Granville Early College High School visits VGCC South Campus
Granville Early College High School students, faculty, staff and principal Chris Ham visited Vance-Granville Community College’s South Campus, located between Butner and Creedmoor, on Oct. 21. The purpose of their visit was to tour South Campus , meet the VGCC faculty and staff and learn more about expectations of college students and programs offered at the college. Temporarily housed at South Granville High School, the new early college high school is set to eventually be located at a new facility near South Campus.
“We want GECHS students to feel a true connection with Vance-Granville Community College and remind them that they are not only high school students, but college students as well. By organizing this event, we hope they will all have a better understanding of the unique opportunity they have been given,” said Reba Bullock, VGCC’s College Liaison working with the new high school. Early College programs allow high school students to take both high school and college-level credit classes, at no cost. At the end of a five-year period, students will graduate from GECHS with both a high school diploma and a two-year college degree or up to two years of college-transferable credit.
The afternoon visit began with a welcome and introduction from Human Services Technology program head Tracy Wallace, who currently teaches students in other early college programs at VGCC. South Campus Dean Cecilia Wheeler also welcomed GECHS. Students were then introduced to faculty and staff members, and they viewed the Early College High School Initiative video, entitled “Opportunity for a Lifetime.” The GECHS group also received information about the VGCC Radiography program from program head Angela Thomas, and about the College Transfer program from Frankie Frink, the English instructor/College Transfer advisor at South Campus.
GECHS students completed their visit making ID pictures and taking informative tours, including presentations in the Learning Resources Center by Librarian Jennie Davis and in the Radiography Lab by Radiography program students. The importance of personal responsibility, goal setting, self-discipline and excellence was a recurring theme throughout the afternoon.
The students of GECHS will begin classes on the South Campus in the spring of 2010 with their first college transferable course, Introduction to Computers ( CIS 110 ). For more information about Granville Early College, contact Reba Bullock at 919-528-4737 ext. 3525.
Above: VGCC South Campus Dean Cecilia Wheeler (standing) welcomes Granville Early College High School students.
