Tag Archive for: #vancecountynews

Major Community Workshop Coming to Downtown Henderson

/by

The city of Henderson is hosting a two-day community workshop to develop a plan for using local foods to support downtown revitalization. The workshop will focus on planning for a downtown farmers market and public space, but will also explore ways to improve walkability, promote downtown, and identify next steps in developing other food-related enterprises that could support economic and community development.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), US Department of Transportation (DOT), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), and Delta Regional Authority (DRA) selected Henderson for the Local Foods, Local Places technical assistance program, which will result in an action plan for strengthening our downtown through local foods.

A team of these agency partners and their consultants will join local stakeholders to conduct a workshop in Henderson on June 6th and 7th. Your participation and knowledge of the local area is needed to help make this event a success. The workshop will bring together many key stakeholders from throughout our region to develop an action plan primarily around, but not limited to, these goal areas:

  • Design a Thriving Place: Create a vision for the site of the downtown farmers market and surrounding area
  • Sustain a Thriving Market: Management and growth strategy for the downtown farmers market
  • Connect People to Downtown: Promote the place, improve walkability, and provide education and entertainment programs at the farmers market that draw in more people
  • Plan for Additional Programs that Use Food to Build Community: Identify next steps towards long term goals of a grocery store, community kitchen, and community gardens in the downtown

The workshop will include presentations on community livability and the roles that local foods play in supporting it, plus small group working sessions and discussions on the community’s vision and goals, and specific actions for reaching them. The workshop will lay out an action plan for moving forward.

  • Who: Stakeholders and community leaders such as you, local residents, and elected officials; along with representatives of EPA, USDA, DRA and contractors from Renaissance Planning.
  • What: Discussions on local foods and community livability, group work sessions, and networking that will result in an Action Plan.
  • Day 1 Evening Session: Tuesday, June 6th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at Perry Memorial Library (Farm Bureau Room)
  • Day 2 Action Planning Work Sessions: Wednesday, June 7th from 9:00 AM to Noon and 1:00 to 4:00 PM at Perry Memorial Library (Farm Bureau Room)
  • Please RSVP: Contact Carolyn Powell, Director of Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission by email at carolyn.powell@hendersondowntown.com or phone at (252) 810-9785 to RSVP for the workshop.

Your expertise, experience, and enthusiasm for the community and region will help make the workshop a success. We look forward to seeing you there.

Community Meeting – June 6th, 2017
More info: https://hendersonncdowntown.com/event/local-foods-local-places-community-meeting/

Planning Session – June 7th, 2017
More Info:  https://hendersonncdowntown.com/event/local-foods-local-places-planning-session/

Other Upcoming Events:
Spring Fling:  https://hendersonncdowntown.com/event/spring-fling-2017/

Independence Day Celebration:  https://hendersonncdowntown.com/event/independence-day-2017-celebration/

Pinkston Street Elementary hosts “EOG Parent Night”

/by

Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

May 12, 2017

The Vance County Schools’ Family Resource Center hosted an “EOG Parent Night” on May 11 at Pinkston Street Elementary School for parents and their children who are in grades 3-5 in our 10 elementary schools.
Approximately 200 people attended the event. They participated in a variety of information sessions held in classrooms throughout the school to gain valuable strategies and advice on what to expect on the N.C. End-of-Grade tests in reading, mathematics and science.  
Parents and children rotated through the various sessions, which were all led by teachers in our elementary schools. The sessions were designed to provide them with information on the types of things that will be covered on the tests and how they can prepare at home and at school to be successful on the tests, which will be administered at the end of May.
In the first photo, Robin Wilson, a teacher at New Hope Elementary School, leads a session with parents and students involving the state reading test. In the second photo, Kedecia Stewart, a teacher at Pinkston Street Elementary School, discusses math strategies with parents and students.

Henderson Resident Pleads Guilty to Murder of his Father

/by

Henderson, NC— A session of Vance County Criminal Superior Trial Court was held during the week of May 8, 2017. The Honorable Michael O’Foghludha, Superior Court Judge, presided over the session.

Willie McAffee, III pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder and Second Degree Arson in the 2015 death of his father, Willie McAffee, Jr.

Mr. McAffee received an active sentence of 270 to 336 months in the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Division of Adult Correction (DAC). He was also ordered to continue mental health treatment while in custody.

This case was prepared for trial by Assistant District Attorney Onica F. Fuller, and investigated by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and Captain Bullock of the Vance County Sheriffs Office under the direction of Sheriff Peter White.

