Tag Archive for: #vancecharterschool

2 Vance Charter Lacrosse Players Make All-State Team

-information courtesy of Vance Charter School Lacrosse Coach Dan Sandlin

Vance Charter School is excited to share that two student athletes have propelled to All State in lacrosse. Junior, attackman, Gavyn Sandlin, and Senior defenseman, Daniel Mangum, have both taken a spot on the All State lacrosse team for NCHSAA 1A/2A/3A. Both serving as Captains during this season, Sandlin and Mangum were also named to the All Region team and All Conference players. Mangum was the Vance Charter School Defensive Player of the Year, while Sandlin was the Offensive Player of the Year.

Sandlin reached the 200 career point mark, finishing out with 218 points over his last three seasons. This season, Sandlin finished with 52 goals and 29 assists, putting him among the top point getters in the 1A/2/3A East Division. Last year, Sandlin was also named to the All Conference, All Region and All State teams, finishing out being named a US Lacrosse All American. He finished this season strong.

Mangum had 65 ground balls and 35 takeaways after a strong season. His defensive skills allowed him to excel on the field as a constant leader. Mangum brought an amazing level of energy to the field each day at practice and games.  This energy was contagious, and the rest of the team would feed off of his energy.

The Vance Charter Knights had a strong season finishing at the top of the conference, making it to the second round of state playoffs for the second consecutive year, and having All Region and All State representation the last two years.

Third Overtime Score Propels Vance Charter School Women’s Soccer to Elite 8

The Vance Charter School women’s soccer team defeated Voyager Academy Monday night 2-1 on an Addison Clary assist to Abby Cole for a one-touch score.

Coach Johnny Yount told WIZS News, “(The) second overtime 10-minute period was ours and carried over to the first 5-minute OT.”

The winning score came in the first minute of the third overtime as the 12th-seeded Knights upset 4th-seeded Voyager in Durham.

Yount said, “(This is) such an incredible achievement for this program and everyone involved.”

Vance Charter will face top-seeded Woods Charter on Wednesday at 6 p.m., according to Coach Yount, in the Elite 8 round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state playoffs.

High school soccer overtime rules require two 10-minute periods which are not sudden victory.  The contest becomes sudden victory in the third OT.

SportsTalk: Vance Charter Soccer Advances To Third Round Of Playoffs

Update 10 p.m. — Congratulations to Vance Charter!  Survive and advance.

Final Score

VCS-1
Lejeune-0

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SportsTalk: Vance Charter Names Athletes Of The Year

Lance Stallings, Athletic Director for Vance Charter School, and his teams have been very successful on the field during the Spring sports season.  The school’s lacrosse team, co-conference champions with J.F. Webb, hosts a second round playoff game against Swansboro Friday night. The softball team is currently in second place in the conference and two golfers, Hunter Gill and Bill Taylor, have qualified for state regionals.

Stallings, who was on SportsTalk Thursday, also announced that senior Christian Bean has been named male Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year and sophomore Katherine Suther has been named female Athlete of the Year.  “These two students are nominated and selected by the entire athletic department not just their coaches,” Stallings said.  Both Bean and Suther joined Stallings on SportsTalk to talk about the award.

Bean plays three sports at Vance Charter: cross country, lacrosse and basketball.  Once he graduates this year he plans on attending Appalachian State and majoring in recreation management. Suther also plays three sports: volleyball, basketball and soccer.  “Soccer is my favorite,” Suther said.  “We’ve grown together as a team.  We had a lot of freshmen who had never played before,” Suther said. Suther also said that even though she is only a sophomore she has already begun to look ahead to college where she is considering going into sports medicine.

Soccer is just winding up the regular season and plays Oxford Prep Thursday night.  A win by Vance Charter will ensure the team a share of the conference championship, but a loss will give Oxford Prep the title outright.

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Vance Charter FFA Students Attend AgFest, Set Goals For Future

Members of Vance Charter School’s Future Farmers of America were among the more than 1,800 FFA and 4-H’ers who attended the 8th annual AgFest recently at the University of Mount Olive in Wayne County.

The club’s advisor, Kelly Dixon, said Vance Charter is one of only four charter schools in the state with an FFA chapter. Since its inception in 2019, Dixon said the local FFA has grown and will continue to add programs.

