Lower Cape Fear Hospice has donated $1,000 to the Bladen County Hospital Foundation in support of the foundation’s annual gala.

The Bladen County Hospital Foundation’s Masquerade Ball is planned for Saturday, February 25, at Lu Mil Vineyard. Sponsorships and tickets are still available. Tickets for the event cost $50 each and can be purchased by calling 910-862-1206. The proceeds raised by the event go to the foundation’s efforts in supporting the patients of Bladen County Hospital.

The Bladen County Hospital Foundation was created in 1994 as a non-profit organization to assist the hospital with such things as purchasing equipment, community benefits and providing patient and family support. Each patient at Cape Fear Valley-Bladen Health Care benefits in some way from the generosity of those who give to the foundation. For more information about the Foundation or the Gala, call Ashley Dowless at 910-862-1206.

Today is National Organ Donation Day. Each year, February 14, is observed as a national day to focus on organ, eye, bone marrow, platelet, blood donation and tissue donation. It was originally designated in 1998 by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services in cooperation with the Saturn Corporation and the United Auto Workers.

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, every 10 minutes  someone is added to the waiting list for a life saving organ transplant. The organization also notes that 22 people die each year while waiting for a transplant.

The website for the UNOS, shows that of 8:37 EST Tuesday, 118,558 people are waiting for a transplant and there are currently 1,322 donors. The website also indicates 2,802 transplants were performed in January 2017.

To learn more about how you can become an organ donor, go to www.donoralliance.org?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss, www.donatelife.net?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss and www.organdonor.gov?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss.

Darienne Breazeale and Chris Walter won the drawing for bladenonline.com‘s “Most Eligible Bachelor/Bachelorette Contest” presented by Bob’s Jewel Shop of Lumberton and Cape Fear Heating & Cooling.  The drawing for the winners was held Tuesday during the Elizabethtown-White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Cape Fear Farmer’s Market in Elizabethtown. 

Entries were submitted by bladenonline.com‘s readership.  Our entries for Most Eligible Bachelor were as follows: Bobby L. Singletary, Joey Davis, Rufus Monroe, Clark Chason, James Faulk, Chris Walter, Dawan Pearson, and Zane Singletary.

Our entires for Most Eligible Bachelorette were as follows: LoWanda Davis, Cheryl Thurston, Kathleen Monroe, Amber Glisson, Darienne Breazeale , and Mary McKiver.

All of the nominees were invited to attend the Elizabethtown-White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon meeting held at the Cape Fear Farmer’s Market in Elizabethtown and were treated to a free lunch paid for by bladenonline.com.

The winning Bachelor and Bachelorette each received a photo package by Kinlaw Studios and free tax service by Liberty Tax.

Fifty-seven of Clarkton School of Discovery’s Junior Beta Club members attended the North Carolina Junior Beta Convention February 6th & 7th in Greensboro. This year’s theme was “Beta Above and Beyond.”  During the convention, members participated in various academic and artistic competitions.

Weslyn Hall, a 7^th-grade student, campaigned for the office of President. Several students wrote and choreographed her campaign skit titled “Ball with Hall.” The skit was a demonstration of Weslyn’s campaign slogan. Students sang and danced promoting Weslyn’s bid for office to a rewritten version of a Kid Rock song. Students were dressed in shirts and hats saying “Ball with Hall” 

Lily Lin, Sara Gargala, Marley Fletcher, Alyssa Furtrell and Sammi Jiang won  1^st place in Tower of Power, a critical thinking competition in which students are given straws and masking tape to build the tallest free-standing tower that would hold a ball for at least one minute. The girls winning tower was almost five feet tall!

Our Banner, created by Natalie Spears, Lauren Gooden, Sydney Gardner and Kacy Gunter took 2nd place  Another 2nd place win was our Wreath created by Heather Hardin and Merritt Martin.  We are so proud of the talent in our school!

Clarkton’s Junior Betas also competed in Group Talent with a Toy Story themed original skit. Ms. Jennifer Marlowe and Mrs. April Storms-Britt directed and choreographed the performance.

The club made top 5 in the Songfest Competition with a 2nd place overall finish, making them eligible to compete at the National Convention in June. Songfest is a competition in which a club rewrites a song of their choice and presents in with limited movements. CSD rewrote the iconic song, “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” by Journey. During the rewriting process, the students had to incorporate the convention theme “Beta Above and Beyond”. This marks the fourth time CSD has qualified in this prestigious event and the first time we have advanced to Nationals.

This year was CSD’s tenth year competing and consecutive invitation to the National Convention.  The club’s sponsors are Jennifer Marlowe, Sheila Nance, Nancy Clark, Stephanie Norris, and Heather Guyton Thompson. They are assisted by April Storms-Britt. The Junior Betas would like to thank everyone for all their help, guidance and support.

