North Carolina ranks 18th in the nation in terms of the percentage of high school graduates who scored a 3 or better on at least one Advanced Placement (AP) test taken during high school, according to the AP Cohort Data Report for the Class of 2015. The College Board released this report today. North Carolina students excel in participation and performance, according to the report. A total of 33,425 or 38.7 percent of North Carolina public and private high school …
Growing VGCC Male Mentoring program coaches students to success
Vance-Granville Community College recently held spring semester kick-off events for the Male Mentoring Program at all four of the college’s campuses. The program, which uses the slogan, “Lead by Example,” seeks to help male students stay in school and on track to graduate or transfer to a four-year university. VGCC is one of several North Carolina community colleges that received state funding in 2015 to continue offering the program. The college was awarded a grant worth $17,608 from the N.C. …
Thursday Open Line
Paper money has circulated in North America since 1690, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony issued some to paper over — so to speak — the shortage of coins. But these were just promissory notes from governing bodies. That changed on this date in 1862 when Congress passed the Legal Tender Act, fixing paper money as a means of paying the government’s considerable Civil War bills with something other than gold or silver. One result was that greenbacks became a means …
Representative Nathan Baskerville: New Congressional Maps
A special session of the North Carolina General Assembly convened on Thursday, February 18th and Friday, February 19th, with the purpose of redrawing the 1st and 12th Congressional District Maps. GOP leadership formed a majority Republican special redistricting committee tasked with drawing congressional districts that comply with the US Constitution, and to determine a new congressional primary date. This special committee held public hearings on Monday, February 15th in locations throughout the state to gauge the public sentiment. The overwhelming …
Small Farms Conference & Food Safety Class
There is still time to register for these two events coming up later this week! FOOD SAFETY FOR FARMERS MARKET VENDORS, FRI 2/26 This Friday, 9 to 10:30 am at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market. Learn valuable tips to insure that your farm products stay safe from field to table. Register by calling 252-438-8188 or e-mail paul_mckenzie@ncsu.edu. SUCCESSFUL SMALL FARMS CONFERENCE, SAT 2/27 Come to Louisburg this Saturday (VGCC Franklin Campus) to learn about Pricing Your Farm Products, …
VGCC spreading the word about Apprenticeships
Vance-Granville Community College officials, in collaboration with regional partners, have launched an initiative to introduce the “apprenticeship” model to students and employers throughout the area. In December, representatives of local industries, economic developers and school system officials met at the college to learn more about the North Carolina Triangle Apprenticeship Program (NCTAP). VGCC recently became a partnering educational institution with NCTAP. Then, in January, VGCC officials joined other colleges and manufacturers in attending the first-of-its-kind Apprenticeship Summit in Raleigh. “Historically, …
ACTS: Neighbors helping Neighbors
A Message from Twanna Jones I would like to thank you for giving your support so that we can keep on doing what we do in Christ’s name. As the Executive Director of ACTS I wear many different hats and would like to extend a personal invitation to you to help make a difference in a life in our community today. Our volunteer resources has been extremely limited in the past but we are hoping to change that. The lines …
Ferguson honored for leadership at VGCC
Eddie Ferguson, director of the Endowment Fund at Vance-Granville Community College, was recently honored with the President’s Leadership Award from Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of the college. Ferguson’s honor is one of three Glen Raven Excellence in Teaching and Leadership Awards presented to VGCC employees during each academic year. The others, the Faculty Member of the Year and Staff Member of the Year awards, were presented to Kristi Salmons Ellenberg and Kali Brown, respectively, in the fall of 2015. …
Wednesday Open Line
Every time we use a phone, drive a car, watch TV, cross a bridge, or do myriad everyday activities, we are benefitting from the accumulated work of a most important, broad profession — engineering. To celebrate its contribution to our way of life, this is National Engineers Week. During this time, engineering societies and corporations will reach out to schoolchildren and stage events across the country to call attention to the achievements of the profession. From iPods to skyscrapers to …
VGCC celebrates Black History Month
Students, faculty, staff and special guests from the community were featured at a special Black History Month program at Vance-Granville Community College on Feb. 11. Entitled “Honoring Our Past, Understanding Our Present & Shaping Our Future,” the educational event in the VGCC Civic Center sought to focus on local history. “This focus is important,” said VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams in her welcoming remarks, “because too often, we may be familiar with Black History on a national scale, but overlook …
Vance County Board of Education Committee Meeting Dates
Vance County Board of Education Committee Meeting Dates: * Building & Grounds, Thursday, February 25th, 8:30 am * Curriculum Committee, Thursday, February 25th, 9:30 am * Finance Committee, Wednesday, March 2nd, 5:30 pm * Policy Committee, Wednesday, March 2nd, immediately after Finance * Personnel Committee, Tuesday, March 8th, 8:30 am Note: All meetings are held in the Superintendent’s Conference Room.
