VGCC recruits Early College High School students to future educators’ club

The Vance-Granville Community College chapter of the Student North Carolina Association of Educators (SNCAE) is venturing into new territory. The pre-professional organization for college students who are preparing for careers in education recently signed up its first members who are students at the four Early College high schools operated by VGCC in partnership with local school systems. Jacquelin Heath, head of the college’s School-Age Education program and advisor for the SNCAE chapter, started an innovative initiative in March by meeting with students at each high school and explaining the benefits of joining the organization. Heath’s initial recruiting yielded 20 members from Warren Early College High School , 20 from Franklin County Early College High School , 11 from Granville Early College High School and five from Vance County Early College High School .

 

Student North Carolina Association of Educators has chapters at colleges and universities across the state. SNCAE is a division of the larger North Carolina Association of Educators, the leading professional organization for educators in North Carolina. VGCC students in education, early childhood or college transfer courses are eligible to join the chapter.

 

According to Elic Senter of Franklinton, Manager for Instructional Advocacy and Organizing at NCAE, VGCC and Heath may be starting a new trend and setting an example for others to follow. “We are the first state in the nation, and VGCC is the first community college in the state, to tap into early college high schools for membership,” Senter said. “A number of my colleagues across the country are interested in what we are doing and will look at VGCC as a model.”

 

Being “first” is not exactly new for VGCC, since it was the first community college in the state to establish a chapter of SNCAE.

 

For more information on SNCAE or the School-Age Education program, call Jacquelin Heath at (252) 738-3298 .

 

Above: Jackie Heath, chapter advisor for SNCAE at VGCC (seated, right), recruits new members at Vance County Early College High School, which is located on the college’s Main Campus. (VGCC photo)