“I am excited for our future and proud of the progress we have made,“ Dixon said. “In the near future we will have students raising and showing livestock. We will have a running greenhouse and a great laboratory facility for our students to learn in.”

AgFest, a daylong event to celebrate and promote agriculture, is just one way for FFA chapters like the one at VCS to meet other FFA members from across the state, participate in activities and educational opportunities to learn about more about career paths in agriculture and related fields.

“My favorite aspect of FFA is … being able to learn new things about doing what I love while doing it with hands-on opportunities,” said Katelin Guerrant, a VCS 9th grader who attended AgFest. Guerrant and fellow FFA’er Haleigh Burnette spoke about their experience at AgFest.

Burnette, a senior at VCS, reflected on her time in FFA.

“FFA prepares kids for success, whether they travel the country in their corduroy jackets or never leave their high school shops.”

The event included music and line dancing, friendly games of corn hole, spike ball and chicken slinging BINGO. Lambs from UMO’s Kornegay Student Farm were a big hit with the crowd, as were horses from the Wilson County Mounted Search Team, Horseback Heroes and the N.C. Troopers Association Caisson Unit.

High school students had the chance to test their skills in archery, bull riding, log rolling, virtual welding, and on a zero-turn lawnmower course.  Country music artist Drake White performed an afternoon concert, along with others who took the stage during the day.

“This by far has been our biggest and best AgFest to date,” said Dr. Sandy Maddox, dean of the School of Agriculture and Biological Sciences.  “The purpose of this event is to introduce FFA members and advisors to what the University of Mount Olive has to offer academically and to what the agriculture industry has to offer (for) career opportunities.”

“Many of these students have never been on a university campus,” said Edward Olive, director of the Lois G. Britt Agribusiness Center.  “Our UMO students in the School of Agriculture and Biological Sciences and other departments across campus enjoyed hosting these high school students and sharing what life is like at UMO.”

The University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The University is sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists.  For more information, visit www.umo.edu.

TownTalk: Remote Area Medical Returns To Henderson

For the second year, Duke Remote Area Medical is bringing a pop-up clinic to Henderson to provide free medical, dental and vision care.

RAM is partnering again with Vance Charter School, which is hosting the two-day clinic on Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21. The school is located at 2090 Ross Mill Rd. The co-organizers for the clinic are Duke students Saajan Patel and  Anvi Charvu, both of whom aspire to be physicians one day.

But that’s years away, and the undergraduates have teamed up with RAM to be able to make a difference now.

Last year’s clinic provided assistance to about 150 individuals, and this year the organizers hope that number doubles because additional optometrists and dentists have joined the team to see patients. The clinic operates on a first come, first served basis, but the services are provided right on the spot.

Charvu said she remembers one woman who was seen in the dental clinic last year. “She was so grateful” for the care she received, Charvu said. And the price is right, too.

“RAM does a great job of having great providers who make you comfortable while you’re there,” she added.

The patient parking lot will open around midnight on Friday, May 19. Clinic doors open at 6 a.m.

Once in the parking lot, additional information about the clinic will be provided. Neither insurance nor ID is required.

Because there is a high demand for dental and vision care, Charvu said, patients will elect to go to either the dental clinic or the vision clinic on a given day. But a client could get dental care on Saturday and then return on Sunday for vision care, she noted.

Those who need glasses can be fitted for them and actually get their glasses on the same day from the on-site lab. If bifocals are prescribed, they’ll need a little extra time and clients will get them in the mail.

Clients will get information about local providers who are willing to provide follow-up care, at no cost or at a reduced fee.

 

Local businesses, civic groups and other community partners are teaming up to provide food for the medical professionals who work in the clinic over the course of the weekend. Patel and Charvu said they appreciate the support the community continues to offer to allow the clinic to take place.

“All of these community partners have been such a help this year,” Charvu said. Local Rotary clubs, the Salvation Army and the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce all have contributed in one way or another to make sure the clinic is successful.

Services available at a RAM free clinic include dental cleanings, dental fillings, dental extractions, dental X-rays, eye exams, eye health screenings, eyeglass prescriptions, eyeglasses made on-site, women’s health exams and general medical exams.

