Tag Archive for: #vancecharterschool

SportsTalk: Vance Charter Names Athletes Of The Year

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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

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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

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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

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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

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“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

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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

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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.

TownTalk: Exciting Times For Vance Charter Cheerleading

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Members of the Vance Charter School cheer team weren’t able to get a lot of practice time in before last weekend’s state championship competition – it was that weeklong trip to New York City to participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade that kept them off the practice mat.

But just like their months-long fundraising efforts to get all 20 of the VCS high school cheerleaders to make the trip, things turned out OK.

Actually, better than OK.

They brought home another state championship, winning in the the large varsity, no-tumble division.

“The girls put in the work and made it happen,” said Coach Stacey Long, clearly satisfied with the outcome of all the events that have transpired in the last few weeks.

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But Long isn’t just talking about the most recent competition. She’s talking about the way the girls went out into the community, seeking the $70,000 in donations to help get the whole team to New York, all expenses paid.

That was their goal, she said, and that’s exactly what happened. Thanks to the generosity of more than 50 sponsors across Vance and Granville counties – and beyond – the entire cheer team spent a whole week in the Big Apple, for what surely is a trip of a lifetime.

They visited the Empire State Building, took a harbor cruise to see the Statue of Liberty, visited the 911 Memorial and took in a Rockettes show and a Broadway performance, Long said, all thanks to generous sponsors.

“But the actual Thanksgiving Day parade was very magical,” Long told John C. Rose on Tuesday’s TownTalk. “The girls were just so excited to be a part of that.”

The parade organizers had many activities planned for the participants, but Long and Assistant Coach Shelley Whitehead planned additional outings. But the girls and their chaperones also had some free afternoon time over the course of the trip, too. Some went shopping, visited Central Park and did a little ice skating, among other activities.

“They really got a lot of New York in,” Long said.

And although the iconic tree at Rockefeller Center wasn’t ready for viewing, they did get to see the Saks Fifth Avenue light show display.

“Every day we got up, there was a little more Christmas,” Long said. “The girls really enjoyed seeing that part of New York.”

But no sooner had they returned home than they set their sights on last weekend’s state championship, held in Raleigh on Dec. 3. Add to that cheering for their Knights’ basketball games and next week’s exam schedule, the girls have maintained a tight schedule.

With practices at 6 a.m. and then again in the afternoon, they put the finishing touches on their 2:30-minute routine.

“These girls have put in at least 12-14 hours (of practice) since May,” Long estimated. Logging all those practice hours has paid off, she added.

With another trophy added to the school’s awards case, Long said she wants the young women to take a little time off from practice and focus their attention to next week’s exams.

Then she hopes they’ll take some time to enjoy the holidays with their families. “We’ll let them reset and recharge,” Long added.

Because as soon as the New Year kicks in, they’ll be back on the practice mats. They have another state competition on Jan. 28 in Raleigh. And they’ll be looking to defend their title, which they won last year.

Here’s a list of cheer team members:

Abby Cole

Brianna Dickerson

Helena Florez

Kelcey Hardee

Catherine Hedgepeth

Emma Hicks

Emma Long

Olivia Long

Maya Lloyd

Shakera Macon

Ziya Perry

Mia Satterwhite

Pearla Tabor

Kelsey Waddle

Cheyanne Burroughs

Kate Carrington

Summer Francis

Alina Gonzalez

Ashley Hennessey

Lauren Taylor

Stacey Long- Coach
Shelley Whitehead- Assistant Coach

Following is a list of Sponsors, provided by the VCS cheer coaches:

Platinum Sponsors:

Oxford Cheer Elite

Spectrum Medical Solutions

Stainback & Satterwhite Law Office

Better Beach Rentals & Sales

Silver Sponsors: 

Parkview Office Plaza

2000/5 Partners, Inc.

Sprinkle Properties

Drake & Seymour Dentistry

Bronze Sponsors:

Currin Dental Lab, Inc.

Shadowing Oaks

Carrington’s Clearing & Grading

Floyd Management & Realty, Inc.

Goddard & Peterson, PLLC

Wilson’s Carpet

Coffeys Bail Bonds

Dr. Hal & Betty Westerholm

Cloninger Law Office, PLLC

Kim Hedgepeth

Joe Rebo & Associates, Inc.

