual ADN Pinning Ceremony
/by WIZS Staff100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL
-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
A virtual pinning ceremony was held using Zoom on Thursday, May 14, 2020, at 6 p.m., for the Vance-Granville Community College Associate Degree Nursing Class of 2020.
The family and friends of the 43 graduates were sent a link to the Zoom session so that they could watch the pinning ceremony, which opened with welcoming reflections from Dr. Levy Brown, VGCC Vice President of Learning, Student Engagement & Success/Chief Academic Officer; Dr. Anna Seaman, VGCC Associate Degree Nursing Program Head; and Henrry Rebollar-Miguel, class president.
Dr. Seaman noted that 2020 is the ‘Year of the Nurse’ and that no one could have imagined what this year would actually mean for Nursing. She noted that these graduates would soon put on their ‘superhero costumes’ and enter into the workforce.
Jamie Davis, VGCC Nursing instructor, presented cords to students who participated in the VGCC Student Nurses Association, which is a chapter of the National Student Nurses Association.
Maggie King-Harris, VGCC Nursing instructor, recognized those students graduating with honors (a GPA of 3.5 or higher). Those recognized include Reuben Aluoch; Jessica Baker; Susan Carr; Michelle Harris-Evans; and Stephanie Parham. Raine Tucker-Smith was recognized as the graduate with the highest GPA in the class.
Brande McILroy shared the story of the VGCC Nursing Pin and graduates were then ‘handed’ their pin virtually by Dr. Seaman. As each graduate received their pin, they shared where they planned to work; their plans for continuing their education; and their appreciation to family, friends and faculty for their support during their time in school.
After receiving their pins, the graduates recited the Nursing Pledge (written by Beverly Hansen O’Malley, RN) with Vanessa Ramseur, VGCC Nursing Instructor. Ugur Celimli, VGCC Nursing Instructor, presented the class as official graduates of the Associate Degree Nursing Class of 2020.
Even though the ceremony was not able to be held on the VGCC campus, as traditionally done, the graduates remarked that it was still a meaningful and memorable way to mark the end of their nursing school journey at VGCC.
The graduates are:
From Henderson: Bridget Eaton, Cassidy Ivey, Cayla Ranes
From Oxford: Tammie Davis, Taneisha Jordan, Erica Thorpe, Hannah Tuck
From Creedmoor: Eunice Ayaa, Caliegh Katz
From Louisburg: Brittany Sullivan, Shanika Upchurch
From Rolesville: Raine Tucker-Smith
From Zebulon: Joshua Miller
From Raleigh: Aniekan Akpan, Reuben Aluoch, Elizabeth Kenney, Dennis Mutisya, Andrew Zambrano
From Durham: Charles Ngeve, Annah Ongeri, Abigail Rodriguez, Solange Tant, Hser Tha
From Franklinton: Henrry Reboccar-Miguel
From Holly Springs: Irene Solomon
From Apex: Rebekah Speed
From Wake Forest: Jessica Baker, Christopher Ellis, Anne Onsomu
From Macon: Tracey Brown
From Bullock: Brittany Buchanan
From Rougemont: Susan Carr, Branice Chogo, Cherrie Satterfield
From Hollister: Tiara Daniel
From Youngsville: Patrisha Ferrick, Michelle Harris-Evans, Sheniqua Pruden, Wyverta Rawls
From Kittrell: Diedre Joyner, Stephanie Parham, Rachel Spall
From Norlina: Chiatyra Turner
In lieu of the class picture that is normally taken before the ceremony, graduates were asked to submit personal photos to be used in making a class collage that will be posted on the VGCC website.
Pictured from left: Reuben Aluoch; Eunice Ayaa; Jessica Baker; Tracey Brown; Brittany Buchanan; Susan Carr; Branice Chogo; Tiara Daniel; Tammie Davis; Bridget Eaton; Christopher Ellis; Michelle Harris-Evans; Patrisha Ferrick; Cassidy Ivey; Taneisha Jordan; Deidre Joyner; Caliegh Katz; Elizabeth Kenney; Shanika UpChurch-McBride and Henrry Rebollar-Miguel.
