Vance County Schools
For Immediate Release
June 20, 2017
Beginning July 1, Vance County Schools will operate on a summer schedule. Schools and school system offices will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. All schools and school system offices will be closed each Friday. This summer schedule will be followed through August 11.
Vance County Schools
For Immediate Release
June 13, 2017
Vance County Schools held its annual Retirement Banquet for those educators and support staff members who retired during the 2016-2017 school year.
The event was held in the McGregor Hall Gallery with approximately 150 people in attendance.
There were 36 school system associates who were honored for their many years of dedicated service to our students and schools.
Dr. June Atkinson, former state superintendent of Public Instruction, was the keynote speaker for the evening. She encouraged all of the retirees to enjoy the time they have earned for their years of hard work. She also urged each of them to find new interests and not be afraid to take on new challenges.
Ethel Hunter, who retired from Vance County Schools last year as a long-time teacher at Eaton-Johnson Middle School, also spoke to the retirees and audience from a retiree’s perspective. She told them to truly treasure their additional free time and to occupy their time with things about which they are passionate.
Jaylen Webb, who just graduated from Northern Vance High School, sang a special musical tribute to the retirees and members of the Aycock Elementary School Chorus, under the direction of Jan Vaughan, entertained everyone in attendance by singing three songs.
Each retiree was recognized by their principal or department director and presented with a special gift.
Superintendent Anthony Jackson concluded the evening by recognizing the 36 retirees had a total of more than 900 years in working in education. He led everyone in giving the retirees a standing ovation and loud cheers.
Those retirees honored were Darlene Ayscue of E.M. Rollins Elementary; Fermon Bostic of Aycock Elementary; Johnny Bullock of L.B. Yancey Elementary; Vivian Bullock of Curriculum and Instruction; Gloria Burrell of Southern Vance High; Millie Camacho of Clarke Elementary; Mary Clements of Southern Vance High; Andrew Crews of Dabney Elementary; Shirley Duke of Southern Vance High; Nathaniel Elam of E.O. Young Jr. Elementary; Marilyn Faines of Zeb Vance Elementary; Jacquelyn Gill of Southern Vance High; Annette Gooch of Dabney Elementary; Grace Griffin of Henderson Middle; Ann Hancock of New Hope Elementary; Vicki Heath of Eaton-Johnson Middle; Susie Jordan of Zeb Vance Elementary; Anne Joyner of Curriculum and Instruction; Jill Kearney of Finance; Magaret Key of E.M. Rollins Elementary; Judith Long of Clarke Elementary; Trudy Lowry of Testing and Records; Wil McLean of Human Resources; Waverly Mills of Pinkston Street Elementary; Dorothy Moss of Eaton-Johnson Middle; Margaret Moss of Dabney Elementary; Clyda Nicholson of Zeb Vance Elementary; Brenda Poole of Eaton-Johnson Middle; Peggy Price of Pinkston Street Elementary; Suzanne Reeves of Eaton-Johnson Middle; Lillian Richardson of L.B. Yancey Elemenentary; Margaret Shupe of Eaton-Johnson Middle; Lola Turner of Southern Vance High; Sharon Turner of Eaton-Johnson Middle; Letitia Vass of Exceptional Children; and Ellaweed Yancey of E.M. Rollins Elementary.
Vance County Schools
For Immediate Release
June 5, 2017
Keith Purnell, a school bus driver for Northern Vance High School and E.M. Rollins Elementary School, placed seventh in the state in the annual N.C. School Bus Roadeo held in Raleigh on May 25.
He was among 29 of the state’s best school bus drivers who navigated a yellow school bus through an obstacle course that tested their skills in mastering a diminishing clearance, backing, making a tight turn and parallel parking.
The competing drivers had to place among the best in their school district’s roadeo and in regional competition to reach the state finals.
The N.C. School Bus Roadeo was held on the N.C. State Fairgrounds.
Vance County Schools
For Immediate Release
June 2, 2017
Vance County Schools officials distributed Nook electronic reading devices to students at Clarke and E.O. Young elementary schools on June 1, as part of district’s Summer Reading Program.
The students can now download books onto the reading devices and read throughout the summer.
There were 16 students at Clarke Elementary receiving the Nooks and 14 students at E.O. Young Jr. Elementary getting the devices.
They join students at Pinkston Street, Carver and New Hope elementary schools with having the electronic reading devices for use during this summer.
The Nooks were purchased with a $2,000 grant from Duke Energy through the Vance County Public School Foundation and matching funds from the school system.
In the photo, students hold their new reading devices as they pose with their principals and media specialists.
Vance County Schools
For Immediate Release
June 1, 2017
Vance County Schools supports Project Child Find, an effort coordinated by our schools and the Exceptional Children Division of the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
Project Child Find is designed to locate and identify children and youth ages birth through 21 with disabilities who are in need of special education and related services. The project also seeks to inform parents and guardians of the services available from their local school system and other state and community agencies.
Those who qualify for assistance are children and youth who have been diagnosed or are suspected to have intellectual, physical or emotional disabilities and are unable to benefit from a regular school program without special assistance.
Anyone who knows of a child or youth with disabilities who is not in school or receiving special assistance may contact Dr. Gloria Jones, director of the Exceptional Children’s Program for Vance County Schools, by phone at 252-492-2127 or in the schools’ Administrative Services Center at 1724 Graham Avenue in Henderson.
Vance County Schools
For Immediate Release
June 1, 2017
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.
Vance County Schools
For Immediate Release
May 31, 2017
A total of 48 students in the Class of 2017 graduated on May 26 from the Vance County Early College High School.
Their commencement ceremony was held before a packed crowd in the Civic Center at Vance-Granville Community College near Henderson.
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.
Vance County Schools
For Immediate Release
May 26, 2017
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.
