The Student Council of E. M. Rollins Elementary, under the direction of Antoinette Ball, a teacher and Student Council adviser, spearheaded a year-long service project which raised over $3,000. The proceeds were donated to Rise Against Hunger, a non-profit humanitarian relief organization headquartered in Raleigh.
The partnership with Rise Against Hunger was the result of students wanting to learn by doing and wanting to demonstrate service leadership.
The project ended with the finale of a “Meal Packaging” event on May 20 in which over 10,000 meals were packaged with the help of over 80 volunteers from the Henderson and Vance County community. These packaged meals will be sent globally to help stop world hunger.
The accompanying photos show students, school staff members and volunteers as they packaged the meals.
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Kristen Oakes, shown in the photo at the podium, gave the valedictorian address as the top graduate in the Class of 2017.Oakes will attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the fall.
Jacob Weaver addressed his classmates and the audience as the salutatorian. He also will attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the fall.
Oakes and Weaver were joined in the graduating class as the top 10 percent academically by Christopher Brame, who will attend UNC Chapel Hill, Sierra Hawkins, who will attend Salem College, and Janet Rodriguez-Morales, who will attend East Carolina University.
Of the high school graduates, 31 students also received either an associates degree in arts or science. There were eight students who received both an associates degree in arts and an associates degree in science. Forty-seven of the graduates will attend a four-year college, university or a community college in the fall. One graduate is joining the U.S. Marine Corps.
Those students who earned an associates degree will enter their college or university in the fall as juniors.
Their experience in the Vance County Early College High School allowed them to receive their first two years of college coursework at no cost to them or their parents.
The presentations of diplomas, degrees and certificates were led by: Principal Debbie Hite; Superintendent Anthony Jackson; Dr. Stelfanie Williams, president of Vance-Granville Community College; and Dr. Angela Ballentine, vice president of academic affairs at Vance-Granville Community College.
Graduates of Early College for 2017 include in addition to the top 10 percent students: 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 Dominguez, Xavier Perry, Bali Reavis, Autumn Richardson, Tara Roberson, Kellie Robinson, Stephon Sample, Alexandra Saravia, Rebecca Short, Timonty Terry Jr., Alicia Tucker, Christian Vazquez, Angel White, Darius Williams, Malik Williams, Hailey Williamson, Jordan Williamson, Amber Wilson, Anautica Wilson and April Zuniga-Trejo.
Serving as graduation marshals were Nancy Bonilla, Ke’Moni Champion, Zenee Davis, Nealee Fisher, Lehman Ford, Luke Frazier, Victoria Inscoe, Lillian Kanouff, Seth Moody and Suzanne Williams.
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Vance County Schools will host an Opportunity Culture Fair on Tuesday, May 30, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Board Room of the Administrative Services Center to share information about the educational initiative with our school system and to seek multi-classroom leaders, extended impact teachers and reach associates (teacher assistants) from those who teach in grades K-8 now in our schools.
All elementary and middle school teachers and teacher assistants are urged to attend the Opportunity Culture Fair and learn more about this initiative. The event is open to all interested K-8 educators throughout our region.
Those who attend and visit each information table will be entered into a drawing for two teacher baskets.
To provide all students with excellent teaching and to help students close achievement gaps and leap ahead, our district is supporting schools’ efforts to build an Opportunity Culture for teachers and students. Opportunity Culture models enable schools to reach every student with excellent teachers and their teams consistently, while paying teachers more for their extra responsibilities and helping all educators to improve on the job and work collaboratively. All additional pay is funded with the reallocation of existing budgets.
Teams of administrators and teachers at each school choose and tailor their models. School teams that include teachers decide what reallocations to make to fund higher paid roles, how to design school schedules for collaboration at school, but also for helping peers achieve teaching excellence.
More information about this Public Impact program can be found online at OpportunityCulture.org.