Clarkton’s Junior Beta Club is busily preparing for the National Convention that will be held in Orlando, Florida in June. They are currently planning their 6th Annual Beta Showcase, set for March 31st, to present their award winning Songfest, Banner and Wreath. In addition, we will also have a spaghetti dinner and silent auction that evening to raise funds to send our award winning members to Nationals.

Clarkton has several fundraising activities planned. In addition to our Beta Showcase, $5 raffle tickets will be on sale soon.  We have some great items so make sure to get yours!

North Carolina State University has released its Dean’s List for the Fall 2016 semester. Three Bladen County residents were named to the list.

Those named to the Dean’s List are  William Alexander Clark, Hayley Christine Milczakowski, and Chloe Paris Campbell.

To be eligible for the Dean’s List, students must maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or better on 12 to 14 credit hours of coursework (for which grade points are earned) or they must earn a 3.25 GPA or better on 15 or more credit hours of coursework (for which grade points are earned). 

The job market in the town of Elizabethtown will soon by growing thanks to a Building Reuse grant. The N.C. Department of Commerce announced on Friday that the town of Elizabethtown received a $200,000 Building Reuse grant to be used for the “renovation of a 164,976 square foot building to benefit Specialty Product Technologies, bringing 20 new jobs to the county.”

According to the release, Specialty Product Technologies plans to “set up a new assembly line to manufacture parts for water meter products.  The public investment is attracting $578,000 in private-sector investment.”

Bladen County Economic Development Director Chuck Heustess said that many people are not familiar with the name Speciality Product Technologies. He said instead, many Bladen County residents know the company by its former names Danaher or Veeder Root. He said the company finished celebrating 50 years in business in Elizabethtown.

“We’re aware the grant was approved,” said Heustess, but he also noted that he could not elaborate on specifics of the project.

Certified Physician Assistant Rosa Jou-Zhang has joined Southeastern Neurological Center, an affiliate of Southeastern Health. She joins Dr. Saksith Smithason and Nurse Practitioner Josh Freeman at the neurological surgery practice.

Jou-Zhang earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology, cognitive and neurosciences studies from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minn., in 2008. She completed a master’s degree in health science with a physician assistant certificate from Duke University School of Medicine in 2016. She has special interests in back pain, neck pain, tumors and strokes.

Before joining SeHealth, she worked as a clinical research coordinator for the Division of Brain Stimulation and Neurophysiology at Duke University Medical Center.

Jou-Zhang was born in Panama but grew up in Minnesota. She now resides in Lumberton.

Southeastern Neurological Center is located at Southeastern Health Park, 4901 Dawn Drive, Suite 3300, in Lumberton. To schedule an appointment or for more information, call 910-671-9298.

Bladen Lakes Primary School has released the honor rolls for the second nine weeks grading period. 

Third Grade A Honor Roll

Walter Andrews, Dylan Cruz Hernandez, Bella Robinson

Third Grade A/B Honor Roll

Madeline Barbour, Julius Battle, Hailey Bennett, Wyatt Brown, Joshua Dawson, Sabriel DePaul, Ryan Dove, Cameron Gardner, Kayden Hammonds, Alyson Horne, Noah Johnson, Anayah Mateo, Kameron Merritt, Jonathan Ortiz-Hernandez, Layla Page, Emily Parker, Elizabeth Rodriguez-Lopez, Karen Rodriguez Manzano, Abigail Rojas-Aguilar, Taylor Wheeless, Caeson Wilkes

Fourth Grade Superintendent’s List

Anjeliett Albarran, Leslie Lemus-Basilio

Fourth Grade A Honor Roll

Ivan Ambrosio-Alvarado, Sidney Armitage, Taylor Call, Sadie-Jon Enloe, Lynn Escobar Perez, Zachary Headen, J’von Junious, Brandon Kersey, Sawyer Landreth, Antuan Martinez-Sanchez, Christian Moody, Christopher Ramirez Labra, Nickolas Shipman

Fourth Grade A/B Honor Roll

Kadence Allman, Brihanna Autry, Charles Ault, Gabriela Ayers, Gabe Cashwell, Nathan Coleman, Hunter Demery, Luis Garcia-Sanchez, Carlos Gonzalez Flores, Dawson Hammond, Charity Highsmith-Lanier, Teasia McDowell, Filip Mejia-Rygiel, Iris Miguel-Aguilar, Alexis Munoz Elizalde, Alexis Moore, Bryant Ortiz-Aguilar, Connor Rodgers, Dylan Smith, Sydney Thompson, Sarah Williams

Bladen County, NC – Bladen County and representatives from the North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) office are working together to determine if homeowners and business owners are eligible to receive hazard mitigation grants under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Designed to protect lives and property from future disaster, this program eligibility will be discussed at community intake meetings March 7, March 8, and March 9 from 10 a.m.- 7 p.m., located at the Emergency Service Office, 5853 US 701 North, Elizabethtown, NC 28337.

