Tag Archive for: #vancecountynews

VGCC honors Radiography Graduates

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Twenty-two new graduates of Vance-Granville Community College’s two-year Radiography program were honored in a May 8 pinning ceremony in the college’s Civic Center.

The Radiography Class of 2017 included Marlene LaShon Bailey and Anna Tilley, both of Creedmoor; Trevor Houston and Brooke Oakley-Storer, both of Durham; Mary Elizabeth Brewer, Kelsey Paige Hight, Kara Siena Shelton Reese and Madalyne Woods, all of Henderson; Kaitlyn Burton Sumner of Hurdle Mills; Chelsea Jane Flaxcomb and Sabrina Johnson, both of Louisburg; Mary DeAnn Currin, Maricela Carbajal, Kristel L. DeHart and Jonathan Liddane, all of Oxford; Jaime Wilson Lorey of Raleigh; Brittany Michelle Chandler of Roxboro; Morgan Hailey Keith of Stem; James Arnold Lea of Timberlake; Jamisha Danielle Twitty of Warrenton; Taylor Renee Davis and Jennifer Rena Rhodes, both of Youngsville.

In welcoming remarks, VGCC Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Angela Ballentine congratulated the graduates and, as a colleague in the field of radiologic technology, former instructor and former program head, welcomed them to the imaging profession. She shared some information about the diverse class, noting that nine graduates had been raising children during their studies, 17 had earned Dean’s List or President’s List honors, and seven already held college degrees or diplomas in other fields.

Ballentine expressed best wishes to at least 14 graduates who are planning to continue their education in specialty fields such as CT, MRI, mammography and nuclear medicine. She also thanked the faculty and staff who had “educated, inspired and supported these students.”

Jamisha Twitty was recognized with the Academic Achievement Award for having the highest GPA in the class. Anna Tilley received the Mallinckrodt Award for outstanding clinical performance. James Lea received the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) Student Award of Excellence.

The students voted for Deborah T. Gilliam of EmergeOrtho (formerly Triangle Orthopaedics) as the top technologist at the clinical sites in which they received their 900 hours of practical training, while Lindsey Hinkle of the Durham V.A. Medical Center received the JRCERT Award of Excellence for Clinical Educators. Both are VGCC alumni. The Clinical Affiliate Award of Excellence went to the Durham V.A. Medical Center.

The guest speaker for the ceremony was Anthony Kidd, chief therapist/manager of Radiation Oncology at Maria Parham Health. Kidd is an alumnus of the VGCC Radiography program. “I think back now to how important Vance-Granville has been to me for my life and my career,” Kidd reflected. He expressed his pride in the graduates. “You have worked hard and made some personal sacrifices,” Kidd told them. “It was well worth it, because now, you have a degree, a trade, a profession, and no matter where you go or what you do, that stays with you.” He thanked the instructors for their dedication to the students, the college and the imaging profession.

Kidd offered a description of the characteristics of radiologic technologists, saying that they were creative, problem-solvers, skilled at time management and compassionate. “We’re not only artists, but through our art, we save lives,” he said of radiographers. “Our profession means a lot to me. We are key parts of any hospital. Doctors can’t doctor and nurses can’t nurse effectively until you have done your job.”

As class president, Jamisha Twitty gave a response on behalf of her classmates. She thanked the Radiography instructors for their wisdom and patience. She and other class officers surprised faculty members Angela Thomas, Stacey Soles, Anthony Twisdale and Lewis Daughtry with gifts from the class to show their appreciation. Twitty also expressed appreciation to her classmates and to the graduates’ “families and friends who have supported us from day one and sacrificed to ensure we stay on the path to success.” To them, she said, “This has been a shared victory.”

Lori Wiggins, a member of the Radiography Class of 2018 and vice president of the Radiography Club, thanked the senior students for their support and particularly recognized Twitty for encouraging the junior students.

Graduates received pins from Dean of Health Sciences Angela Thomas and recited the Radiographer’s pledge as the ceremonies concluded.

–VGCC–

Vance County Early College Celebrates Graduation

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

May 22, 2017

 

 

The 48 members of the Class of 2017 who will graduate from the Vance County Early College High School were honored during their Class Night event on May 18.

