GCPS’s signature event, the “Evening of Excellence'', was held on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at the South Granville High School auditorium in front of throngs of cheering parents, family and community members in an upbeat and exciting program.

The two-part program this year recognized more than 300 GCPS students who have earned ‘straight A’s’ since the beginning of the year, as well as two “Gold Star” student recipients from each school who demonstrated overall excellence in academics, character, extra curricular activities, and service to others.  

Combined with these student recognitions, members of the four Superintendent Advisory Councils (Student, Parents, Teachers, Principals), the Superintendent’s Student Leadership Summit participants, and all categories of employees of the year were recognized.

The recipients for each of the 2023 ‘Employee of the year’ category are:

Janice Downey, Granville Early College High School

Bus Driver of the Year

Vanessa Jenkins, Mt. Energy Elementary School

Beginning Teacher of the Year

Audrey Brown, Granville Central High School

CTE Teacher of the Year

Margaret McAden, Phoenix Academy

Clerical School Based of the Year

Kim Henderson, Central Services

Clerical District Staff of the Year

Roger Hawley, Creedmoor Elementary School

Custodian of the Year

Lakesha Bailey, Granville Central High School

Teacher Assistant of the Year

Dana Small, JF Webb High School Counselor

Student Support Staff of the Year

Jack Blackwell

Operations Staff of the Year

Mr. Javon Dixon, Granville Central High School

Assistant Principal of the Year

Dr. Charmaine Day-Heggie, Butner Stem Elementary School

Principal of the Year

The 2023-2024 Granville County Public Schools Teacher of the Year is:

LaKecia Bullock, Wilton Elementary School

1st Runner Up -  Bethany Young, Granville Academy

2nd Runner Up - Emily Cofield, Granville Early College High School

Ms. Bullock was presented with her trophy, flowers, and received a check for $1000 on behalf of the Granville Ed Foundation.  Each of the runners up were honored with a plaque and $500 on behalf of the Granville Ed Foundation.

Superintendent McLean offered her thoughts on the announcement, stating, “We are sure that Ms. Bullock will be a shining star among the others recognized across the country for this top honor.  We are proud of her and all she represents.  It was a wonderful night of celebrating excellence for our students, staff and our school district.  Congratulations to everyone who was recognized!”   

Board Chairman Williams also shared her praise, stating, “I am so proud of all of these teachers and the dedication and love they have for their students.  I know that Ms. Bullock will represent our district well in this coming year as a true ambassador for our county and the profession itself.  Also a huge congratulations to all of our straight A students for their achievement.  We are proud of you!”

Please join us in paying tribute to our past US Military Service men and women at the 2023 Memorial Day Wreath Laying Ceremony. The ceremony will take place on Monday, May 29, at Gazebo Park, 416 Central Avenue in Butner, and will begin at 10 a.m.

The keynote speaker of this year’s ceremony is Ronnie Boyd, a Granville County native. Boyd served with the 731st Maintenance Company of the National Guard, and was headquartered at the Butner Armory. His maintenance team landed in Saudi Arabia in November 1990 and honorably served until May 1991. Boyd will be recounting his experiences during his deployment and his return to Granville County.

Other participants of this year’s ceremony include the South Granville High School Band and Jr. Reserve Officers Training Corps, Reverend Jimmy Hall of Bible Baptist Church, Interim Pastor Jim Shelley of First Baptist Church of Butner, and the Girls Scouts of America, Troop 1211.

After the ceremony, the Town Hall gallery will be open to the public and will feature an exhibit titled "The First Gulf War: The War to Free Kuwait” organized by the North Carolina Museum of History. The exhibit features eight informational panels filled with photographs recounting the conflict that began when dictator Saddam Hussein attacked Kuwait on Aug. 2, 1990. The resulting conflict would later become known as the Persian Gulf War of 1990–1991, during which the United States led the most varied coalition of nations in recent history in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.

If inclement weather occurs, the ceremony will be held at the Soldiers Memorial Sports Arena on 416 24 th Street in Butner. Please contact Mallory Richard at mrichard@butnernc.org or (919) 298-2654 for more information. 

GCPS Board of Education Names NEW Superintendent

 

The Granville County Board of Education is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Stan Winborne as the new Superintendent of Granville County Public Schools, effective July 1, 2023. Dr. Winborne will succeed Dr. Alisa McLean as Superintendent, who is retiring after 30 years as an educator in North Carolina.

 
"I am honored and humbled by our Board of Education's decision to name me as their next Superintendent.   I have tremendous respect for Dr. McLean and her excellent leadership and service to the children of our district.  I wish her nothing but the best in her retirement and look forward to working with our Board and amazing educators to build upon the successes during her tenure.  I believe GCPS is poised to do great things and prepare our students to thrive in a changing world!"

Dr. Winborne currently serves as Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction and Student Services for Granville County Public Schools.  He has also served as Assistant Superintendent and Executive Director of Operations and Human Resources as well as Director of Secondary Schools & Career and Technical Education. For the past 13 years, he has concurrently served as Public Information Officer In 1996, Dr. Winborne began his twenty-seven year career in education with Granville County Public Schools as its first and only English as a Second Language teacher, and served as a teacher for 10 years before moving into an administrative role.