In addition to the medical professionals who donate their time during the clinic, there are about 20 Duke students and 120 general support volunteers who work behind the scenes to make sure things run smoothly.

But other local volunteers are needed as well, Charva and Patel noted. If you’d like to help set up on Friday, May 19 and take down on Sunday, May 21, please call 865.579.1530 or visit www.ramusa.org. In addition, overnight parking staff to greet patients is also needed, and interpreters can volunteer to aid patients through the process, either in the parking lot or during clinic operations. Individuals do not need to work in the medical field to volunteer as general support.

 

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SportsTalk: Downey Losing Eight Seniors From 2022-23 Team

Even though Vance Charter’s boy’s basketball team didn’t win a state championship, Coach Taron Downey is proud of the team’s achievement of going to the state playoffs for the last two consecutive years.  It’s also nice to be recognized for the hard work!  Downey was voted as Coach of the Year for the Triangle North Conference.  “It’s an honor and a privilege to be a coach,” Downey said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.

The off season now gets started with conditioning and weight training, but Downey has a little recovering to do himself after his own injury on the basketball court.  While his injury may not be serious, he is getting some serious ribbing from his players.

Speaking of his players, next season Coach Downey will have to replace eight seniors.  “While we are losing those players, we have a core group of four or five players who will be returning,” Downey says. He also expects to pick up quite a few JV players next season for the Vance Charter Squad.

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SportsTalk: Vance Charter Girls Advance To Second Round

“My job is to ruin the fun,” according to Brian Howard, Head Coach of the girl’s basketball team at Vance Charter School.  His was referring to his team becoming over confident after advancing to the second round of the state playoffs. “Our confidence level is always high. Every year we expect to make the playoffs,” Howard added.  This year is no different.  After defeating North Edgecombe 58-27 in the first round Vance Charter will now face a very competitive Clover Garden school tonight at 6pm. This is a home game for Vance Charter.

Howard says their team is built on defense but would like to see his girls play a little harder in the first half.  “We are a strong second half team,” Howard said. In his fifth year as coach Howard feels like the program has come together.  “Everybody’s playing for each other and everybody’s playing together,” said Howard.  Once again, their game against Clover Garden is at 6pm tonight (Thursday) at Vance Charter.

 

SportsTalk: Vance Charter Soccer Winning the Right Way

The Vance Charter School men’s soccer team didn’t bring home the big trophy this year proclaiming them conference champions. But what the team did get recognized for may serve the players in ways they can’t fathom right now.

“We’re blessed to have student athletes (who) hopefully and prayerfully come off the field with a win,” said Head Coach Johnny Yount. But win or lose, he wants his players to be able to hold their heads high for a game well played.

The team was one of only 39 teams to receive Gold Level awards for team ethics and sportsmanship from the United Soccer Coaches Association.

The two yellow cards assessed to players during a 24-game season were two more than Yount would have liked, but neither was for unsportsmanship-like behavior.

“Number one, when we win, we want to be able to do it the right way,” Yount told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Sports Talk.

In today’s society, when there seems to be an emphasis on winning at all costs, athletes can lose sight of what it means to play hard but play fair. Yount tries to instill in his student athletes values and virtues that extend far beyond the soccer pitch.

“Those trophies are nice and all, and wonderful to get, but those life lessons will carry them further,” Yount said. His players are future employees, parents, and leaders in churches and community organizations, and it’s character and integrity that he strives to develop in his players that will stick with them, he said.

Sports teaches a lot of great lessons, Yount said, adding that he hopes his role as coach plays a part in developing future leaders in our community. “We’ve got to make sure we’re doing our job,” he said. “Hopefully it will pay dividends for us all.”

 

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Vance Charter School Lottery 23-24

Applications to enter the Vance Charter School lottery for 2023-24 are being accepted through Feb. 28, according to information from the school’s board of directors.

The application can be found at www.vancecharter.org, said board member John Sossamon. The website also has a link to a list of questions and answers regarding the lottery process, among those being that no paper applications will be available; applications will be completed online.

The lottery will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Mar. 4.

Parent information sessions will be held at Vance Charter School on Jan. 31 and Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. The school is located on 2090 Ross Mill Rd.