Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews
Emeron Cash Honored by local Educators
Members of the Vance County Board of Education were joined by people from throughout the school system and local community in honoring Emeron J. Cash Sr. on December 12 as he retired after 24 years of service on the board.
They attended a nice reception held in the Administrative Services Center prior to the board’s regular monthly meeting to pay tribute to the former teacher, coach and retiring board member. During the reception and at the beginning of the meeting, colleagues, educators and friends visited with Cash, his wife, Patricia, and their son, Chris. They all praised a man who has dedicated his life to helping youth across Vance County and beyond.
Gloria J. White, chairwoman of the board, presented Cash with a resolution by the board recognizing his many contributions. She also joined Superintendent Anthony Jackson with
giving him a handsome, framed collage featuring his many achievements over the years. He also received a wooden, rocking chair with the school system’s seal engraved on the headrest. Vance County Commissioner Dan Brummitt gave Cash a framed certificate of appreciation from his board.
White led comments shared with the audience at the meeting in praising Cash as a great colleague and someone who truly cares about children and education.
Cash thanked everyone for their support over the years and for the many gifts he was presented.
Chris Cash also spoke and thanked everyone for their great relationships and positive work with his father.
Oliver assists Vance County Schools Administrators through workshops
Bruce Oliver, an education consultant with the Just ASK professional development organization, has just completed six sessions of intense educational workshops with local school administrators.
Oliver, shown in the accompanying photo during the final session, came to Vance County for two days of workshops on six different occasions beginning on April 20 and ending on December 9. About half of the district’s school administrators each time attended one of the all-day sessions and the remaining administrators would attend the other day.
Oliver used his considerable knowledge and experience in education as a teacher, assistant principal and principal, prior to his retirement in Virginia to lead each of the sessions. He shared proven strategies with administrators on a variety of educational topics to assist them in being more effective as the instructional leaders in their schools.
Administrators also had access to a wide variety of educational publications and resource materials throughout all of the workshops. Resources were shared in both written form and through online publications.
One of many essential questions Oliver’s presentations focused on was, “What do schools and classrooms look like when they are organized around a commitment to the achievement of high standards by all students?”
Throughout the workshops, Oliver stressed strategies including: standards-based education; learning centered classrooms; project based learning; collegial collaboration; literacy leadership; and growth producing feedback for teachers.
Free small business tax workshop scheduled at VGCC Franklin Campus
The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center will present a free workshop, called “Sales & Use Tax 101,” on Thursday, Jan. 19, from 2-4 p.m. in room F1208 at the college’s Franklin County Campus, located just outside Louisburg.
In this hands-on workshop, Rhonda High of the N.C. Department of Revenue will help small business owners understand the basics of sales and use taxes, including registering for a sales and use tax account and learning about the most common types of sales and use taxes collected. High will also discuss the proper procedures for filing a sales and use tax return.
At the end of the workshop, there will be a question and answer session with the presenter, as well as opportunities to network with other business owners.
For more information and to reserve a seat, contact the Small Business Center at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3240. Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/schedules/small-business-center.
Daquan Foster sentenced in local Rape Case
A special setting of Vance County Criminal Superior Court was held Monday, December 19, 2016. The Honorable Robert H. Hobgood Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for Franklin, Granville, Vance, and Warren Counties presided for the term. The Office of District Attorney Mike Waters was represented by Assistant District Attorneys Melissa D. Pelfrey and Onica F. Fuller. The single matter scheduled for hearing was the sentencing of Daquan Keith Foster.
Defendant Daquan Foster was convicted of First Degree Rape on December 4, 2015, before the same judge. The sentencing was continued to allow his attorney, E.N. Bagshawe of Warrenton to put forward evidence in mitigation.
Daquan Foster was sentenced to 239 to 347 months in the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Division of Adult Correction for a 2013 rape in the City of Henderson. Officers with the Henderson Police Department investigated the case after a citizen reported that the victim came out of the woods reporting that she had been sexually assaulted. Strong police work resulted in an eyewitness identification by the victim and the collection of DNA evidence, both of which were presented by the State during Foster’s trial. It took jurors less than an hour to return a verdict of guilty of First Degree Rape against Foster. The jury also heard evidence concerning aggravating factors that were put forth by the State in an effort to increase Foster’s sentence. Jurors took less than five minutes to decide that the State had proven the aggravating factors based on the victim’s mental and physical infirmities and that she was handicapped. This case was investigated and prepared for trial by Detective Brandon Logue, Detective Jessica West, and patrol officers with the Henderson Police Department.
It’s through the hard work of the Henderson Police Department and their collaboration with our office that convictions like this are made possible. Our office would like to acknowledge the victim for her willingness to participate in this prosecution. Without her courage and the hard work of law enforcement, this would not have been possible.
SGA leaders take office at VGCC
Vance-Granville Community College’s Student Government Association (SGA) has installed a group of officers to serve during the 2016-2017 year.
Elected officers include President Colton Hayes of Epsom, a student in the College Transfer program through Franklin County Early College High School; Vice President Jeronee Blackwell of Henderson, a College Transfer/Vance County Early College High School student; Secretary/Treasurer Emory Gant-Hawkins of Henderson, a Business Administration student; Parliamentarian Francis Scotland of Oxford, a College Transfer student; and Public Information Officer Micah Roberts of Stem, a College Transfer student.
Students appointed to other offices include Jasmine Allen, Xavier Perry and Autumn Richardson, all of Henderson and all College Transfer/Vance County Early College High School students, along with Michelle McKinnon of Kittrell, a College Transfer student. Perry is assistant public information officer and will soon assume the Public Information Officer position from Roberts when he transfers to continue his education at the four-year level. Richardson is lead campus senator, and Allen and McKinnon are also senators.