Pictured from left: Charles Ngeve; Annah Ongeri; Anne Onsomu; Stephanie Parham; Sheniqua Pruden; Cayla Raynes; Wyverta Rawls; Abigail Rodreguiz; Cherrie Satterfield; Raine Tucker-Smith; Irene Solomon; Rebekah Speed; Solange Tant; Hser Tha; Erica Thorpe; Hannah Tuck; Chiatrya Turner and Andrew Zambrano.
Not Pictured in either collage — Aniekan Akpan, Jr.; Joshua Miller; Dennis Mutisya; Rachel Spall, and Brittany Sullivan.
Vance Co. Proposed FY 2020-21 Budget Includes Cost of Living Adjustment
/by Kelly Bondurant100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL
In a followup to his discussion on WIZS Town Talk last week, Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen reported that the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Vance County proposed budget does include a three percent cost of living adjustment.
The $49,268,824 proposed budget was presented to the Vance County Board of Commissioners at their May meeting and includes four major recurring items that increase the budget expenditures by more than $100,000 each. These items include a cost of living adjustment for County employees, a state-mandated increase in retirement costs for employees, new departmental positions/overtime increases and increases in jail healthcare to change medical providers.
The cost of living adjustment totals $522,120 and is deemed necessary as the County’s starting and current salaries are falling behind inflation and beginning to fall behind neighboring jurisdictions, according to McMillen. “A cost of living adjustment not only moves employees’ salaries up, but it also moves the entire salary schedule upward adjusting starting salaries by the same percentage. Although human resources recommends we implement a five percent cost of living adjustment for the upcoming year, we were only able to include three percent due to lack of revenue growth,” McMillen explained.
McMillen said it would be advisable to revisit revenues in the early part of 2021 to see if further adjustments can be made to the salary schedule mid-year. The last cost of living adjustment given to County employees was one-and-half percent in January 2017, and, since that time, inflation has increased over six percent.
Additionally, McMillen stated that Granville, Franklin, and Warren counties are currently undertaking a salary plan which will cause Vance County’s salaries to fall even further behind.
A public hearing to receive citizens’ comments on the proposed budget will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, June 1. To adhere to current social distancing guidelines, the public is asked to email comments regarding the budget to Vance County Clerk Kelly Grissom at KGrissom@vancecounty.org prior to the hearing or up to 24 hours after the hearing.
Town Talk 05/19/20: Henderson Manager, Mayor Address Proposed City Budget
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Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon and Mayor Eddie Ellington appeared on WIZS Town Talk Tuesday at 11 a.m.
Blackmon discussed the $18,992,950 proposed Fiscal Year 2020-2021 City of Henderson Budget as presented to the Henderson City Council at the May 18, 2020, meeting.
The recommended budget for the new fiscal year to begin July 1 is an increase of 7% over the current year’s budget.
A public hearing to receive citizens’ comments on the proposed budget will be held on Tuesday, May 26 at 6 p.m.
Presenting his first budget as Henderson City Manager, Blackmon, who took over the position from retired manager Frank Frazier earlier this year, said this year’s budget was “unique” as considerations were made around COVID-19.
According to Blackmon, city residents may be pleased to hear that the proposed budget does not recommend tax increases or water/sewer fee increases for the new fiscal year.
“The Council and I were very impressed and thankful that they were able to put together a budget with no tax or fee increases while still maintaining the same level of services,” Ellington responded.
The proposed budget also includes an appropriation of $1,500,000 to the City’s Fund Balance, an increase from the $1,066,720 that was approved for the current fiscal year. Blackmon said the City’s fund balance remains well above the minimum requirements as set by the Local Government Commission.
“For the last four or five years, in order to balance our budget, we’ve had to utilize some of our fund balance. Because there isn’t a recommended tax or fee increase this year, we are budgeting a little more fund balance,” explained Blackmon.
Despite initial concerns on the effect COVID-19 would have on sales tax, Blackmon said the City is doing well on that front. “Much to our surprise, we’re actually trending slightly ahead of last year. There was a lot of shopping going on during the months of March and April, so we didn’t see a decline in our sales tax.”
While Blackmon said the new fiscal year’s budget remains “relatively flat,” some increases are expected in electric utilities and employee health insurance costs.
Addressing the on-going mission to reduce the number of job vacancies and employee turnover, Blackmon reported that less than 10 percent of the City’s positions are currently vacant.
The proposed FY 2020-2021 budget is available for viewing in its entirety on the City of Henderson’s website, under the Finance Department tab (click here).
