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VGCC Makes Big Impression at Statewide Conference

Vance-Granville Community College was one of several schools invited to showcase the skills of its Culinary Technology students by preparing hors d’oeuvres for the 2008 North Carolina Community College System Conference , which was held Oct. 12-14 at the new Raleigh Convention Center. More than 2,500 instructors and staff members from all of the state’s 58 community colleges — including 94 from VGCC — attended the biennial conference, which is the largest event sponsored by the system.

Chef Ross Ragonese , head of VGCC’s Culinary program , along with instructor Chef John Boretti and students Joan Roberson of Oxford, Denise McLeod of Durham, Scott Cannada of Oxford and Delmar Jackson of Henderson, arrived at the convention center in Raleigh around 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 12. They spent the next five hours preparing food for that evening’s reception. The students served chicken roulade with a remoulade sauce, bowtie pasta Pomodoro and focaccia bread. Ragonese said that the ingredients included 40 pounds of chicken, 20 pounds of pasta, six gallons of tomato sauce and five pounds of pine nuts, all to feed approximately 200 guests. Roberson, a first-semester Culinary student, described the experience as fun and interesting, and she said that while the students worked in the kitchen, they even took time to help other colleges. Students serving food communicated with those in the kitchen by sending text messages over cell phones. Ragonese said that VGCC’s presentation, full of autumn symbols such as pumpkins and a cornucopia, received many compliments, and the food itself was popular. “Many people came back to our table two or three times,” Ragonese said. “We gave the people what they wanted.”

The Culinary demonstration was not VGCC’s only involvement in the conference. Nursing instructor Camella Marcom gave a presentation on using web sites and other technological resources in both online and traditional health sciences classrooms. VGCC Director of Distance Education Evelyn Harris helped Marcom explain various software and techniques that are particularly useful in teaching the younger generation of students. Maria Orsini , another VGCC Nursing instructor, presented “Educational Leadership in the 21st Century: Implications of Globalization,” which fit the conference’s official theme, “Beyond the Horizon: Preparing Students for a Global Advantage.” The theme embraces the system-wide priority to prepare students to work competitively in a global market. Jennifer M. Johnson , head of the college’s Early Childhood Associate program, and fellow instructor Tracey Bennett discussed National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation with their colleagues from across the state. In 2007, VGCC became one of the first twelve associate degree programs in the nation to earn accreditation. Johnson also co-presented (with Peggy Teague of Wayne Community College) a session on designing Early Childhood degrees to meet student needs.

Above: From left, VGCC Culinary Technology student Joan Roberson of Oxford, program head Chef Ross Ragonese and students Denise McLeod of Durham and Delmar Jackson of Henderson prepare to serve guests at a reception on the opening day of the 2008 N.C. Community College System Conference at the Raleigh Convention Center. (VGCC photo)