Tag Archive for: #vancecountyschoolsystem

Vance Co. School System Honors Retirees

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Vance County Schools district officials, school administrators, educators and family and friends honored 36 outstanding associates who are retiring from their positions with the school system during the Annual Retirement Banquet held on Wednesday, June 13, in McGregor Hall Gallery in downtown Henderson.

Each of the honorees were presented with gifts from the school system by Darlynn Oxendine, chairwoman of the Vance County Board of Education, and Dr. Anthony Jackson, superintendent of Vance County Schools.

Dr. Trixie Brooks, assistant superintendent for Instructional Services, was the event’s featured speaker. She praised each of the retiring educators and encouraged all of them to enjoy their retirement after giving so much of their time and talents to local students and colleagues during their careers with Vance County Schools.

Vivian Bullock, who retired from the school system in 2017, provided a very inspirational message from a retiree’s perspective for all of those being recognized. She spelled out 12 priorities that each of them should follow as they enter retirement. Her advice especially focused on being sure they have lots of leisurely time for themselves and quality time with their families.

Vance County Schools district officials, school administrators, educators and family and friends honored 36 outstanding associates who are retiring from their positions with the school system during the Annual Retirement Banquet held on Wednesday, June 13, in McGregor Hall Gallery in downtown Henderson. (Photo courtesy Vance County Schools)

Rachel Bradshaw, music teacher at New Hope and Carver elementary schools, sang and played several musical selections on keyboards during the evening. The Rev. David Pate, pastor of Tabernacle United Methodist Church, provided the invocation for the evening.

Superintendent Anthony Jackson gave closing remarks and he thanked each of the retirees for their service with the school system and wished them all the very best for their futures.

The retirees held a wide range of positions with the school system including, teachers, school administrators, administrative assistants, teacher assistants, counselors, school nurses, maintenance personnel, custodians, bookkeepers, data managers, school nutrition personnel and media specialists.

Those retiring and honored were Consuelo Allen of L.B. Yancey Elementary School; April Andrews of Zeb Vance Elementary School; Diane Averett of Carver Elementary School; Sharon Bawcum, administrative assistant to the superintendent; Debora Blackwell of Clarke Elementary School; Paula Boston of Early College High School; Rebecca Burns of Henderson Middle School; Dr. Priscilla Chavis-Lockley of Eaton-Johnson Middle School; Annette Cobb of Northern Vance High School; Cheryl Coplin of Henderson Middle School; Kathy Faulkner of Aycock Elementary School; James Faulkner of Maintenance; Marie Fields of New Hope Elementary School; Willie Fuller of Northern Vance High School; Elizabeth Gremmels of Southern Vance High School; Linda Grissom of Henderson Middle School; Patricia Hight of Eaton-Johnson Middle School; Andrew Hill of Zeb Vance Elementary School; Pam Jackson of New Hope Elementary School; Manuel Jeffers of Zeb Vance Elementary School; Shirley Jefferson of Northern Vance High School; Sylvia Jefferson of New Hope Elementary School; Constance Johnson of Northern Vance High School; Agnes Jover of Northern Vance High School; Joseph McMahon of Eaton-Johnson Middle School; Nancy Paynter of Zeb Vance Elementary School; Ruth Reid of Pinkston Street Elementary School; Carol Shockley of Dabney Elementary School; Patricia Twisdale of Dabney Elementary School; Jan Vaughan of Aycock Elementary School; Marjorie Watkins of Northern Vance High School; Bonita Williams of Clarke Elementary School; Phyllis Williams of Eaton-Johnson Middle School; Robin Wilson of New Hope Elementary School; Ruth Wilson of Career and Technical Education; and Ian Willis of STEM Early High School.

Those attending the event are shown in the accompanying photo.

New Vance County Schools Hours

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New hours are in place for students who attend Vance County Schools for the 2017-2018 school year.

The new student hours include:

  • Elementary Schools: 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
  • E.M. Rollins: 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Middle Schools: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
  • STEM Early High: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • High Schools: 7:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
  • Early College: 8:25 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.

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.