Chamber Ribbon Cutting – Davis-Royster Funeral Service
A ribbon cutting was held on Friday, February 19th for Davis-Royster Funeral Service to celebrate the company’s membership with the Chamber and the newly renovated and expanded building of their business. Family, chamber staff and local dignitary and businesses joined them in their celebration. Davis-Royster Funeral Service, Inc. in Henderson, North Carolina is family owned and operated, serving Vance County and surrounding areas, since 1991. Their staff is committed to meeting the needs of client-families by providing dignified, affordable funerals …
Tuesday Open Line
The nation’s first college of pharmacy was founded in Philadelphia on this date in 1821, an appropriate anniversary to note that many health care organizations prescribe February as Wise Health Care Consumer Month. The “Rx” for Americans is to invest at least as much time in researching their health care options as they do for a new television. While prescription medication is one aspect of health care consumption, all levels of services and insurance are the elements of being a …
NC Cooperative Extension Updates
2016 VEGETABLE PRODUCTION BOOKS I have a very limited supply of the 2016 Vegetable Crop Handbooks. They are available to commercial farmers on a first-come, first-served basis. Keep in mind that there are only minor changes from year to year, so if you have last year’s edition you may find that adequate. POST HARVEST HANDLING WORKSHOPS There are three opportunities across the state to attend this excellent workshop, including Apr 6 in Durham. Details at this link. LUNCH …
VGCC Child Care Center awarded Five Stars
The state of North Carolina has once again awarded a five-star license — the highest possible rating — to the Child Care Center at Vance-Granville Community College’s Main Campus. State evaluations of child care programs are conducted once every three years, explained Bridget Perry, the manager of the VGCC center. “On a scale of one to 15 points, our program received 13 total points, earning the renewal of our five-star status,” Perry said. “The five-star rating shows our parents and …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: This Week in the District
Photo of the Week Brent and I enjoyed a Valentine’s Day with our son Ben over the weekend. Ben had an opportunity to escort a young lady in a formal dance, and Brent and I were honored to accompany them both. We had a blast dancing the night away! Weekly Update I was excited to get back to the district this week, as I knew I would have the opportunity to meet with constituents from across the district. At …
Monday Open Line
The history of radio and the presidency seems to center entirely on Franklin Roosevelt’s famous “fireside chats” beginning in 1933 in the depths of the Depression. But the first president to address the nation from the White House over the infant broadcast medium was, ironically, “Silent Cal.” President Calvin Coolidge spoke to a coast-to-coast audience on this date in 1924 on the occasion of George Washington’s birthday. His words were carried over a mere 42 stations. That year, there were …
FAFSA Day events this Saturday to help students apply for financial aid
Free expert help applying for college financial aid will be available on February 20 at locations across North Carolina. With the cost of college rising, financial aid is more important than ever for many North Carolina families, but some eligible students aren’t taking advantage. According to a recent study, North Carolina high school graduates missed out on a reported $87.6 million in Pell Grants, free federal money for low- and middle-income students. The study also found that 47% of NC …
Friday / Weekend Open Lines
Friday, February 19th. On this date in 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt issued an executive order requiring Japanese-Americans living along the Pacific Coast to be relocated inland. This order affected some 77,000 citizens and 43,000 resident aliens. The internment lasted throughout the Second World War, and the camps closed by early 1946. The dislocation caused by the internment order singling out an ancestry group came to be widely regretted and led to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, formally apologizing for …
Republican Redistricting Criteria Violates Voting Rights Act
Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) Wednesday released the following letter he sent to North Carolina Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore of the North Carolina General Assembly regarding his objection to several criteria adopted for drawing North Carolina’s 2016 congressional district maps: In his letter, Butterfield wrote, “I take strong exception to several of the criteria adopted by the Joint Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting to be used in drawing a 2016 Congressional Plan in response …