To hear the interview with Blackmon and Ellington in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.
VGCC Nursing Chair Erica Jastrow Earns Doctorate
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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College
Erica Jastrow, Vance-Granville Community College’s department chair of Nursing, received a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Higher Education Leadership from Arizona-based Grand Canyon University. Jastrow is a resident of Oxford.
Erica Jastrow, VGCC’s department chair of Nursing, received a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Higher Education Leadership from Arizona-based Grand Canyon University. (Photo courtesy VGCC)
“We congratulate Dr. Jastrow on this milestone in her life, and we applaud Erica’s commitment to professional development,” said Dr. Rachel Desmarais, VGCC’s president. “Erica’s education will allow her to continue to grow as a leader in higher education and provide services that help our students.”
Jastrow has taught at VGCC since 2004 and became head of the Nursing department in 2011. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Lenoir-Rhyne University and later completed a master’s degree in Nursing Education at UNC-Greensboro. As a longtime Registered Nurse, Jastrow has experience in Intensive Care Units and Nursing Supervision in local and teaching hospitals.
In 2013, Jastrow became a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) through the National League for Nursing (NLN). She was one of the first three VGCC Nursing faculty to become certified through this program.
In 2014, she completed the Department Chairs Institute offered by the N.C. Community College System, in collaboration with N.C. State University. Jastrow is a past recipient of the VGCC President’s Leadership Award.
Measures Expanded to Prevent, Respond to COVID-19 in Long-term Care Facilities
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-Press Release, NCDHHS
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is taking further action to prevent and respond to COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities. All long-term care facilities in the state will receive personal protective equipment (PPE) packs of needed supplies, and facilities will receive a limited increased rate for some Medicaid services to support infection prevention and management.
“We have a team dedicated to supporting our long-term care facilities as they protect our aging family members and loved ones who require round-the-clock care and the staff who care for them,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. “We want to help them do all that they can because once an outbreak occurs in a congregate living setting, it can be difficult to prevent the spread of the virus.”
PPE packs will go to more than 3,000 state-licensed long-term care facilities and include a fourteen-day supply of face shields, procedure masks, gloves and shoe covers. Adult care homes, family care homes, nursing homes, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities and mental health facilities will receive supplies. NCDHHS is partnering with North Carolina Emergency Management and the National Guard to deliver the packs at local distribution centers.
In addition to the PPE distribution, NCDHHS is providing a time-limited Medicaid rate increase for nursing facility services such as skilled nursing and rehabilitation services. The increase is intended to support strengthening infection prevention and management capacities with technical support from NCDHHS. The increase will also apply to personal care assistance and home health services to help providers who support people being able to stay at home where there is less risk of exposure.
NCDHHS also released updated testing guidance to clinicians that recommends testing people who live in or have regular contact with high-risk settings such as long-term care facilities.
These actions build on earlier measures North Carolina has taken to protect residents and staff in long-term facilities. Previous actions include:
For NCDHHS and CDC guidance for long-term care facilities, visit covid19.ncdhhs.gov/guidance#long-term-care-facilities. A list of congregate care settings with outbreaks is available on the NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard.
Free Lunch for Area Youth at Spring Street Missionary Baptist This Sat.
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Information courtesy Katrina Tunstall, Vance County Chapter of FSU National Alumni Association
The Vance County Chapter of the Fayetteville State University National Alumni Association will provide a free lunch to area youth on Saturday, May 23, 2020.
Lunch will be provided from 12 – 1:30 p.m. at Spring Street Missionary Baptist Church located at 511 Orange Street in Henderson.
NCDA&CS Soils Lab Now Accepting Predictive Samples
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-Press Release, NC Cooperative Extension, Granville County Center
The soil testing lab at the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has announced that the lab is again accepting predictive soil samples on a limited basis. Farmers, gardeners and homeowners are now able to submit soil samples for analysis. There currently is no charge for this service.
“We are very happy to be able to get soil analysis results to work with,” said Paul Westfall, County Extension Director. “We can once again make fertility recommendations tailored to the soil conditions and use. In other words, growers can add the right amount of lime and/or fertilizer and avoid under or over fertilizing.”
Plant growth is delayed by under-fertilization, and over-fertilization leads to wasted nutrients and money and can impact water quality.
