VGCC student panelists (from left) Jennie Robinson, Curtis Jefferys and Felicia Sanders-Gupton address counselors and administrators from local middle and high schools at the Oct. 18 forum in the VGCC Civic Center. (VGCC Photo)
Vance-Granville Community College recently convened a meeting of administrators and guidance counselors from local schools to discuss how the educational institutions work in partnership and how school students can take advantage of opportunities at the college. Representatives of public high schools and middle schools, charter schools, private schools and home-schools in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties were invited to attend the forum, held on Oct. 18 in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus.
“We are truly partners in working to serve the educational needs of our area,” Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC, said as she welcomed attendees. “Today is about broadening and strengthening those ties, because education changes lives and each one of you makes a difference,” Williams said. “We always look forward to this opportunity to share information with you and receive feedback,” added Dr. Angela Ballentine, the college’s Vice President of Instruction. “Collaboration is vital to our success as educators. Our common goal is to increase the number of students graduating from high school prepared for careers, college and citizenship.”
Following Ballentine’s remarks, other college officials discussed financial aid and scholarships, athletics, procedures for applying and registering for classes, and services for students with disabilities. Biology instructor Button Brady described camps that VGCC is planning for middle and high school students in the coming year, including a Creative Writing Camp, a Biotech Camp and the third annual Science Camp.
Phyllis Thomas (left), a counselor based at VGCC’s South Campus, fields a question during a focus group held as part of the Oct. 18 forum for counselors and administrators from local middle and high schools. (VGCC photo)
Attendees then received unique perspectives from a panel of three VGCC students. Felicia Sanders-Gupton of Warrenton, a College Transfer student and president of the Student Government Association, emphasized the diversity of the student body. She noted that she is also the mother of children who are currently in college. Curtis Jefferys of Henderson, president of the VGCC Male Mentoring club, spoke as another College Transfer student who returned to education after years in the military and the workforce. Finally, student ambassador Jennie Robinson of Henderson explained that she is close to graduating from the five-year Vance County Early College High School program with a high school diploma and a two-year degree as she prepares to transfer to a four-year university.
The four Early College programs that VGCC operates in partnership with local school systems were among the topics addressed by VGCC Director of Joint High School Programs Lyndon Hall. He explained to the group that Early College is a component of the Career & College Promise (CCP) program, which allows eligible high school students to earn college credits through several different structured pathways. Hall noted that when they last met (in 2011), they discussed the college’s still-tentative plans for Career & College Promise. The program was first implemented in 2012, and VGCC has gradually expanded opportunities for students to earn certificates and diplomas through CCP.