Michael Waters

Two Vance County Schools assistant principals complete FRL

/by

Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

May 10, 2017

Nowell Brooks and Alice Hinson, both assistant principals with Vance County Schools, have successfully completed a year-long participation in the Future-Ready Leadership (FRL) development program for practicing assistant principals.

Brooks is an assistant principal at Northern Vance High School and Hinson is the assistant principal at the AdVANCE Academy at Western Vance High School.

Both have been administrators in Vance County Schools for several years. Brooks also has been an assistant principal at Henderson Middle School and E.M. Rollins Elementary School. Hinson was a long-time teacher at Eaton-Johnson Middle School. She also has been an assistant principal at Eaton-Johnson and Northern Vance High School.

The FRL is provided by the N.C. Principals and Assistant Principals’ Association and is aligned to the performance evaluation standards adopted by the State Board of Education for North Carolina’s school leaders. Through this cohort driven model, assistant principals participate in six face-to-face sessions held in Raleigh and engage in assignments, projects and readings designed to build the capacity of their schools and their own capacity as “Future-Ready” school leaders.

 

Henderson-Vance Rec Ball Season Reaches Halfway Mark

/by

Coaches,  We are now halfway through our baseball/softball seasons.  Everything is progressing pretty smoothly minus a few bumps in the road here and there.  We are asking you to  continue to let us know if there is anything that we can help you with or if you need anything.  Please keep in mind that Thomas Morrison is now on board full time.  You may email or call either one of us for questions or concerns.  With this in mind we are asking you for your help in a couple of matters:

 

  • The Aycock Recreation Complex is a smoke free and tobacco free facility.  The use of tobacco products is strictly prohibited.  These mean all buildings, ballfields, parking areas and walking trails.  Please help us with this as we have seen firsthand parents, grandparents, and yes even coaches smoking and chewing tobacco.

 

  • Please remember, as a Manager/Coach, you not only represent the Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department but the sponsors as well.  We as Mangers/Coaches need to set a good example for the young athletes who are participating in our leagues.  Please watch your language and demeanor at all times, as all players/parents/and other coaches are watching.

 

  • Please do not place any pictures of any (individual) participant on any social media outlet (Team pictures are ok.).  No one except the Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department has permission to do so.

 

  • Please keep in mind that if Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department has a reasonable suspicion of a volunteer using any kind of illegal substance at any time during the season, we have the right to ask that coach for a drug screening.

 

Once again thanks for all that you do.  If not for volunteers such as yourself our programs would be as great as they are.

Thanks

Steven W. Osborne

Henderson-Vance Recreation Program Superintendent

Aycock Recreation Center

307 Carey Chapel Rd

Henderson, NC 27537

Henderson Collegiate to hold groundbreaking for High School

/by

Henderson Collegiate High School
Groundbreaking Ceremony
Friday, May 26, 2017
2:00 – 3:00 pm
1071 Old Epsom Road, Henderson, NC

You’re invited! Please join us to celebrate the groundbreaking for our new high school facility!

RSVP by emailing mflowe@hendersoncollegiate.org

Congressman Butterfield talks with VGCC students

/by

U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, who represents North Carolina’s first congressional district, visited the main campus of Vance-Granville Community College on April 17, during a tour of his district while Congress was in recess. At the college, the congressman met with Dr. Stelfanie Williams, VGCC’s president, along with a group of five students: Jesse Edwards, Camden Jones, Evan O’Geary and Latessa Wilkerson, all of Henderson; and Francis Scotland of Oxford. The congressman was accompanied by Reginald Speight, his district director.

Dr. Williams informed students that Butterfield has represented the first district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2004. “He is a longtime public servant with a background in the law, and he wants to hear about your experiences at VGCC and what your plans are,” Williams told the students at the outset of the meeting. “It’s my pleasure to be with you today and to talk with you about your future and about what I can do to assist this institution and you individually to achieve your goals,” Butterfield added.

Butterfield said his district includes all or parts of 14 counties, including Vance, Granville and Warren. The congressman is no stranger to VGCC, having spoken at several events over the years, including commencement exercises in 2014. Butterfield praised the North Carolina Community College System as one of the best in the country, and VGCC as one of the outstanding community colleges in the state. He is a member of the Community College Caucus in Congress.

The congressman discussed a wide range of issues, including the federal budget and the need for the two parties in Washington to work together. Butterfield urged students to educate themselves on the major public policy issues of the day and then to make their views known to their elected officials.