Sample kits are available at the Granville County Center of NC Cooperative Extension. Kits can be picked up from a table located in the foyer area of the front door, and samples to be submitted can be left on the same table. Information sheets are available and should accompany each sample submitted. Each sample should be identified in a way that the landowner will remember. Crop information is key to getting a good recommendation. If growers have questions about completing the information sheet, they should contact the Granville County Extension Center.
“Since the lab is operating under reduced hours and reduced staff in compliance with safety recommendations, it will take a bit longer than usual to get test results,” Westfall added. “We have already submitted a few samples, and the results were returned in about three weeks. That’s not too bad.”
For more information on soil samples and soil fertility, contact the Granville County Extension Center at (919) 603-1350, or contact Westfall by email at paul_westfall@ncsu.edu.
Vance Co. Schools: Final Remote Learning Packet, Meal Distribution, Laptop Requests
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-Information courtesy Vance County Schools
The final remote learning packet for all of Vance County elementary school students and Vance County Middle School students will be available for pick up on Tuesday, May 19 and Wednesday, May 20 from 9 a.m – 11 a.m., as well as from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Stop by your child’s school during those times so that VCS students can finish strong in this home stretch.
Vance County Schools will continue distributing free meals Monday – Thursday from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. through June 9, 2020. Meal distribution will not be available on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25.
Meals are available in a drive-thru format at Aycock Elementary, Clarke Elementary, EM Rollins Elementary, EO Young Elementary, New Hope Elementary, Zeb Vance Elementary, Vance County Middle and Vance County High.
If your child needs a laptop, computers are available by appointment only at the District Office. Please go to the district website at www.vcs.k12.nc.us, scroll down and complete the request for a laptop.
As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s school.
Town Talk 05/18/20: VGCC Dean Gardner-Ragland Discusses ‘New Normal’ in Education
/by Kelly Bondurant100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL
Angela Gardner-Ragland, dean of Business and Applied Technologies at Vance-Granville Community College, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.
With 24 years of experience at VGCC, Gardner-Ragland currently oversees an area of approximately 20 business and applied technology programs including Accounting, Business Administration, Automotive, Heating & Air and Welding. Many of these programs offer two-year associate degrees, one-year diplomas and certificates.
With the majority of these programs being heavy on technology, Gardener-Ragland said VGCC must stay ahead of the curve to remain competitive.
“Technology is forever changing, and we have to change with it,” stated Gardner-Ragland. “Recently, we have faced the challenge of moving our vocational programs online. As you can imagine, doing automotive, welding or heating and air online can be a challenge. We have excellent faculty and staff who are willing to go above and beyond to ensure our students are still getting that hands-on experience they need for the workforce.”
With COVID-19 requiring many in the workforce to operate remotely, Gardner-Ragland said the college is preparing for an even greater demand for online classes. “Our mindset has to change. We are going to have to be willing to grow and do more online, especially if we are going to meet industry needs and remain competitive. I do think, especially with the pandemic, that there is going to be a new normal in education.”
Gardner-Ragland gave credit to her staff for making informed decisions on needed resources and said she is grateful for recent grants that made the purchase of new equipment and technology possible “without passing the costs on to the students.”
In an example of VGCC’s stackable credentials model where one program builds on another, Gardner-Ragland said the new Truck Driver Training, while not in her area, has crossover potential with an associate degree program in the Business and Applied Technology department.
“My hope its once they complete the training and have been on the job for a little bit, they’ll come back and enroll in our two-year Supply Chain Management with Trucking Operations Management track, which is a completely online program,” said Gardner-Ragland.
To hear the interview with Gardner-Ragland in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.
Granville Co. Public Schools Expands Free WiFi Coverage
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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools
Granville County Public Schools is excited to announce the expansion of free WiFi coverage in its communities.
In addition to all public school campuses providing free WiFi in the parking lot, six school buses with FREE mobile WiFi hot spots have also been positioned throughout the county. These locations include the Berea Fire Department, the Oxford Housing Authority, the Granville Expo Center, the Brassfield Fire Department, Creedmoor City Hall and the Breda Lane neighborhood in Butner.
Information on how to log-on is posted near each school bus. The internet service is available within approximately 100 feet of each bus.
GCPS is proud to partner with AT&T and Duke Energy to provide this service through the end of the school year. For additional information, please be sure to check the GCPS district website.