Tag Archive for: #granvillecountynews

Oxford Christmas Parade

Town Talk 12/04/19: Granville Plans Busy Weekend With Parades, Shows & More

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Angela Allen, director of the Granville County Tourism Development Authority, appeared on WIZS’ Town Talk Wednesday at 11 a.m. to discuss a few of the many weekend holiday events happening in Granville County.

Granville Little Theatre’s FrUiTCaKes

The Granville Little Theatre will present FrUiTCaKes, a Christmas production, at the Oxford City Hall Auditorium on December 7 & 8, 13-15, 2019.

Mix together a batch of fruitcakes, three dozen Christmas trees, 10,000 outdoor Christmas lights, a chickenpox epidemic, two southern spinsters, an estranged old man, a lost cat named Tutti Frutti and a Christmas hog named Buster, and you’ve got the recipe for a fun-filled and touching evening of holiday cheer.

A moving story of alienation, understanding and reconciliation, FrUiTCaKes provides audiences with a heaping helping of holiday warmth and Christmas cheer.

Oxford Christmas Parade and Lighting of the Greens

A magical night is planned this Friday, December 6, 2019, for the 14th Annual Lighting of the Greens and Christmas Parade sponsored by Downtown Oxford Economic Development Corporation (DOEDC), the City of Oxford and partner Granville Health System. Events are scheduled from 4 until 9 p.m. in downtown Oxford.

The Christmas parade will take place rain, snow or shine, so please plan accordingly.

Event Schedule:

4 – 6:30 p.m. – Vendor Market opens

5:30 p.m. – Line up begins for parade participants

6:30- 6:45 p.m. – Welcome and opening comments

6:45 – 6:50 p.m. – Lighting of the Greens

7 p.m. – Parade starts

The parade will start on Belle Street, travel down Williamsboro Street, then Hillsboro Street, and end by taking a right on McClanahan Street to the Public Works Parking lot. Please note that there will be no parking in the Public Works parking lot (127 Penn Avenue) on the evening of the event.

Butner Christmas in the Park

Butner Gazebo Park – 416 Central Avenue in Butner.

This is a beautiful evening, which includes a children’s time of visiting with Santa, Christmas music and entertainment, a reading of “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” and the official lighting of the town’s Christmas tree.

Children can visit with Santa from 5 until 6:45 p.m. Program begins at 7 p.m.

Delrayno Baptist Church’s “A Journey Back to Bethlehem” Live Nativity

Delrayno Baptist Church – 1315 College Street in Oxford.

Enjoy a reenactment of the first Christmas with a drive-through nativity scene featuring actors and live animals. Nightly performances December 7-9 from 6 – 8:30 p.m.

For more information on these and other Granville County events, please visit www.visitgranvillenc.com.

To hear Allen’s interview in its entirety, including information on additional upcoming events, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Granville County Logo

Filing Period for 11 Granville County Seats Now in Progress

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-Information courtesy Granville County Government

The Granville County Board of Elections has announced that the filing period for 11 seats for the 2020 election is now in progress. Local offices up for election include County Commissioner seats for Districts 1, 3, 4 and 5; Board of Election seats for Districts 1, 2 and 6; and Register of Deeds.

Seats for N.C. House District 2 and 32, as well as N.C. Senate District 22, are also up for election.

Interested candidates must file before Friday, December 20 at noon.

For more details, please visit https://www.granvillecounty.org/…/board-of-elections-annou…/ or call the Board of Elections office at 919-693-2515.

