Tag Archive for: #vancecountyschools

VCS Announces Principals, Teachers Of The Year During Awards Ceremony

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Vance County Schools honored its 2022 Educators of Excellence at an awards ceremony on Tuesday.

Edward Ortega, principal of STEM Early High School was named Principal of the Year; Launtia Dallas of Clarke Elementary was named Beginning Teacher of the Year; Anita Griffith of Zeb Vance Elementary was named Teacher of the Year and Donald Johnson of Aycock Elementary was named Assistant Principal of the Year.

The awards were presented at the district’s annual Excellence in Education banquet at the Henderson County Club. The banquet honored teachers, staff and administrators from across the district, representing their respective schools.

Griffith, music teacher at Zeb Vance Elementary, has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Piano Performance and Choral Conducting. She has taught at the elementary, secondary and university level.

“This is an amazing acknowledgement”, Griffith said. “I am humbled to be named VCS District Teacher of the Year. Our children are so important and I will try to always do my best for them.”

Donald Johnson III (VCS Assistant Principal of the Year), Edward Ortega (VCS Principal of the Year), Anita Griffith (VCS Teacher of the Year), and Launtia Dallas (VCS Beginning Teacher of the Year)

She is a phenomenal educator and in everything she does”, said Andrew Markcoch, the Director of Fine Arts and Innovation. First and foremost, she has built relationships with the students, and has built a culture in her room at Zeb Vance that is palatable.” Anybody that walks into her room will see that instantly. [She is] a wonderful representation of the kinds of things that we do in this district in the arts.”

Dallas, who teaches second grade at Clarke Elementary, said she is “excited, elated, honored and extremely grateful to Vance County Schools for this prestigious award.

I show up every day to educate my scholars as if they had my last name,” Dallas said in a press statement issued by VCS Director of Communications Aarika Sandlin. “My desire is to serve them to

the best of my ability so that they can serve our community. I am humbled by this recognition and I’m ready to allow this fresh fire to perpetuate as I believe that our scholars deserve teachers who believe that they can learn and will not be satisfied until they do.”

Johnson took top honors as assistant principal of the year. Currently at Aycock Elementary, he began his educational journey in Granville County as a teacher and assistant principal before joining Vance County Schools in 2021.

“I am truly humbled, honored, and blessed to serve the community that I am from. As a product of Vance County, I am fortunate to be able to serve alongside an amazing group of educators, children, and families that make up our community. As I reflect on the privilege of being named the Vance County Schools’ Assistant Principal of the Year, the word that immediately comes to mind is ‘thankful.’ I am thankful to serve on a dynamic team that is committed to serving children each day to ensure that all children are given the best opportunities to learn and grow. I am thankful to continue to serve the community that made me who I am today. I am so proud of each educator in our district that invests in our students and community – they are the true heroes.”

Edward Ortega, principal of STEM Early High, said he was honored and humbled to be named VCS principal of the year. “This is a recognition of the dedication and hard work poured in over the years to make sure our students receive the quality education they deserve. I did not reach this point on my own. Since I came from Colombia in 2004, I have been blessed with mentorship and friendship of amazing educators and leaders. I am truly thankful to each one of them for the guidance, support and affection expressed along the way. I am also fortunate to work for a school district and community committed to fostering academic excellence in the county’s children and youth. I will continue to be fully committed to my passion for teaching and learning in all its forms in a school district that has become an incredibly special place for me and my family. Again, thank you Vance County Schools for this recognition. It feels amazing to be the 2022 VCS Principal of the Year.”

Ortega began his career with Vance County Schools as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. He graduated from the Universidad del Atlántico in Colombia as a Modern Languages Teacher.

“It’s an honor to celebrate all of the educators in our district, especially those recognized by their peers as Teacher of the Year and Beginning Teacher of the Year”, said Superintendent Dr. Cindy Bennett. “It is also exciting to be part of recognizing members of our school leadership. Vance County Schools is very fortunate to have a group of dedicated and passionate teachers and leaders who recognize that the most important part of our job is serving our children.”

Griffith and Ortega will represent Vance County in the regional competition.

Chamber In Search Of Cheerleaders For Aug. 23 Event

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Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce President Michele Burgess invites fellow Chamber members to break out the pom-poms and turn out on Aug. 23 to cheer on Vance County Schools’ teachers as they return to begin a new school year.

