Tag Archive for: #wizsnews

Cooperative Extension with Paul McKenzie: What Works in the Garden

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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VCS Mentoring Program Pairs Teens and Tweens To Make Positive Connections

-information courtesy of VCS Communication Coordinator Brielle Barrow

Thanks to a unique mentoring program in Vance County Schools, a group of high school students and their elementary-age pals gathered on Saturday mornings to enjoy activities and establish positive connections.

The Just U & Me Mentoring Program recently concluded, according to VCS Communication Coordinator Brielle Barrow.

The program provides 4th and 5th graders with additional support to help them do their very best at school, according to information on the VCS website.

Mentoring is one of a dozen or so effective strategies recommended by the National Dropout Prevention Center to help students stay on track, avoid negative behaviors and make positive choices.

The youngsters gathered over the course of several Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon to have the chance to work and play together, as well as to establish friendships.

A culminating activity included a visit to the Henderson Institute Historical Museum. Mentors and their young partners also spoke with recent VCS high school graduates and received their certificates of participation.

This year’s mentors are upperclassmen from Vance County High School, Vance County Early College and AdVance Academy, as well as VCS graduates.

The Local Skinny! Granville Gardeners Expo This Weekend

Plant lovers have a heck of an opportunity to find a range of herbs, flowers, vegetable slips and more at the Granville Gardeners Expo on Saturday, April 22.

Christy Henthorn was a guest on The local Skinny! and provided details for what is sure to be a fun-filled event at the Granville County Convention and Expo Center.

And there’s still time to place online orders, Henthorn noted. Visit www.thegranvillegardeners.org and click on the Expo link to get started.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will include gardening demonstrations and workshops, as well as more than 80 vendors – mostly from right in Granville County – who have craft items, home décor and more for purchase.

The expo is free to attend, Henthorn said, thanks to the generosity of sponsors.

Want to learn more about attracting birds and butterflies to your garden? There’s a workshop for that. Interested in learning the medicinal qualities of herbs? Yep, there’s a workshop for that, too.

“I’m really excited for this weekend,” she said. It’s a great way to shop local and spend local, she added. The herbs come from a local wholesaler, and for the second year, there is a variety of plants for sale that club members have grown.

The Granville Gardeners welcomes new members. The club meets on the fourth Monday of each month and is known for having gardening experts present on a variety of topics.

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TownTalk: Carolina United For Change Plans Scholarship Event

 

 

Carolina United for Change will host a scholarship event on May 20 at the Gateway CDC to highlight its scholarship opportunities at Vance-Granville Community College.

The organization isn’t even a year old yet, but co-founder Joseph Brodie and others have focused on its mission of supporting the poor and needy and protecting the rights of all people.

Brodie was on TownTalk Monday to talk about the two scholarships that have been established at VGCC.

Two $500 scholarships will be awarded, Brodie said. Applicants will be asked to submit a personal essay on the topic of gun violence. Carolina United for Change board members will review the essays and will select the winners. The scholarships were established in honor of Brodie’s son, who was shot and killed in 2017.

Brodie said VGCC Foundation Director Tanya Weary has been instrumental in helping get the scholarship going. She and other VGCC reps will be on hand at the May 20 event to share details about applying for the scholarship and for registering to become a VGCC student.

There also will be guest speakers, drawing for gifts and musical performances during the program, which is from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Gateway CDC is located at 314 S. Garnett St., Henderson.

Brodie said he appreciates the collaboration with Gateway CDC, which is providing space to hold the event as well as technical assistance to the nascent organization as it continues to gain traction in the community.

He said he hopes to be able to have a centrally located space for members of the community to come to ask questions and seek assistance.

 

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Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Ant Baiting

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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Maria Parham Cancer Center Welcomes New Nurse Practitioner

-information courtesy of Donna Young, Maria Parham Health Marketing & Communication Coordinator

Maria Parham Health has added a nurse practitioner to provide services at its Cancer Center.

Crystal Kaplan, MSN, RN, AGACNP has joined its staff as an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner with 15 years of hospital and acute care experience, including three years as a hematology oncology nurse practitioner and hospitalist for Florida Cancer Specialists.

Maria Parham Health CEO Bert Beard welcomed Kaplan, saying her experience will be a valuable asset to add to the quality of care that patients receive.

“Maria Parham Cancer Center’s collaborative care approach, in our longstanding partnership with the Duke Cancer Network and Duke Cancer Institute, brings together the expertise and perspectives of providers from a variety of specialties and disciplines, and Kaplan’s extensive experience has given her a great breadth of experience in a wide range of procedures that people in our region need. This expertise will be important as Maria Parham Health works to make our community healthier.”

Kaplan is a cum laude graduate of Auburn University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She also holds a Master of Science in Nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Cameron Majette Competing For State BGC Youth Of The Year

A local high school senior is headed to Raleigh to compete in a statewide competition for Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year.

Cameron Majette just got back from a weeklong stint in the Governor’s Page Program last month, so he may feel right at home when he attends a reception with lawmakers in the Executive Mansion Friday evening.

No matter Friday’s decision by the judges, Vance BGC Unit Director Evelyn Taylor said Majette’s a winner in her book.

“He has blossomed into a leader,” Taylor told WIZS News Thursday. A club member for 11 years, Majette used to be on the shy side, Taylor said, but that shyness has been replaced with a high level of confidence.

“I’m so proud of him,” Taylor said, “I’m beaming with pride.” She said his influence and leadership throughout the club is palpable, he helps younger children with homework and is helping to re-establish the Keystone Club at the Vance Unit.

The Henderson Collegiate senior was awarded a $3,000 scholarship for being named the BGCNCNC (North Central North Carolina) youth of the year. He’ll go up against about 20 others for the statewide honor.

The young people will assemble at PNC Arena in Raleigh Friday morning, and a panel of judges will review all the information packets, which includes a nomination form, letters of reference and three personal essays about his club experience, what matters to him and his personal growth, Taylor said.

Each will have a 3-minute speech which basically will be a combination of the three essays, Taylor noted, and judges will evaluate the candidates’ overall public speaking.

Whether in front of a group of judges or back at home in the club, Taylor said she believes Majette’s confidence and focus will serve him well.

“He definitely found his voice and he is not afraid of using it,” Taylor said.

SportsTalk: Dean Thomas Discusses The Challenges Of Game Officiating

“It’s all about judgement” is the assessment of Dean Thomas when it comes to officiating ball games.  Thomas, a 1985 graduate of Vance Senior High School, has made many during his career as a baseball coach at Southern Vance, Head of Transportation for Vance County Schools, as a principal at E. M. Rollins and on the field as an official.

Thomas says officiating, like many other areas, is suffering from staff shortages. “Not a lot of young folks are getting into officiating,” Thomas said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.  Thomas says there is a move underway to encourage younger people to come in and do the work.  Thomas thinks that one of the reasons it’s been hard to find people to officiate athletic events is a lack of respect for those who umpire and referee games.  “Over the last 10 or 15 years it has gotten worse,” Thomas added. Thomas officiates four different sports including baseball, softball, volleyball and football.

He also sees a change in the kids playing too due to technology.  He said kids lack interpersonal skills because they are always on the phone texting. When they are face to face, “They don’t know how to talk to each other,” Thomas said.

Despite the challenges that come with officiating games Thomas says, in the end, “We are out there to do what’s right for the kids and what’s right for the game.”

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