He asked the students to talk about their respective career aspirations. O’Geary and Jones are interested in careers in the arts, Wilkerson in sports management, Scotland in electrical engineering and Edwards in nursing.

“This was a great opportunity for these students to speak with a sitting congressman, because we want VGCC students not only to learn about their academic areas, but also to be well-informed, productive citizens,” Dr. Williams said.

–VGCC–

 

VGCC student nominated for Herring Award

/by

Jordan Williamson of Henderson, a student in the College Transfer program at Vance-Granville Community College, was recently the college’s nominee for the North Carolina Community College System’s Dallas Herring Achievement Award.

The award was established by the system in 2010 to honor the late Dr. Dallas Herring, the longtime State Board of Education chairman and one of the state’s earliest advocates of community colleges. Each year, the award recognizes a current or former community college student who best embodies Herring’s philosophy of “taking people where they are and carrying them as far as they can go.”

Williamson said that VGCC had helped him to overcome learning challenges and earn a college degree. “As a child, I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, which is characterized by social awkwardness and difficulty communicating feelings,” he wrote in an essay for the award nomination. “My grade school education was normal, by all accounts, but I struggled to interact comfortably with other people. As I advanced through school and eventually entered the Vance County Early College High School, I withdrew socially. I was allowed certain accommodations in order to compensate for some of my challenges in class, but at times these seemed to separate me from my peers even more.  My instructors offered their support and understanding, which allowed me to continue my education without the need for remedial or special classes.” 

As a VGCC student, Williamson wrote, “the opportunities that I have been afforded have allowed me to excel in my education…. I was allowed to record notes during class, instead of having to write them down. I was allowed additional time during exams to help alleviate my anxiety during timed exams. I was allowed a separate, quiet area to take my tests in order to reduce distractions and allow me to focus more clearly. I have been allowed the opportunity to succeed or fail based on my own merits.”

Williamson describes himself as “a young man who has to use the tools that I have been given and try to achieve the best that I can with them.” He is graduating from VGCC this month with his Associate in Arts degree, as well as his diploma from Vance County Early College High School.

“I want to continue my education and work in the field of science,” Williamson added. “I aspire to use the gifts that I have been given to become the best person that I can. I do not know what my future holds, but my present has been shaped by the opportunities that I have been given. My goal is to become someone, that when I look back from a ripe old age, did his best with the tools he was given.”

“During Jordan’s tenure at Vance County Early College High School and Vance-Granville Community College, I have seen him grow and mature socially, physically and academically,” said Evangeline Mitchell, VGCC’s college liaison for the high school. “He is a daily reminder that with hard work, dedication and perseverance, anything is possible. I am so proud of Jordan and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

–VGCC–

H/V Chamber to host ribbon cutting for Cook Shack Catering

/by

Monday, May 22, 2017

Ribbon Cutting at 10:00 am

Cook Shack Catering Company

3778 NC Hwy 39 S, Louisburg, NC 27549

Phone: (919) 497-0669

Web: www.cookshackcatering.com

Please be advised that a Ribbon Cutting will be held for Cook Shack Catering Company at their location in Louisburg on Monday, May 22nd at 10:00 a.m.  to celebrate their membership with the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce.

Please join the Chamber Board and staff in this celebration to help support and formally welcome this new business into the Chamber.  The celebration is open for all to attend. 

Cook Shack Catering was established in 2004 by Austin Murray. Over the years, Cook Shack has grown to be “one of the area’s premier caterers”. They cater from the mountains of NC to the coast of NC. Cook Shack caters to events large and small and offer and have a wide variety of catering menu options.

For more information, please contact them at (919) 497-0669 or check them out on the web at www.cookshackcatering.com

HVDDC looking for vendors and performers

/by

The Henderson Vance Downtown Development Commission is hosting a few upcoming events to bring people downtown!

Spring Fling is on June 3rd, 2017, featuring food trucks, including craft beer Aviator Brewery, DJ and Dancers on Breckenridge Street.

Independence Day Celebration on July 1st, 2017 featuring a parade down Garnett Street starting at 10:00 a.m., leading to activities on Breckenridge Street.

Each event we are seeking more vendors and performers. Check our webpage for vendor forms and return to us as soon as possible.  

Do you have a business already in downtown Henderson? We encourage you to consider a vendor spot during these events to bring more attention to your location! Bring samples of your merchandise, flyers and brochures etc!

Find ways your business or group can take advantage of these events!

Are you a church or non-profit?  Consider a bake sale, or ask your members to donate items to sell at the event!

Contact us at info@hendersonncdowntown.com