 

The Class Night celebration was held in the Civic Center at Vance-Granville Community College.

 

Graduating seniors were recognized with a variety of school awards and were presented with thousands of dollars in scholarships to further their education at a four-year college or university.

 

The top 10 percent of the academic achievers in the Class of 2017 include Christopher Brame, Sierra Hawkins, Kristen Oakes, Janet Rodriguez-Morales and Jacob Weaver.

 

Additional members of the graduating class are Celene Acuna, Jasmine Allen, Christopher Ayscue Jr., Megan Ayscue, Keana Baskerville, Je’Ronee Blackwell, Christopher Blue, Lauren Chavis-Hargrove, David Cobbs Jr., Ashlyn Collier, Chadstity Copeland, Erika Decena-Santos, Alexis Hanks, Mya Hargrove, Hayden Harris, William Harris, Robert Hawkins IV, Ronald Renteria, Tia Johnson, Mychell Keith, Darius Macon-Majette, Jaylil Majette, Nyesha Miller, Michelle Perdomo Dominguez, Xavier Perry, Bali Reavis, Autumn Richardson, Tara Roberson, Kellie Robinson, Stephon Sample, Alexandra Saravia, Rebecca Short, Timothy Terry Jr., Alicia Tucker, Christian Vazquez, Angel White, Darius Williams, Malik Williams, Hailey Williamson, Jordan Williamson, Amber Wilson, Anautica Wilson and April Zuniga-Trejo.

Henderson Lions Club Announces June Meeting

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June 8, 2017 Thursday

Henderson Lions – The Henderson Lions Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Henderson Country Club.  The speaker will be Lion Pat Leonard with the Vision/Hearing Mobile Unit.  To learn more or join the Lions and be a part of an active community service organization, contact any Lions Club member or President Randy Oxendine at 252-438-8034.

Thanks,

Randy

VGCC offers seminar on improving credit scores

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The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center is offering a free seminar that offers helpful tips on how to obtain a better credit score.

“How to Increase Your Credit Score to Over 740 Points; Prepare for a Bank Business Loan!” is scheduled for Thursday, June 22, from 6 until 9 p.m., in room 7109 (Building 7) on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County.

According to instructor Bob Moore, “a very good credit score is now considered to be 740 points, with an excellent credit score being over 800 points. Now more than ever, having good credit is important in being able to obtain a loan for your business or to obtain a personal loan.” He added that a person’s credit score is also important in determining the interest rate of their loans, their insurance premiums and deposits required for phone and utility services.

In this three-hour seminar, attendees will learn how to raise their scores simply by the way they use their credit cards, treat inquiries, make payments and carry balances. This seminar will include information about the importance of maintaining good credit and the positive financial consequences it produces. Moore will also discuss the history of credit scoring, how to read a credit report and what factors are used in calculating a FICO or Beacon score.

A graduate of Fayetteville State University, Moore is a longtime small business owner and serves as director of the Small Business Center at Robeson Community College in Lumberton. He was honored as the Small Business Center Director of the Year for the entire North Carolina Community College System in 2013.

For more information and to reserve a seat in this free seminar, contact Small Business Center director Tanya Weary at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3240. The deadline to register is June 19.

Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/schedules/small-business-center.

–VGCC–

VGCC mentoring program takes students to Greensboro, Charlotte

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The Male Mentoring Success Initiative (MMSI) at Vance-Granville Community College recently took a group of 18 students on a tour of sites in Greensboro and Charlotte that allowed them to explore careers, four-year universities and cultural activities.

Anthony Pope and Michael Farmer, co-coordinators of the initiative, accompanied the “mentees” on a trip that included touring five institutions of higher learning, visiting the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, taking a behind-the-scenes tour of the Charlotte Hornets organization and attending a game between the Hornets and the reigning NBA Champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Some of the students would soon be graduating, and the tour helped them to consider several options to continue their education at the four-year level.