Granville County Public Schools

Four GCPS Principals Receive School Performance Bonuses

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-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

The following Granville County Public Schools principals have been recognized and awarded monetary bonuses by the State of North Carolina for their school’s outstanding academic performance in the 2018-2019 school year:

  • Jackie Harris – Granville Early College EXCEEDED GROWTH TOP 10% ($10,000)
  • Janita Allen – Granville Central High School EXCEEDED GROWTH TOP 10% ($10,000)
  • Sheila Atkins – Wilton Elementary School EXCEEDED GROWTH TOP 20% ($2,500)
  • Lisa Tusa – South Granville High School MET GROWTH TOP 50% ($1,000)

In the 2017-18 budget year, the General Assembly of North Carolina created a salary bonus structure for principals and select teachers across the state whose students academic growth performance met certain criteria, including the school’s previous academic performance and the individual employee’s school assignment.

Student growth is measured by the state’s adopted analysis software, EVAAS, which is a product of SAS Analytics based in the Research Triangle.

Through EVAAS, student growth is determined by the amount of academic progress that students make over the course of a grade or class. Students enter grades and courses at different places; some have struggled while some have excelled.

Regardless of how they enter a grade or course, students can make progress over the course of the school year. In this way, students and schools can be measured using complex statistical analysis of state test scores, which provide measurements and designations of growth.

Currently, the state uses the growth score of a school as 20% of the letter grade for that school, and proficiency scores for the remaining 80%.

The State of NC has just recently released information on which principals will be awarded bonuses.

Brummitt and Hicks Earn Certification from NENA

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-Press Release, Granville County Government

Granville County’s Emergency Communications (9-1-1) Director Trent Brummitt and Training Coordinator Stacy Hicks have been certified by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA).

ENP Certification is a tool that establishes benchmarks for performance, signifying competence in the field. Those who successfully complete certification demonstrate a mastery of the knowledge required for emergency number program management, help raise industry standards, and confirm their commitment to the 9-1-1 profession.

Granville County’s Emergency Communications Director Trent Brummitt (left) and Training Coordinator Stacy Hicks (right) are now ENP certified. (Photo courtesy Granville Co. Govt)

Candidates must meet eligibility requirements, complete an application (after an approval process) and pass the ENP exam. Once certification is earned, the credentials must be maintained by fulfilling re-certification requirements every four years, or passing the exam again prior to the re-certification deadline.

The Emergency Communications Center is under the direction of the Granville County Sheriff’s Office. All telecommunicators are certified through the N.C. Sheriff’s Education and Training Standards Commission, as well as being certified as Division of Criminal Information (DCI) terminal operators through the State Bureau of Investigation.

In addition, telecommunicators are certified and trained in Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD), which enables them to give pre-arrival first aid over the telephone and in Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD), which enables them to gather scene-specific information to relay to responders.

In addition to the required certifications, Brummitt and Hicks are now two of 84 certified ENP’s (Emergency Number Professionals) across the entire state.

Public Economic Development Hearings Scheduled for Commissioners’ Meeting

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-Information courtesy Debra A. Weary, Clerk to the Board, Granville County

The Granville County Board of Commissioners will meet Monday, December 2, 2019, at 7 p.m. at the Granville Expo and Convention Center, 4185 US Highway 15 South, Oxford.

Agenda items include:

Consent Agenda

1. Contingency Summary

2. Budget Amendment #4

3. Minutes

4. Amendment to Audit Contract

Introductions, Recognitions and Presentations

5. Recognition of Service – Rebecca M. Baskerville

6. VIPER System

Organizational Matters

7. Election of Chairman and Vice-Chairman

8. Set Meeting Time, Place and Schedule for Calendar Year 2020

9. Appointment of Members to Board/Committee/Liaison Assignments

10. Approve Bonds for County Officials for 2019-2020

Public Comments

11. Public Comments

Public Hearings

12. Public Hearing for Economic Development – Project FNP

13. Public Hearing for Economic Development – Project Adam

Purchasing

14. Homeland Security Grant Program Purchase Matter

15. IT Email Migration to Office 365

16. IT Backup Storage Expansion

17. 9-1-1 Back-up Center Additional Console

18. 9-1-1 Center Console Furniture Purchase

19. Granville County Law Enforcement Center 911 Communications Tower

Surplus Property

20. Declaration of Surplus Vehicles

Appointments

21. Granville County Human Relations Commission

22. Granville County Economic Development Advisory Board

23. Orange Street Community Center

24. Fire Services Committee

County Manager’s Report

25. Durham County’s Partnership Opportunity

26. Granville-Vance District Health Department Temporary Space

County Attorney’s Report

27. County Attorney’s Report

Presentations by County Board Members

28. Presentations by County Board Members

Any Other Matters

29. Any Other Matters

Closed Session

30. Closed Session as allowed by G.S. 143-318.11(a)(5) – Property Acquisition

To view Granville Co. Board of Commissioner meeting agendas and minutes, click here. 

Granville County Public Schools

Granville Co. Board of Education to Meet Dec. 2

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

NOTICE TO PUBLIC AND PRESS

The Granville County Board of Education will meet for a regular board meeting on Monday, December 2, 2019, at 6 p.m. at the Granville County Public Schools Central Office, 101 Delacroix Street, Oxford, North Carolina.

The Board will also meet in a Closed Session with the Board’s attorney in accordance with N.C. General Statute 143.318.11 (a)(6), 143-318.11 (a)(3), 143.318.11 (a)(5) and Section 115C-321 on this evening.

To view the agenda for this meeting, please click here.

Oxford Prep to Host Winter Wonderland Event

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-Information courtesy Oxford Preparatory School

Oxford Preparatory School, 6041 Landis Rd, Oxford, will host a Winter Wonderland event in the gymnasium on Saturday, December 7, 2019, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Come learn about the Lower School program (K – 6th-grade) for the 2020-2021 school year and hear musical performances from the 5th and 6th-grade classes.

Fun games and activities are planned for the kids courtesy of the school’s Interact Club. Enjoy cookies and cocoa with current parents.

Prospective students can be entered for next school year’s lottery.

Help Needed Identifying Armed Subject in Bandag Parking Lot

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-Information courtesy Granville County Government

The Granville County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information about the identity of a subject who entered the parking lot of Bridgestone/Bandag in Oxford on Saturday, November 23, 2019, around 9:38 p.m.

The subject, who was driving a silver 2007 Chevrolet Impala, parked by the Smoke Shack (break-room) and exited the vehicle with an assault rifle, wearing a camouflage face mask with round eyelets that draped past the shoulders. It is believed that the suspect is a male.

As of yet, there is no information available that the subject made verbal contact with any employees or entered the plant. The vehicle was last seen making a left turn onto West Industry Drive.

Detective Keith Campbell of the Sheriff’s Office requests that anyone with information, or anyone traveling on West Industry Drive near Bandag around the time of the incident, please call Granville County Crime Stoppers at 919-693-3100.

A reward of up to $1,000 is available for information leading to an arrest.

Oxford Prep School

Oxford Preparatory School’s Open Enrollment Begins Dec. 2

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-Press Release, Oxford Preparatory School

Open Enrollment for Oxford Preparatory School’s (OPS) 2020 – 2021 school year begins on Monday, December 2, 2019. Applications for new Kindergarten – 12th-grade students will be available at oxfordprep.org at that time.

OPS is an independent and tuition-free public charter school that is designed to mold students into future leaders through the completion of a rigorous curriculum while focusing on community service and developing an appreciation of the arts. OPS offers a college preparatory curriculum, a variety of competitive middle school and varsity athletic teams, and has a main campus located at 6041 Landis Rd. in Oxford.

OPS invites families of prospective students to learn more about the unique offerings of the school. All prospective families are invited to the school’s first Winter Wonderland on Saturday, December 7 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at 6041 Landis Rd. in Oxford. The event will provide interested families a glimpse into the curriculum and vision of the Lower School while offering children a variety of fun activities coordinated by the school’s Interact Club.

The first information session for families of rising K – 6th-grade students will be held on Tuesday, December 10 at 6 p.m. Afterwards, tours will be conducted that will allow the opportunity to meet faculty.