As SGA president, Hayes is also the student trustee, representing the interests of his fellow students at all meetings of the VGCC Board of Trustees. He is the first student from an Early College High School ever elected to serve in this leadership role at VGCC.
The Student Government Association is designed to promote the general welfare of the college in a democratic fashion and to facilitate communication among the student body, the faculty, and the administration. SGA also provides a means through which students can promote interest in student activities, both on and off campus. For more information on SGA, contact Jermiel Hargrove, coordinator of Student Activities and Athletics, at (252) 738-3246.
New H-V Crime Stoppers Officers
Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers Elect New Officers for 2017-2018
On Wednesday December 14th the Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers held elections for a new President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.
Kevin Bullock, of WIZS Radio, was elected as President. Chris Fisher, of Henderson Fruit and Produce, was received as Vice President. Lorraine Watkins, of The Screen Master and the immediate past president, was elected as Secretary. Danny W. Wright kept his positon as Treasurer.
Watkins said, “It has been an honor, privilege and very humbling to be president for the past two years. Thank you for your support, and I look forward to working with Kevin and Chris as we move forward in providing our law enforcement the best assistance Crime Stoppers can provide.”
The Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers is a fundraising organization dedicated to assisting local law enforcement in the area. Crime Stoppers will pay rewards up to $2,000.00 for information leading to the arrest of persons responsible for criminal offenses. All information received is kept confidential. The Crime Stoppers phone number is 252-492-1925. Callers do not have to give their name.
(The preceding information was provided to WIZS News by Crime Stoppers in the form of a press release.)
WIZS Radio congratulates Bullock, Fisher, Watkins and Wright. It is a proud day anytime a business person or business owner can serve his/her community beyond the scope of his/her everyday obligations. WIZS is proud that Kevin has chosen to serve such an important organization in our community and that his peers have chosen him to serve in such an important role. Fisher, Watkins and Wright are business owners and are to be congratulated for owning and operating local businesses and for their continued service to Crime Stoppers. The Crime Stoppers organization has been absolutely pivotal since its formation in aiding law enforcement and removing criminals from our streets and neighborhoods. Thanks to the brave members of law enforcement for doing the rough, dangerous job of acting on the information learned and for the brave individuals, albeit sometimes for a reward, who offer the information. Collaboration for the common good is one of the things that makes us a stronger city and county. And thanks for allowing us the brief commentary here. – John C. Rose
(Fisher, Watkins and Wright are also all advertising clients of WIZS with their respective businesses.)
VGCC holds College Day for students continuing their higher education
Vance-Granville Community College hosted admissions officers from four-year colleges and universities on Dec. 8 on VGCC’s Main Campus. The event was VGCC’s annual “College Day,” which allows students to obtain important information about transfer requirements, financial aid and scholarships that can help them take the next steps in their educational journeys.
The VGCC Student Learning and Success Center organized the fair in partnership with the Carolinas Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers (CACRAO).
VGCC students browsed through displays, picked up informational materials, and talked with representatives from 18 four-year schools. Almost all of the represented colleges and universities were from North Carolina.
Each year, large numbers of students start their higher education at VGCC before transferring to four-year institutions. VGCC has numerous articulation agreements with four-year schools (both public and private) that allow students to transfer credits in various programs.
The VGCC College Transfer program provides students with the first two years of a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. College Transfer courses are offered at all four VGCC campuses and online. In recent years, the comprehensive articulation agreements between all North Carolina community colleges, the UNC System and the private N.C. Independent Colleges and Universities have been revised with clearer pathways. Graduates of the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science programs at VGCC are guaranteed admission into one of the 16 UNC schools, typically transferring in with the standing of juniors.
High school students in one of the four Early College programs operated by VGCC in partnership with local public school systems can earn up to two years of college-transferable credit, tuition-free. Likewise, eligible students at other high schools and homeschools can take free College Transfer courses through the “Career and College Promise” (CCP) program.
The Spring 2017 semester starts Monday, Jan. 9, 2017. For more information on enrolling at VGCC and transfer options, contact the Student Learning and Success Center at studentsuccess@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3330, or visit any campus.
VGCC Health Sciences students connect with employers
Vance-Granville Community College held its second annual Health Sciences Career Fair in December at the college’s South Campus in Granville County. The event was organized by the VGCC Career Services department and Health Sciences division to help students in health-related programs to meet potential employers and explore career options.
Participating health care facilities included Granville Health System, Murdoch Developmental Center, Maria Parham Medical Center, UNC Physicians Network, Rocky Mount Rehabilitation, the R.J. Blackley Center, Franklin Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital and Central Regional Hospital. Representatives talked to students about their career aspirations and accepted their resumes.
Several institutions of higher learning were also on hand to talk with students about options to continue their education. The four-year schools included Chamberlain College of Nursing, Grand Canyon University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina A&T State University, UNC Wilmington, Lees-McRae College and Cabarrus College of Health Sciences.
Attendees included students from VGCC programs including Nurse Aide I and II, Medication Aide, Phlebotomy, Practical Nursing, Associate Degree Nursing, Medical Assisting, LPN to ADN Transition, Criminal Justice Technology, Medical Office Administration, Radiography, Pharmacy Technology and Medical Coding, along with some who are preparing to enter Health Sciences programs.
For more information on VGCC’s Health Sciences programs, contact Audrey Stainback at (252) 738-3210.
For more information on career services at VGCC, contact Linda Fletcher at (252) 738-3466.