The group first toured the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, before learning about the history of the civil rights movement at the museum in downtown Greensboro. The exhibits and artifacts allowed the mentees an opportunity see the original Woolworth lunch counters where the sit-in movement was initiated by four North Carolina A&T State University students in 1960. Mentee Kendrick Pettiford said that “the lessons I learned taught me how people had to struggle to survive as they held onto their beliefs and that there was a future where everyone could get along regardless of race.” Mentee Joseph Vodjogbe added, “I found the museum to be intriguing, historically educational and emotional. I got to see how bad segregation and racism was in the past.” Next, the students toured N.C. A&T, the largest historically black university in the country, and enjoyed a step show by members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

The trip continued for the next two days in Charlotte, where the group toured the campuses of Johnson C. Smith University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Johnson & Wales University. Finally, students enjoyed the Charlotte Hornets game at the Spectrum Center. Prior to the start of the game, the mentees received behind-the-scenes tour from an account executive for the Hornets organization, who explained to them various business management career opportunities in professional sports. “Although the Cavaliers won by a score of 112 to 105, it was still a good game, and seeing NBA All-Stars Kemba Walker, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, along with the legendary Patrick Ewing, was exciting,” Pope said. Mentee Christopher Pernell, a member of the VGCC Vanguards basketball team, stated that “this was my first NBA game, and it was a great experience.”

Supported by a grant from the North Carolina Community College System, the MMSI at VGCC works to help male students stay in school and on track to graduate or transfer to a four-year university. For more information on the mentoring initiative, contact Anthony Pope at popea@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3395.

–VGCC–

Vance County Superior Court Session Results in Significant Prison Sentences

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Henderson, NC – District Attorney Michael Waters, together with Assistant District Attorneys Melissa Pelfrey and Onica Fuller worked through a criminal calendar consisting of cases brought by both the Henderson Police Department and the Vance County Sheriffs Office during a week-long session of Vance County Superior Court which began May 8, 2017, where Superior Court Judge Michael O’Foghludha presided.

Travis Kingsberry received an active prison sentence of Life without Parole in the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Division of Adult Correction (DAC) at the end of a week-long trial where jurors found Kingsberry guilty of First Degree Murder, First Degree Burglary and Assault with a Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury. The case against Kingsberry stemmed from the 2009 murder of Montrell Alston on Adams Street in Henderson, NC, and was investigated by detectives and patrol officers of the Henderson Police Department under the direction of Chief Marcus Barrow.

Jemel Bullock, a co-defendant of Mr. Kingsberry, received an active prison sentence of 96 to 125 months in the DAC as a result of his plea of guilty to Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon.

Darius Benson, also a co-defendant of Bullock and Kingsberry, was sentenced, pursuant to his plea of guilty, to Voluntary Manslaughter and received an active prison sentence of 71 to 95 months in the DAC. Benson received a mitigated sentence as a result of agreement to testify on behalf of the State against others involved in the 2009 murder of Montrell Alston.

The fourth and final co-defendant of Bullock, Benson and Kingsberry, Alan Gibson, was found guilty of First Degree Murder, First Degree Burglary and Assault with a Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury by a jury at the end of a trial that began on March 21, 2017. Gibson also received an active prison sentence of Life without Parole in the DAC.

Michael Waters

Vance County High School Graduation Times and Locations Announced

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

May 19, 2017

The graduation ceremonies for all of the Class of 2017 members in our four high schools begin next Friday, May 26, with the commencement for graduates at the Vance County Early College High School.

All four of the high school graduation ceremonies can be viewed live on the school system’s website at www.vcs.k12.nc.us.

The Early College commencement will begin at 6 p.m. and will be held in the Civic Center on the campus of Vance-Granville Community College near Henderson.

Our other graduation ceremonies include:

Friday, June 9, at 7 p.m. at McGregor Hall in Henderson for graduates of the AdVANCE Academy at Western Vance High School

Saturday, June 10, at 8 a.m. at McGregor Hall in Henderson for graduates of Northern Vance High School

Saturday, June 10, at 12 p.m. at McGregor Hall in Henderson for graduates of Southern Vance High School

The seating capacity of the McGregor Hall auditorium is approximately 960 people. The number of people admitted for each ceremony will not exceed the number of seats. For the ceremonies for Northern Vance and Southern Vance high schools, tickets will be given to graduates for their family members to attend. Only those people with tickets will be admitted for the ceremony. Only young children will be allowed to sit in the laps of adults. There will be overflow seating for people in the McGregor Hall Gallery. However, these people also must have a ticket for admission.