Teachers will arrive by bus around 8 a.m. and the Convocation Kick-off begins at McGregor Hall.

“We are asking for anyone in our business community interested in celebrating and cheering on our educators, to join us outside of McGregor Hall from 7:50 a.m.- 8:20 a.m,” Burgess said in a statement to WIZS News Friday.

Plan to come out and bring some associates or employees to join in the fun, Burgess said. The group will line up in front of McGregor Hall, and individuals are invited to bring company signs, mascots and any other business-related swag to show some “loud hometown spirit” for teachers as they arrive from their individual schools.

School officials said this year’s convocation is the first time the entire VCS staff has been together since 2019.

Although there’s not enough space inside McGregor Hall for the business and community “cheerleaders,” it should be a lot of fun to show the educators in our community that we value their work and effort as they kick off a new school year.

Chamber’s Business After Hours Tomorrow At VCS Center For Innovation

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Check out the Chamber’s Business After Hours event Thursday, Aug. 11 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Vance County Schools’ Center for Innovation.

Chamber members are invited to the site of the former Henderson High School and Henderson Middle School campus to enjoy some networking and refreshments. Parking is available just off N. William Street, behind the main building.

It’s a great time to talk with school leaders about how your business can support education and how schools can help to ensure they’re preparing students for the workforce.

Participants can tour the zSpace lab, SLICE lab, MakerSpace room and video production studio on campus and can learn how their business can utilize the resources available at the Center for Innovation.

There will be giveaways and door prizes.

To learn more, contact Sandra Wilkerson, the Chamber’s director of programs at Sandra@hendersonvance.org or 252.438.8414.

TownTalk: School Board Approves VCS Strategic Plan

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The new Vance County Schools logo was officially unveiled Aug. 1, and school officials took time at Monday night’s school board meeting to share a bit about the meaning behind the color scheme and the graphics.

“The new logo represents the pathway options that students may choose as the letters v,c and s can all be traced in the image,” according to information in the VCS Board Briefs document. There’s a color gradient that moves from greens to blues and that represents the personalized education and pathways available to students, the statement explained.

The school board also approved the 2022-2025 strategic plan, which includes a revised vision and mission for the 16-school district, which serves about 5,000 students from preschool through high school.

The four-point plan lists equity, innovation, high performance culture and experiential learning as driving forces to inform the work of schools, staff and district leadership.

“Vance County Schools provides an adaptable educational setting where learning is a catalyst to the pursuit of dreams in an evolving society,” the vision statement reads.

And the mission states: “Vance County Schools is committed to providing broad experiences and opportunities to stakeholders that enable them to compete globally.”

Visit https://www.vcs.k12.nc.us/ to learn more.

2022 Summer Institute Graduates Honored By VCS

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Seven Vance County Schools teachers recently completed the Teacher’s Executive Summer Institute to learn more about resources available to them as they continue to work in the classroom.

A graduation reception was held in their honor at the VCS administrative services center, with principals and other special guests on hand to recognize their achievements, according to a statement from Brielle Barrow, VCS communication coordinator.

The leadership program is held each year and is jointly sponsored by the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce, Vance County Public School Foundation and Vance County Public Schools.

Participants engaged with community and district leaders to learn about the available resources in the community. These resources can be used to help educate students in the classroom to become stronger leaders in their school and in the community.

Educators who completed the program are:

  • Kathy Taylor, Vance County High
  • Stephanie Roache, E.O. Young Elementary/New Hope Elementary/Carver Elementary
  • Tyreka Evans, Dabney Elementary
  • Gloria Holden, Vance County Middle
  • Nicholas Barrett, Vance County Middle
  • Sheneika Campbell, Vance County Middle
  • Shanae Reid, Pinkston Street Elementary
Mako Medical

Mako Medical Offers To Match Donations To VCPSF Up To $10K

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Mako Medical Labs is matching contributions up to $10,000 made to the Vance County Public School Foundation, so now it’s up to interested individuals and other businesses and organizations to step up to help achieve this goal.

“We are excited to announce a strong business-education alliance between Mako Medical Labs and the Vance County Public School Foundation,” Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce President Michele Burgess said in a recent statement to WIZS News. “Both are very active members of the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce and we want to help promote this collaboration.”