Larry’s Service Company

Kilian Engineering, Inc.

Granville Haunt Farm/Granville Christmas Farm

The Church of the Holy Innocents

Carolina Sunrock

Margier White State Farm Insurance

EFP Capital, Inc.

Henderson Optimist Club

Roberson Family Dentistry

Individual Sponsors:

Medical Arts Pharmacy

The Pegram Agency

River Wind Farm

C&P Body Shop

Jean Burwell

Milano’s in Oxford

Shalag

Jonathan Care, Attorney at Law, PA

C Squared

Wesco, Inc.

Johnny & Callie Yount

Sammie McCraw

Danny & Jane Williams

Union Bank

Oxford Lions Club

Jerry & Dorcel Edmonds

Skippers Forsyth’s BBQ Inc.

John Young

Bojangles

Ray’s Window Cleaning Services

Newcap Inc.

Ed & Angela Reeves

Sparkly Strands Fairy Hair

Susan Crews

John Wyche

SportsTalk: Downey Prepares Vance Charter For Basketball Season

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High school basketball season may not get underway until November, but you can be sure that many of our local players are on the court during the summer prepping for the upcoming season.  Vance Charter Men’s Basketball Coach Taron Downey certainly has his team in the gym now preparing for November. Downey, who was a guest on SportsTalk Thursday, describes the team’s workouts as good. With five or six seniors returning, Downey hopes to advance into the state playoffs this season. Vance Charter finished 15-11 last year, good enough to earn the team its first appearance in the playoffs, but with such a senior laden team, he expects they will go much deeper in the playoffs this season.

Downey, who played his high school ball at J.F. Webb before moving on to Wake Forest and some pro ball says it’s different than when he played. “Social media is the big difference,” Downey said Thursday. Players use social media to promote themselves and highlight what they can do on a basketball court, but Downey adds that nothing beats seeing a player in person. “Social media can just be a highlight reel,” Downey stated. Still, Downey contends its an excellent recruiting tool that was not available to him during his time at J.F. Webb.

Downey feels the area produces some very good basketball players that can go on to college and have successful careers, but being in a rural area can mean that some deserving players go overlooked and once again social media can help with that.  Downey thinks that he has a couple of players who would make good candidates to move up to the next level.

Right now, Downey has Vance Charter moving full speed ahead and praises his players for having great focus this summer. “They have bought into it,” he says of his players, and he says it is not easy to get players to do that. He says he hopes to “win’em all,” this season. He adds that may not be a realistic view, but he adds that there is nothing in the rule book that says you can’t do just that.

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SportsTalk: Vance Charter Cheerleaders Heading to Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade

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From a sealed envelope after a recent cheerleading practice, the 21 girls who make up the Vance Charter Cheerleading team discovered that they had been selected to participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City. Stacey Long, the girls’ coach, said there was excitement followed by disbelief. “Is this really happening,” Long quoted the girls as asking on Thursday’s edition of SportsTalk.

No cheerleading team from the area has ever been selected to participate in the parade. Vance Charter will be the first. The hard work and practice has paid off. The team practices a couple of times a week and it was only last school year that Vance Charter participated in its first competition. In February, they went to their second competition and took first place resulting in an invitation to submit a video, FAQ sheet, GPA’s and titles to the parade organization. Two days after submission came the reply that Vance Charter’s Cheerleading squad would be included in this year’s parade.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Long said of the invitation. Long also said that it will be expensive, around $3,000 per girl, to make the trip to the Big Apple for the parade. To that end, fundraising efforts have begun with a goal of $70,000 for the trip which will last for six nights and include various sightseeing opportunities in addition to the participation in the parade. To help with fundraising efforts, the team is going to businesses seeking sponsorships and will have a calendar fundraiser along with conducting a cheerleader camp. The cheerleader camp will cost participants $150 per person with all of the money from the camp and other fund raising projects going to send the Vance Charter Cheerleaders to New York City.

Bronze level sponsorships are $500, Silver is $1,000, Gold $1,500 and Platinum level is $2,500. All donations of any monetary value are welcomed. For more information on how to donate see their Facebook page at facebook.com/Vance-Charter-High-School-Cheerleading-105276945550598 or call Stacey Long at 919-691-3279.

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