In addition, prospective students are invited to spend time visiting the school on three Shadow Days so they can experience our unique school program firsthand. Visiting students accompany OPS student guides through their classes during a four-hour visit. It’s a chance to meet the staff and the students and to get a snapshot view of our engaging college preparatory classes. Information about all of these events is posted on the school’s website (OxfordPrep.org).

The school currently operates in a permanent Upper School Building (Grades 7 – 12) and a temporary Lower School Building (Grades 5 & 6) on the main campus. The school is in the final stages of USDA loan approval for a new permanent lower school facility (K – 6th-grade) that will be constructed on the main campus on Landis Rd.

In the interim, Oxford Preparatory School has submitted a request to Granville County Public Schools to operate K – 4th-grade at the former Joe-Toler Oak Hill Elementary School site (8176 NC-96, Oxford, NC 27565), to which shuttle busing will be provided from the main campus on Landis Rd.

This potential agreement, governed by NC law (§ 115C-218.35. ) would benefit GCPS by reducing their operating costs for a closed school building and provide OPS the additional space for the increased enrollment that was approved by the NC State Board of Education in February.

To be considered for a potential lottery, all applications must be submitted online by Friday, February 28, 2020. If more applications are received than available seats in any grade, a blind public lottery will be held on Saturday, March 14, 2020. All students choosing to attend OPS will need to confirm enrollment by completing and sending in an enrollment packet by Wednesday, April 1, 2020.

After February 28, applications received will be placed at the end of the waiting list as determined by the lottery.

For additional comments, please contact Andrew Swanner – Oxford Preparatory School – Executive Director – (swannerab@oxfordprep.org) (919) 690-0360.

Mark Pace

Thornton Library Showcases Artifacts for Native American Indian Heritage Month

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-Press Release, Granville County Government

The month of November marks an observance of Native American Indian Heritage Month, and the Richard H. Thornton Library is helping showcase this observance with a display of arrowheads and other artifacts from the private collection of North Carolina Room Specialist and historian Mark Pace.

The collection includes pottery shards, spear points, arrowheads and primitive tools that Pace has collected for more than 50 years.

North Carolina Room Specialist and historian Mark Pace is pictured with his collection of pottery shards, spear points, arrowheads and primitive tools. The Thornton Library in Oxford, NC is showcasing Pace’s collection in observance of Native American Indian Heritage Month. (Granville Co. Govt photo)

Pace says he found his first arrowhead when he was eight years old on his grandfather’s farm in Johnston County. That find – with a fluted point – got him hooked, and led him to continue his quest to uncover more. In all, he has more than 25,000 pieces in his collection, some of which have been verified as being thousands of years old.

“Looking for artifacts is therapeutic to me,” Pace says of this passion he has followed for most of his life. “I’m not a golfer, but I compare this to making a hole in one. When I find one, it’s a great win.”

Pace’s collection includes artifacts from many areas of the state. The most he has found in one day, he recollects, were 60 pieces uncovered near Williamsboro. Those finds, as well as many others, he keeps in boxes in his home, with a few choice pieces displayed in a handcrafted case in his living room.

“I often wonder about the people who made and used these,” he says. “If whole civilizations were here so many years before us, how permanent are we?”

Ironically, the first piece Pace found in Johnston County, back when he was an eight-year-old, has since been dated to be 10,000 years old. This fluted point arrowhead, one of the oldest in his collection, is a rare find that has since been documented in archeology journals and is part of the display at the Thornton Library through the end of this month.

“Everyone knows how much I love history and genealogy,” Pace adds. “We all have to remember that history goes back way before 1746, when Granville County was formed. Years from now, there will be those who will be learning about us. I wonder what they will find?”

(A display for Native American Indian Heritage Month is also featured at the South Branch Library in Creedmoor, as well as books available for checkout at the Stovall and Berea branches.)