News

LOCAL BRIEFS: Career Academy winners, DAR's Good Citizens, Trinity lecture series; migrant needs event

By Lightning Reports, Published: March 9, 2022

Local students win 2nd place in job readiness competition

Ten Henderson County Career Academy students in the Jobs for North Carolina’s Graduates program earned second place victories at the state-level 2022 JNCG Leadership Summit, where they competed in events to demonstrate their career readiness and community leadership skills.

Established in 2017, the JNCG program is a state affiliate of the Jobs for America’s Graduates network. It is dedicated to dropout prevention, postsecondary education and career and leadership development among high school students.

The Henderson County Career Academy is one of only eight North Carolina high schools chosen to participate in JNCG, which is sponsored by the N.C. Department of Commerce and Communities in Schools of North Carolina.

JNCG provides classroom instruction and organizational support to students who face significant barriers to success, and follows up with students to provide guidance and employer engagement for one year after graduation. The Career Academy currently serves 30 students with direct classroom instruction, and follows up with 25 graduates.

“We have had overwhelming success in helping students find gainful full-time employment, access to higher education and certification courses, or enlistment in the military using a results-driven approach tracked through a national data management system,” said Arthur Kelly, JNCG Specialist at the Career Academy.

On Feb. 23, the Career Academy sent 10 competitors to the “Navigating to Success” JNCG Leadership Summit at Davidson-Davie Community College, where they participated in three individual events and one team-based event centered on workplace skills and career readiness.

Hailey Chaney took second place in the Employability Skills event, which required students to create a resume and cover letter targeted towards a selected, obtainable job opportunity, then conduct a mock interview with a panel of judges. She simulated an interview for an internship at the Flat Rock Playhouse, because she wants to work in theater production and possibly pursue an acting career after college, Kelly said.

Kenzie Allen placed second in the Career Preparation event, for which she created a presentation demonstrating her ability to research and summarize the details surrounding her chosen career pathway as a paramedic.
“Kenzie’s slideshow about becoming a paramedic was outstanding overall, and worthy of great praise,” Kelly said.

Cody Cuthbert, Gavin DiFresco, Malachi Hamilton and Ren Fakhoury earned second place in the Creative Decision Making team event, which required teams to solve a business-related dilemma within a 30-minute time limit, then present their solutions to a panel of judges. The given scenario was keeping a restaurant in business after the dining area was damaged in a storm, and many teams considered options like a temporary tent, delivery-only, or working under limited capacity for outdoor dining, Kelly said.

“Ours was the only team that suggested using drones to deliver, and making menu changes to accommodate delivery without affecting food quality, which stood out as exceptionally creative among their peers,” he said. “Overall, these students did a fantastic job. I’m a very proud educator today.”

DAR recognizes students with Good Citizen Awards

The Joseph McDowell Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) honored four high school seniors for citizenship during its February meeting at Champion Hills Country Club. Good Citizen Awards went to Ella Neve of Henderson County Early College, Ryan Seward of Hendersonville High School, Amanda Jane Whiting of West Henderson High School and Celeste Young of North Henderson High School.
The honorees participated in extracurricular activities, contributed to the community, demonstrated preparation for college and exemplified the qualities that make a good citizen, dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism. The winners from each school wrote essays in response to this question: How do the qualities of a good citizen help support our nation? Ella Neve wrote in her essay that “Leadership guides others to a better quality of life, and, in turn, will eventually lead to the growth of our nation.”
The winning students received a $50 check, a pin and a certificate.

Episcopal priest is guest speaker in lecture series

The Rev. Dr. Isabel Carter Heyward, author of the forthcoming book, “The Seven Deadly Sins of White Isabel Carter HeywardChristian Nationalism—Calling Christians to Respond,” is the guest speaker this month for the annual Ohmann Lecture Series at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 900 Blythe St. The series takes place at 11:15 a.m. Sunday mornings in March.
A feminist theologian and priest in the Episcopal Church, Heyward in 1974 was one of the Philadelphia Eleven, 11 women whose ordinations paved the way for the recognition of women as priests in the Episcopal Church in 1976. Born in Charlotte, she grew up in Hendersonville.

Temple and UUF host migrant needs drive-thru

Agudas Israel Congregation and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will sponsor a Migrant Needs drop off drive-thru from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 19, in the Unitarian Universalist parking lot at the corner of Kanuga Road and East Patterson Street. Items needed are toothbrushes, toothpaste, bar soaps, Neosporin ointment, razors, ball caps, bandanas, laundry soap and laundry softener. Any monetary donations can be payable and mailed to True Ridge, 110 Edney Street, Suite A, Hendersonville, N.C., 28792, with “For Migrant Workers” on the memo line of the check. Donations can also be made at trueridge.org.