Vance County Schools Free College Info Session Wrap up

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High school students and parents involved in Vance County Schools took advantage of a free college information session offered on April 4 through the school system’s Family Resource Center.
The session was held from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Family Resource Center, located on Graham Avenue in Henderson in the school system’s Administrative Services Center.
High school counselors from Northern Vance, Southern Vance, Early College and the AdVance Academy at Western Vance high schools were on hand to talk with students and parents about the college application process, applications for student scholarships and loans and available financial aid for college. They also shared information about the services and programs available through Vance-Granville Community College.
The counselors included Jameka Floyd of Northern Vance, Carol Simmons of Southern Vance, Tannis Jenkins of Early College, and Marsha Harris of the AdVance Academy.
They provided written information on college applications and financial aid and assisted students with online services and applications for a variety of colleges and universities throughout North Carolina and beyond.
The information session was designed mostly to provide a wealth of information to high school seniors who have not yet made a decision about the college they will attend.
Cassandra Evans, director of Federal Programs for the school system and the coordinator for the Family Resource Center, planned the college information session with assistance from the counselors.
In the accompanying photo, counselors Marsha Harris, left, and Jameka Floyd, right, work with students in the Family Resource Center during the college information sessions.

The WOW starts NOW!

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

Parents of children who are pre-kindergarten and kindergarten age are urged to visit Vance County Schools‘ elementary schools this coming week, March 13-17, to tour the school, visit with teachers and administrators and register their children for the upcoming 2017-2018 school year.

Special pre-kindergarten and kindergarten registration activities are planned for Tuesday, March 14, and Thursday, March 16, from 1 to 6 p.m. each day at the schools. Aycock, Carver, Dabney, E.M. Rollins, E.O. Young, L.B. Yancey, Pinkston Street and Zeb Vance have special events planned for Tuesday, March 14. Special events will be held at Clarke and New Hope on Thursday, March 16.

All children who register for kindergarten will receive a colorful, new backpack. Refreshments and special children’s activities also will be available.

For those parents who cannot attend the school events during the week, a special registration event will be held at the Vance County Schools Administrative Services Center at 1724 Graham Avenue in Henderson on Saturday, March 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers will be on hand to talk with parents and to lead children in special activities. Parents of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children can also register them for the 2017-2018 school year at this event. Refreshments and backpacks will be provided. All activities and items are free.

“The WOW Starts NOW!” is the slogan this year for the school system’s pre-kindergarten and kindergarten registration campaign.

To register for the 2017-2018 school year, all pre-kindergarten children must be four years of age on or before August 31, 2017, and all kindergarten children must be five years of age on or before August 31, 2017.

Arts Alive! Coming to McGregor Hall later this month

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

March 7, 2017

 

The Arts Alive! talent showcase for Vance County Schools is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 25, at McGregor Hall.

The 90-minute show will feature almost 100 performers who are students in Vance County Schools.

Student art work also will be on display from 4 to 7 p.m. at McGregor Hall.

Admission to the art work display is free. Tickets for the showcase are $5 each and will be on sale at McGregor Hall beginning at 3 p.m. on March 25.

Seating for the showcase is limited and will be on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Arts Alive! is sponsored by the Vance County Public School Foundation.

E.O. Young Elementary Celebrates Successful Science and Spaghetti Night

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

February 13, 2017

E.O. Young Jr. Elementary School celebrated science during a special Science and Spaghetti Night event on Thursday, February 9, at the school.

The evening featured parents and students visiting classrooms and participating in science experiments and activities led by teachers.

Students in third grade and fifth grade won honors with their science projects.

Capturing top honors in the third grade were Aaliyah Alenlain, first place; Devan Markham, second place; La’Niyah Terry, tied for third place; and Canaan Evans, tied for third place. They are shown in the first accompanying photo, from right to left, with their projects.

The fifth-grade winners included: Nathaniel Durham, first place; Kendall Sizemore, second place; Nathan Richardson, tied for third place; and Mason Pendergrass, tied for third place. Durham is shown in the second accompanying photo with his project.

Richardson and Pendergrass are shown in the third photo from right to left. Sizemore was unavailable for a photo.