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Dr. Jackson has been selected to receive the award along with six other superintendents of rural North Carolina public school systems.
The Friday Medal recognizes the commitment of Bill and Ida Friday for educational excellence. Bill Friday was the long-time president of the University of North Carolina system and he and Mrs. Friday continued to be huge supporters of the university system and public education after his retirement from his prestigious state position.
Dr. Jackson and the other superintendents who have been selected as Friday Medal recipients are being honored for their commitment and leadership for technological innovations used daily in public school classrooms. The Friday Medal recognizes individuals for their significant, distinguished and enduring contributions to education through advocating innovation, advancing education and imparting inspiration. The award is given annually to selected individuals who embody the mission and spirit of the Friday Institute.
Dr. Jackson will be officially presented with the 2017 Friday Medal in a ceremony that will take place on November 15, 2017, at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation in Raleigh.
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Vance County Schools held a kick-off event this afternoon for its new Summer E-Reader Program for five local elementary schools.
Superintendent Anthony Jackson led the celebratory kickoff which will place 80 new Nook electronic reading devices in the hands of identified students in grades 3-5 at Carver, New Hope, Pinkston Street, Clarke and E.O. Young Jr. elementary schools this summer.
The school system purchased the Nooks, which are capable of downloading a large number of books for students to read, from Barnes & Noble book stores after receiving a $2,000 literacy grant through the Vance County Public School Foundation. The grant funding originated from Duke Energy Progress. The school system provided matching funds for the grant to purchase the devices.
Tanya Evans of Duke Energy Progress, was on hand for the kick-off event, as were Archie Taylor, Jr., president of the Vance County Public School Foundation, and Bob Fleming, secretary of the Vance County Public School Foundation.
The students who are receiving the Nooks and their parents were on hand at the event. Each student was able to “walk the red carpet” to be presented with their device by Clifford the Big Red Dog.
Several educators from the school system joined school administrators in applauding the students as they walked the carpet and received their Nooks for their summer reading.
The Summer E-Reader Program event was coordinated by Jo Tyler, media specialist at Pinkston Street, Diane Averette, media specialist at Carver, and Teresa Baldwin, media specialist at New Hope. They will lead the summer reading efforts at their schools, as will Wendy Short at E.O. Young, and Tonia Davis at Clarke.
The student recognitions occurred during the school’s annual National Technical Honor Society Induction and Cording ceremony and reception. The event was held in the school’s media center.
They are shown in the first photo holding the framed certificates they received and include, seated from left, Alex Machado, Tobias Mosley, Erin Ramseur and Amber Reid. The remaining inductees are, standing from left, Shyanne Robertson, Kamiya Scott, Jodi Vaughan, Jaylen Webb and Alajhasha Williams. Christopher Stainback also was inducted, but could not attend the event.
Seniors at Northern Vance who have demonstrated high academic achievements throughout their high school careers in Career and Technical Education courses also received honorary cords to wear in their graduation ceremony. They are shown in the second photo and include, seated from left, Antavia Alexander, Jared Bennett, Don’Ye Burwell and Brooks Falkner. Others are, standing from left, Chontara Mason, Shadi Nagi, Courtney Parham, Deriana Scott, Imani Simmons and Jaylen Webb. Also honored, but unable to attend the event, were Caitlin Melvin and Penny Phan.
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Vance County Schools are seeking volunteers to serve as proctors during year-end testing at our middle and high schools. Volunteers are needed each school day May 30-June 8, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. each day. Interested volunteers may contact Terri Hedrick with Vance County Schools by email at thedrick@vcs.k12.nc.us or by phone at 252-492-2127, extension 2100, to let her know what days you may be available. Thank you so much for your support of our schools!
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The IFAL program is a one-week residential program designed for rising high school seniors sponsored through the N.C. Farm Bureau.
While attending the institute, students are exposed to the academic and research programs in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and are familiarized with careers in the food, agricultural and environmental sciences.
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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.
