VGCC staff member Anthony Pope chosen as Vance County Schools Volunteer of the Year

This information was provided by Terri Hedrick of Vance County Schools.

Vance-Granville Community College Academic & Career Coach Anthony Pope, a dedicated volunteer at the Vance County Early College High School, was named the ’ Volunteer of the Year for 2016-2017 at the school system’s annual Volunteer/Business Partner Recognition Reception on April 27.

The event was attended by about 160 volunteers and business partners with Vance County Schools, as well as school administrators and staff members. The reception was held in the multipurpose room at Clarke Elementary School.

Pope was chosen as the district’s Volunteer of the Year from an outstanding group who volunteer at the system’s 17 local schools. The others honored as each school’s Volunteer of the Year included: Amanda Gill of Aycock Elementary; Marion Perry of Carver Elementary; George Davis of Clarke Elementary; Jack Richardson of Dabney Elementary; Emma Finch of New Hope Elementary; Deborah Sykes of Pinkston Street Elementary; William Brodie of E.M. Rollins Elementary; Cedric Hinton of L.B. Yancey Elementary; Optimist Club of Henderson for E.O. Young Jr. Elementary; Kim Pulley of Zeb Vance Elementary; Valerie Hill of Eaton-Johnson Middle; James Black of Henderson Middle; Joanna Whittacre of both STEM Early High and Northern Vance High; Sylvia Rae of Southern Vance High; and Melissa Elliott of AdVance Academy at Western Vance High.

School officials also recognized an additional 74 individuals, groups and businesses as outstanding business partners for the school year. They were honored in the categories of Shining Moment Partners, Champions of Education and Friends of Education. The Henderson Family YMCA and Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Department again were recognized for being named co-recipients of the school system’s Shining Moment Award as the top business partners for this school year. They were presented with the award in late January.

All of the award recipients were presented their honors by Superintendent Anthony Jackson, Assistant Superintendent Trixie Brooks, and Clarke Elementary Principal Crystal Richardson, who is also the district’s Principal of the Year.

The Clarke Elementary Chorus also provided musical entertainment at the event.

In nominating Mr. Pope for the award, Vance County Early College High School Principal Debbie Hite and counselor Tannis Jenkins wrote:

“Anthony Pope has a major impact on our school. He works with male students by helping them to prepare for their future plans after graduation. He helps the students on a weekly basis with different activities including eating lunch with them, going on field trips with them or just meeting with them to check on their progress. He helps these young men with how to conduct themselves in the workplace by teaching them professional etiquette and dress. They have taken trips to such locations at Atlanta and Charlotte to visit colleges and cultural events, all under Mr. Pope’s guidance. The young men in his group have gained confidence. They attend school on a regular basis and are on track to graduate from high school.”

 

Above: Anthony Pope is shown in the photo holding the Vance County Schools Volunteer of the Year plaque he was presented by Debbie Hite, principal of Early College High, left.