A donation to the foundation now will have double the impact, Burgess noted.

Dr. Abidan Shah, pastor of Clearview Church in Henderson, chairs the foundation, which has supported various initiatives in the local school system for more than 25 years. Those initiatives include teacher leadership training, teacher mini grants, student academic growth success, the Student Spotlight program, bringing the NC Symphony to Vance County to speak and perform for elementary students, awarding National Certified teachers, and the Arts Alive event.

 

Mail checks, payable to VCPSF, to:

PO Box 2956, Henderson, NC 27536

Online donations also can be made with a credit card at  www.vcs.k12.nc.us.

Contact Aarika Sandlin, VCS director of communication and marketing at asandlin@vcs.k12.nc.us or call 252.492.2127.

 

Local Businesses Asked To Help Fill Welcome Bags For New Teachers

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More than 100 new teachers are expected to be in classrooms all across Vance County when August arrives, and the Education Committee of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce wants to welcome them with promotional items donated by local businesses.

In fact, 130 new teachers will receive Welcome Bags, which Chamber officials hope will be FILLED with items like pens and pencils, notepads, hand sanitizer, keychains, highlighters, discount coupons and more, courtesy of businesses in the county.

The deadline to bring items – in quantities of 130, if at all possible – to the Chamber office is Friday, July 8. Please contact the Chamber at 252. 438.8414 if items need to be picked up.

The Chamber is located at 411 S. Garnett St.

240 VCS Seniors Turn Tassels During Recent Graduation Exercises

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Vance County Schools has been in graduation mode for the last couple of weeks and announced Thursday that 240 seniors in four schools have received their high school diplomas.

Graduation exercises began on the morning of May 25, with Vance County High School; Vance County Early College High School graduated later that evening at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center.

Vance Virtual Village (V3) Academy and AdVance Academy graduated on June 10 in the Wayne Adcock Auditorium of the district’s Center for Innovation. Students, staff and guests gathered to celebrate their accomplishments.

At the graduation ceremonies, representatives from the Class of 2022 shared words of encouragement with their fellow classmates:

To the Class of 2022, Karla Cruz Ochoa offered encouragement for the new graduates “to triumph against all the odds and to relentlessly chase your dreams.  Let us never forget that we are the product of Vance County High School. The home of the Vipers!”

Aniya Palmer of Vance County Early College High School shared a similar sentiment with her classmates. “As we go into the next major part of our lives,” Palmer said, “I hope that everyone keeps the same perseverance and dedication to accomplish whatever they desire in life. And one day may we all become Big Chiefs and be an influential person to someone around us.”

And from Vance Virtual Village Academy’s Naadirah Moore: “Face [future] challenges with your head high and heart wide open. You must excel in everything you do, and strive for excellence in every task. It is your job to make the best of everything you have, at every moment you experience.”

Following is a breakdown of some of the accomplishments of the 240 newly minted graduated of Vance County Schools:

  • 18 cum laude Scholars (weighted grade point average of 3.25-3.5),
  • 18 magna cum laude Scholars (weighted grade point average of 3.6-3.9)
  • 16 summa cum laude Scholars (weighted grade point average of 4.0+).
  • 4 North Carolina Scholars, 71 college endorsements and 68 college/UNC endorsements.
  • 31 students with the President’s Award for Educational Excellence
  • 17 students with the President’s Award for Achievement
  • 19 graduates earned North Carolina Career endorsements
  • 22 were early graduates
  • 23 students were recognized in the top 10 percent of the Vance County Schools Class of 2022.
  • 15 students who graduated associate’s degrees in Arts
  • 11 students graduated with associate’s degrees in Science.
  • 3 graduates are members of  Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
  • 4 National Honor Society Scholars
  • 37 Beta Club Scholars

TownTalk: Student Behavior Health Team Helps Students Through Trauma

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Educators are continually assessing the students in their classrooms – whether it’s to make sure they’ve mastered their math facts or can accurately retell a story in their own words to show understanding.

But teachers in Vance County Schools are also being trained to assess their students’ mental health needs as well.  And the district’s Student Behavior Health Team is one resource that teachers can call upon for help.

The SBHT is a collaborative effort of social workers and counselors within the school district, along with trauma conflict/dropout prevention and safety and security experts that works to connects students and their families to resources in the community.