The doors to McGregor Hall will be opened one hour prior to the beginning of each graduation ceremony.

No types of noise makers, signs, posters, banners, balloons, confetti or any other similar materials will be permitted at any of the graduation ceremonies.

Parking for the graduation ceremonies at McGregor Hall will be available along any of the surrounding streets, as well as the Perry Memorial Library parking lot, the city parking lot in front of the Henderson Police Department along Chestnut Street and the PNC Bank parking lot on Chestnut Street.

Help patients, honor loved ones by donating blood with the Red Cross

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DURHAM, N.C. (May 17, 2017) – Before busy summer schedules set in, the American Red Cross urges eligible donors to roll up a sleeve to help ensure a sufficient supply for patients in need.

Donors of all blood types are needed now to help accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving cancer treatment.

Kenneth Reed gives blood in his son’s honor. When Trace was 8 days old, he underwent heart surgery and received blood transfusions. “It’s the least I can do. If it wasn’t for donors, he wouldn’t be here with us today,” said Reed. “I don’t call it donating blood; I call it donating life.”

Giving blood is an easy and thoughtful way to honor a loved one who has relied on blood products, to follow in the example of a family member who gives regularly or to simply help others.

As a thank you, those who come out to donate May 26-30 will receive a Red Cross-branded visor, while supplies last. Make an appointment to donate blood by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Donors can then also visit redcrossblood.org/cedarfair to enter to win one of three grand prize packages for four to Knott’s Berry Farm in California or Cedar Point in Ohio.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

Granville

Creedmoor

5/26/2017: 2:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Creedmoor United Methodist Church, 214 Park Avenue

Oxford

6/15/2017: 12 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Union Bank & Trust Company, 108 College Street

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Person

Roxboro

5/29/2017: 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m., National Guard Armory, 605 Burlington Rd

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Vance

Henderson

6/16/2017: 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., Maria Parham Health, John T. Church Building, 566 Ruin Creek Rd

NC Farmers should prepare for hurricane season

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RALEIGH – Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler’s annual plea for farmers to prepare for hurricane season is especially poignant this year, considering many are still recovering from Hurricane Matthew.

“Hurricane Matthew is a painfully fresh reminder of just how important it is to have an emergency plan for your farm, food company or agribusiness,” Troxler said. “Take precautions and think through your plan now, and discuss it with your employees and family. Doing this can help no matter what emergency strikes.”

Scientists at N.C. State University are predicting 11 to 15 named storms in the Atlantic basin this year, numbers in line with the average since 1950. Of those storms, four to six could become hurricanes. The Atlantic hurricane season typically runs June 1 to Nov. 30, but this year has already seen one tropical storm, Arlene, which made a brief appearance in April.

Planning helps farmers protect their families, workers, equipment and buildings, Troxler said. “Livestock operations should maintain emergency plans that address power needs and on-site feed capabilities,” he said. “Also, identify places to relocate animals from low-lying areas. We saw farmers take those precautions before Matthew, and I believe it played a role in reducing animal losses from the storm.”

Farmers and businesses should review insurance policies to ensure they have proper coverage, including wind, hail, flood and catastrophic coverage if necessary. Some coverage takes 30 days to go into effect.

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has a website, www.ncagr.gov/disaster, with links and resources for different types of agribusinesses to plan and recover from a disaster. A Farm Emergency Plan Template is available on the site to help organize information that is needed after a disaster.

H/V Chamber Cuts Ribbon for new Downtown Shoe Store

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On Thursday, April 27, the Henderson Vance Chamber of Commerce held a Ribbon Cutting ceremony for Fierce Feet by Tweet, a new business in Downtown Henderson. Fierce Feet by Tweet owner, Alisa Alston offers a variety of in trend, casual and formal shoes and accessories, including clothing and handbags. 

Hours of operation are 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m, Monday – Saturday and Sunday, 1:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. The shop is located at 133 S. Garnett Street, in historic Downtown Henderson and can be reached at (252) 425-2287.