As a graduate from Tulane University, Dr. Winborne earned a Bachelor of Arts dual degree in Spanish and International Relations. He received his Master’s degree in Language Education from Indiana University, an Education Specialist degree from George Washington University, and his Doctorate in Educational Administration and Supervision from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

 

Dr. Winborne resides in Granville County with his lovely wife, Marcy, who teaches at J.F. Webb High School in the CTE Department.  Together, they have four children; two of which graduated from J.F. Webb High School, Danica and Adrianna, and two currently enrolled at Granville Early College High School, Sofia and Brodie.

Dr. Winborne is a member of a variety of educational organizations like NCASCD, NCASA and NCSPRA.  He is also a member of the Oxford Rotary Club.

Mrs. Glenda Williams, Board Chairwoman said, “The Board believes that Dr. Winborne has the experience and leadership skills to provide continuity and innovation for our school system as we work to achieve the goals of our long-range Strategic Plan. In addition to his professional qualifications and experience in different administrative roles, Dr. Winborne has a proven track record of accomplishments. That experience, knowledge of our school system, and his support for teachers and staff make him uniquely qualified for the Superintendency.  His love of students and his dedication to improving academic outcomes for all students is always at the forefront of his work. The Board is very excited to have Dr. Stan Winborne as our next Superintendent of Granville County Public Schools.” 

 

--

Inaugural North Carolina Bring Your Legislator to School Day 

On Monday, May 15, 2023, members of the North Carolina General Assembly took part in the inaugural North Carolina Bring Your Legislator to School Day.  GCPS was fortunate to have State Senator Mary Wills Bode, of District 18 visit Granville Early College High School.

During her visit, Senator Bode had a walk-through of the school with Principal Harris, Superintendent McLean, and Board Members Williams, Hayes, Peace, and Anderson.  She was also treated to a special presentation from five students.

Chairwoman Williams shared her thoughts, stating, “We were delighted to have Senator Bode visit our district.  I was very proud of our students for being amazing leaders and sharing information about their wonderful school.  I would like to thank Senator Bode for taking the time from her busy schedule to spend time with us.  She is a true champion for public education and GCPS!”

Lawmakers were invited by members of the NC Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year Network, the Public School Forum of North Carolina, and bi-partisan legislative sponsors to visit schools in their respective jurisdictions and engage with school communities. In total, over 70 legislators accepted the invitation to participate.

Superintendent McLean also commented, “It was wonderful to have Senator Bode in our district today.  We loved her spending time with our students and taking an interest in our schools.”

Granville County Partners with Brightspeed to Provide High Speed Fiber Internet to 1,914 Homes and Businesses 

GRANVILLE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION: The Granville County Board of Commissioners have finalized a  partnership with Brightspeed and the NC Department of Information Technology (NC DIT) to provide high speed  fiber internet access to 1,914 homes and businesses in rural Granville County through the Growing Rural  Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Grant Program. Brightspeed will have two years to install internet  infrastructure capable of providing fiber internet service to the approved locations. The NC GREAT Grant award  totaled $4 million, and Granville County will utilize federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to  contribute 20% ($1,338,876) of the total project cost of $6,677,752. 

Granville County has proactively sought methods to bridge the high-speed internet access gap in Granville  County that began in earnest with a formal Request for Qualifications in 2019. Various state laws and  regulations prohibit county and city governments from providing internet services or installing infrastructure themselves, but they may partner with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to expand access and improve service.  The NC GREAT Grant Program utilizes funding that the State of North Carolina received from the ARPA to allow  the state government and local governments to partner with willing ISPs to expand internet access to rural  North Carolina locations that do not meet the minimum Federal Communications Commission (FCC) parameters  of having access to “high-speed” internet.  

The areas served by this project are concentrated on the outskirts of Oxford, western Granville County around  the Berea and Culbreth communities, and northern Granville County communities of Cornwall, Oak Hill, Gela,  and Grassy Creek. Some of the addresses included can be found on portions of Antioch Road, Fairport Road, NC  Highway 96, US Highway 15, US Highway 158, Knotts Grove Road, Old NC 75, James Royster Road, Enon Road,  Hebron Road, Cornwall Road, Gela Road, Mountain Creek Road, Oak Hill Road, Grassy Creek Road, and Grassy  Creek-Virgilina Road among many others. To view a full map of addresses served, visit  www.granvillecounty.org/broadband or the NC One Map: https://www.nconemap.gov/pages/broadband.  

“This is just a start and does not solve the broadband gap for many areas of our county, but we are very excited  to partner with Brightspeed to provide thousands of citizens with access to true high-speed fiber internet at  their homes and businesses that have never received these services before,” said Board of Commissioners Chair  Russ May. “Much like water or electric service, high speed internet access is an essential utility for daily life, and  we are thankful that the State of North Carolina chose to dedicate a significant portion of their ARPA funding to  this project. The Board of Commissioners and county staff are still working as quickly as possible to find other  partners who are willing and able to expand and improve internet access in the remainder of Granville County,  much of which was unfortunately not eligible for this specific project.”