Vance County Schools Significantly Improves Dropout Rate

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The N.C. Department of Public Instruction has announced the 2015-2016 graduation rates and the 2015-2016 dropout rates for public school districts across the state.

Vance County Schools saw significant improvement over previous years in both areas.

With a four-year cohort graduation rate of 81.9 percent for the class of 2016, this is a record high for Vance County over the past five years. The class of 2015 had a four-year cohort graduation rate of 77.6 percent in Vance County.

Vance County Schools’ dropout rate for the 2015-2016 school year continues to improve as it has for the past six years. The dropout rate for the school system is 2.07 percent for the 2015-2016 school year, which is a 13-percent decrease from the 2014-2015 school year rate of 2.28 percent. This is a record low for Vance County over the past six years.

Improving the graduation rate and reducing dropouts are top priorities for Vance County Schools.  It is an ongoing and focused effort for the school system as we work to ensure that every student graduates prepared to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing local, regional and global economy.

Additionally, Vance County Schools currently provides students new and exciting opportunities for credit recovery through online and other non-traditional programs designed to help as many students as possible realize the goal of completion of high school with their peers.

The state data also reported that during the 2015-2016 school year our schools were among the safest in our region, with reportable incidents and student suspensions down or about the same as the previous year. We are pleased with these data and hope to see continued improvement.

As a school system, we will not be satisfied until all students, parents, staff members and community members feel safe coming into our schools; where all students are learning, expectations are high and students are graduating on time prepared to contribute positively to our community and be 21st Century global citizens.

We are excited to share this news with you and look forward to celebrating with our students and their parents in the future as we continue delivering on the promise that we will provide each student a high quality educational experience as we create a school system in which our community can be PROUD.  I am Vance County Proud … Are You?

Dr. Anthony D. Jackson, Superintendent

Vance County Public Schools

Pre-K and Kindergarten Registration begins for Vance County Schools

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Parents should begin now applying for their child to attend pre-kindergarten and registering their child for kindergarten classes for the 2017-2018 school year.

Parents should contact the elementary school in the area where they live to get registration information.

We urge parents also to watch out for more information soon on special events and activities at our elementary schools for children who will be eligible to attend pre-kindergarten and kindergarten next school year.

Any child who will be four years old by August 31 of this year is eligible for pre-kindergarten for the new year and any child who will be five years old by August 31 is eligible to attend kindergarten.

(Vance County Schools News Release)

Anderson and Reece lead the way in E.O. Young Angel Tree Project

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Nicole Anderson and Karen Reece have led a tremendous Angel Tree project at E.O. Young Jr. Elementary School that is helping to make the holidays a joyous time for over 75 students at the school.

Anderson, the school’s counselor, and Reece, the school’s social worker, have worked closely with school staff members, community supporters and church partners over the last two months to collect donations of toys, other gifts and food, for needy students and their families.

They have worked together to deliver the many bags of gifts and boxes of food donated to the students’ homes. In many cases, even younger siblings not yet in school have been given new clothing and gifts.

“Doing something like this makes you feel that you are doing the right thing,” Anderson said. “It fills your heart.”

Reece added that all of the hard work is worth it when you see the smiles on the students’ faces.

“When we gave them the letters to take home to their parents to let them know we wanted to help them, we had to tell the students that these were good letters and they weren’t in trouble,” Reece laughed. “It’s been a really rewarding experience and we so appreciate the support we’ve gotten from everyone.”

They said they want to especially thank the generous members of Flat Rock United Methodist Church and Guiding Star Holiness Church for their many donations to the students and their families.

“We’ve had wonderful donations from our school staff members, but without the help of these two great churches the success of the project wouldn’t have been possible,” Anderson said.

On the last day of school before the Christmas break on December 20, Anderson and Reece still had a few more gifts to deliver and they planned to do just that over the next couple of days.

“What a great thing for our students and their families,” Anderson added. “We are so fortunate to have such a caring school family.”

Anderson, left, and Reece, right, are shown in the accompanying photo with the last gifts scheduled for delivery.