Local Government, Civic Affairs and Education
Photo: Patricia White-Boyd, taken from her Facebook page
Roanoke’s forgotten history will be uncovered with the premiere of a documentary film. WFIR’s Emma Thomas has more on “Hidden in Plain Site”:
Photo: Students in the Beacons Program working together
A new after school program aimed at helping kids through a tough transition is growing fast. WFIR’s Emma Thomas has that story:
G Marrano photos
A signing ceremony at Virginia Western Community College today when the two-year school signed an articulation agreement with Radford University – allowing biotechnology students at Virginia Western to be guaranteed admission at Radford. Virginia Western will develop an Associates degree program in biotechnology that aligns with requirements at Radford University. Its all part of the efforts to make the region a bio-tech job creator. Dr. Bobby Sandel is the president at VWCC.
Mac McCadden. Shawn Nowlin photo
Kennedy Park in northwest Roanoke on 19th Street is now Estelle H. McCadden Park, renamed for the late community activist who championed for positive change in her Melrose-Rugby Neighborhood. All four of Estelle McCadden’s children were on hand along with many other relatives and friends for the renaming ceremony; McCadden Park will also be part of a master planning process this summer with an eye towards adding more amenities. Her son Mac McCadden, a former City Council member, spoke this morning before the sign unveiling at the park.
Feeding Southwest Virginia is seeing a decrease in donations and a 30-percent increase in demand. The 31st annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is more important than ever. As WFIR’s Denise Allen Membreno reports this year’s drive is going virtual.
Virginia Western Community College and Radford University will sign an articulation agreement on Monday, May 1, that will result in a cost-effective transition for students focusing on the field of biotechnology.
Virginia Western students completing the Associate of Science (A.S.) degree in Science with a specialization in Biotechnology and meeting all requirements will be guaranteed admission to the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology program at Radford University. Virginia Western’s president, Dr. Robert Sandel, and Radford’s president, Dr. Bret Danilowicz, will sign the articulation agreement in an 11 a.m. ceremony in Fishburn Hall on the Virginia Western campus.
The A.S. in Science with a specialization in Biotechnology is new to Virginia Western beginning in Fall 2023. The degree program fits into the larger framework of a $15.7 million grant-funded collaboration to build a biotechnology incubator in Roanoke. Virginia Western is a partner in the project with the City of Roanoke, Carilion Clinic, Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, Verge and Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. Virginia Western is expanding its degree and certificate programs to cultivate and support the workforce needs of the region’s growing biotechnology sector, including the jobs anticipated in the lab space being developed at 1030 S. Jefferson Street in Roanoke.
A new CTE center and the renovation of two elementary schools are Roanoke County Public Schools top priorities, but according to their Superintendent, they don’t intend to stop there. WFIR’s Emma Thomas has more:
Photo: verlettawhite.com
Roanoke, Virginia (April 24, 2023) – Dr. Verletta B. White, Superintendent of Roanoke City Public Schools, was named Virginia Superintendent of the Year at the Virginia Association of School Superintendents (VASS) Annual Awards Luncheon today in Roanoke. Over three hundred attendees were present at the announcement and presentation of the Virginia Superintendent of the Year Award to Dr. White by VASS President Mike Gill. The VASS officers and the presidents of several major state education organizations participated in the selection process.
Dr. White’s leadership in addressing the post-Pandemic challenges of closing achievement gaps among her students has served as an example for other school divisions in Virginia. Under her direction, Roanoke City has been very successful in accelerating the reading growth of its English Learning students. The school division’s “EL Student Success Plan” which is based on highly effective targeted instruction, high-quality professional learning and meaningful family engagement opportunities for English Learners, has yielded impressive results. In the past year, EL students have demonstrated a 71% increase in above average growth on standardized assessments for reading. Specifically, the division’s middle schools have seen a fivefold increase in the number of students showing average to high growth on the assessments.
Keeping her students safe and connected has been paramount to Dr. White in the wake of the Pandemic’s challenges. By providing a structure of support for all involved in the Roanoke City Public Schools – staff, students, and families – she not only has ensured what her students need to succeed academically, but also, she has provided them with what they need to thrive physically, socially and emotionally.
In addition, Dr. White has invested in her students’ future economic success through the division’s new career development initiatives, which increased student enrollment. Improving workforce development efforts and expanding student access to Career Technical Education (CTE) is an important priority of Virginia’s public school divisions.