Team members joined guest co-host Phyllis Maynard on Tuesday’s TownTalk as part of the recurring segment “Former Active Duty, Still Boots on the Ground.” Children with a parent who is currently deployed or who is a veteran of the military sometimes face additional struggles and challenges at school because of their parents’ situations, she said.

Maynard spoke with VCS Assistant Superintendent Michelle Burton, VCS coordinator for safety and security Travis Taylor, VCS lead social worker Toni Fletcher, VCS lead counselor Erica Wright and VCS dropout prevention specialist Dr. Ralphel Holloman, Sr. about how the SBHT works to support educators and the students and families across the district.

“What we’re looking at is prevention,” Wright said. Mental health struggles, including children expressing suicidal tendencies, had been on the uptick before the COVID-19 pandemic. The return to school has not been a smooth transition for all students, and it’s important for school staffs to first of all, acknowledge the issues that so many children are dealing with, she added.

This is the first year of the state’s school mental health initiative and it provides a framework through which schools can address mental health issues that students face in and outside of school, Burton said.

Some children are still scared of COVID-19, Fletcher said, which adds to the stress of returning to the classroom. “Many of our children lost family members (to COVID-19),” she said. “It hit home and they’re struggling,” she said, adding that she has seen an increase in emotional issues with children coming back into the classroom.

But there are resources available for students – and their families – in the community, and that’s where the SBHT can step in as a liaison between community partners and the families that may need their help.

“If they have challenges or questions, we are here for them,” Burton said. Sometimes a situation is resolved at the school level, but if additional support is required, outside agencies may be called in to assist.

Holloman said it’s important for students to have a “go-to” person before something happens. “We’re there to educate and build (positive) relationships,” Holloman said. Likewise, teachers are encouraged to pick up on behaviors that could be signs of trouble.

Excessive absences are the primary reason that high school students drop out, and Holloman said early intervention is crucial to keep kids in school. He said prevention, intervention and recovery are the three keys to dropout prevention. Students who have been out of school for one reason or another can transition back to the classroom through the district’s alternative school.

Spotty school attendance could be a sign that a family is experiencing homelessness, Fletcher said. “We want to promote our children being in school so they can be successful,” she said. Identifying the immediate needs of a homeless family is another way the SBHT can provide support through community resources.

Taylor, the district’s safety and security officer, said the district takes seriously the need for safety assessments – whether it’s an assessment of a school building or the safety of a student exhibiting warning signs of a mental health crisis, such as suicide.

“We do not take it lightly at all,” Taylor said. “We never want to be put in a situation where we missed something.”

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VCS Thanks Volunteers For Partnering With Schools During 2021-22

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Vance County Schools paid a special thank-you to a host of churches and other local individuals and organizations that have partnered with the district’s schools to enhance students’ learning experience.

And this year, Gang Free, Inc. was recognized for its ongoing work with Vance County Middle School.

Melissa Elliott, founder of Gang Free, Inc., was on hand at the partnership recognition ceremony Thursday, June 9 at 3 p.m. at the VCS Center for Innovation. In addition to providing basic necessities for students, their families and the community, Gang Free, Inc. – through a partnership with the N.C. Food Bank – established VCMS as a food bank satellite. Students can make weekly trips through the food bank to take home what their families may need. Community members can access the food bank as well.

Following is a list of volunteers and the schools they partnered with during the 2021-22 school year:

  • Craig Compton, Aycock Elementary 
  • New Life Baptist Church, Carver Elementary 
  • Alternative Learning Center & Community Engagement, Inc, Clarke Elementary
  • First United Methodist Church, Dabney Elementary 
  • Clearview Baptist Church,  E.M. Rollins STEAM Academy
  • Middleburg United Methodist Church, O. Young Elementary 
  • Henderson Optimist Club, B. Yancey Elementary 
  • Julie A. Booth, New Hope Elementary 
  • First United Methodist Church, Pinkston Street Elementary 
  • Plank Chapel United Methodist Church, Zeb Vance Elementary
  • TechTerra, STEM Early High School 
  • Fuerza Y Union Multiple Foundation, Vance County Early College High School T&T Laundry, Vance County High School 
  • Gang Free Inc., Vance County Middle School 
  • 4 Point 0 Mobile Clinic, Inc., Vance Virtual Village (V3) Academy