Bladen County and NCEM officials will speak with property owners whose homes or businesses incurred damage as a result of Hurricane Matthew. In addition to flooding from Hurricane Matthew, any home that is prone to flooding could be eligible to receive one of the three types of program assistance. The three options include the acquisition, or “buyout,” of these homes. The home is then demolished and the land is deeded to the local government.  An additional option is structural elevation or “house raising” to prevent future flooding. Finally, the grants could cover mitigation reconstruction, or “demolish and rebuild.” This includes the construction of an improved, code-compliant, and elevated home on the same site where the existing home has been partially or completely destroyed due to flooding.

All Bladen County homeowners and business owners who are interested in applying for assistance should plan to attend one of the intake meetings at any time between the hours of

• 10 am-7 pm March 7, 2017
• 10 am-7 pm March 8, 2017
• 10 am-7 pm March 9, 2017

Interested applicants must bring homeowner’s insurance information, particularly flood insurance documents.  Officials at the intake meeting will work with homeowners to provide all other necessary documentation.

Business owners could also be eligible to receive assistance but will be included in a separate tier of funding.

”Attending an intake meeting is the first and most important step in the application process. Interested applicants that are not able to attend an intake meeting must contact Kimberly Talbert at Emergency Services by April 15, 2017 to be included in the grant application.”

For more information on the intake meetings or application process, residents of Bladen County should call 910-862-6761 Monday-Wednesday.

Since the SECU Foundation was established in August 2004, it has awarded annual $10,000 “People Helping People” four-year scholarships – increasing from two to three in 2014 – to graduating seniors attending North Carolina Charter Schools.  These scholarships will be awarded to students attending one of the 17 constituent campuses of the University of North Carolina. These funds are made possible through the contributions to the Foundation by members of State Employees’ Credit Union.

In order to ensure that each charter high school’s graduating seniors are able to be considered for this opportunity, each charter school must establish a Scholarship Selection Committee.  The Committee from each charter high school will be responsible for nominating a graduating senior for the scholarship.  Each school must submit its nominees to the NCDPI Office of Charter Schools.  The nominee information for each school will be reviewed/evaluated and the SECU will award scholarships to three candidates statewide.

The attached information will provide each school’s Scholarship Selection Committee with eligibility criteria, procedures, and information. 

Key points:

• Each school has flexibility in establishing its formal application process, but should ensure that every graduating senior with a minimum GPA of 2.5 is considered for the SECU Foundation “People Helping People” Scholarship

• Scholarship recipient information from each school must be received by 5:00 pm EST on April 13, 2017 to the NCDPI Office of Charter Schools.

• Each school should submit an alternate or first runner up student in the event the first nominee is unable to accept the scholarship (if selected).

• Each school must submit  copies of nominations and any accompanying information to Dr. Deanna Townsend-Smith via email at deanna.townsend-smith@dpi.nc.gov

Dozens of expectant families gathered at four separate lotteries over the last two weeks, anxious to hear their name called. Those families did not win money or prizes, but they did win a coveted seat in a classroom at one of the public charter schools operated by the Roger Bacon Academy.

High demand for seats in upper grades at the four schools in the Roger Bacon Academy family of Public Charter Schools resulted in approximately 140 students being placed on waiting lists. There are however a number of openings in Kindergarten and first grade, still available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

These four schools, located in Wilmington, Leland, Whiteville, and Southport, currently serve approximately 2,200 students in total. While they accept any student who enrolls regardless of ability or income, the schools do have grade-level capacity limits for each campus.

All students are accepted unless there are more applications than seats available in their selected grade level. When this occurs, a lottery is required to fairly determine which students are placed in the available seats and which will join a waitlist.

“The lotteries are always tense moments for all incoming parents,” said Steve Smith, Headmaster at two of the four Roger Bacon Academy affiliate schools, “They sit and hope their child’s name will be the next one called. This year, Charter Day School had openings in all but two grades, and many children were accepted. Others were placed on the a waiting list for 2017-2018, but told to please be patient as we were able to get through all of our waiting lists last year. Every child last year that wanted to join our great school at Charter Day was able to.”

In addition to returning students, there were more than 560 new applications from students vying for only 420 open seats at the four public charter schools. As a result, the schools are expanding to accommodate over 2,400 students for the 2017-2018 academic year, and they hope to be able to accept all applicants.

RBA Founder, Baker Mitchell believes that the lack of availability of openings in the upper grades is due to parents recognizing the quality of education at a Roger Bacon School that is lacking in their child’s experiences in Public District Schools, however he feels it more prudent to enroll their children earlier than later, “Our students are having fun reading and doing math facts before the end of Kindergarten,” he says, pointing out that remaining openings in Kindergarten and 1st grade are still available on a first-come, first-serve basis, “If we receive a student who was not taught properly in Kindergarten, catching up in later grades is possible, but can be stressful.”

The Roger Bacon Academy is a North Carolina management organization providing public charter schools with educational, administrative, and operational support. Since 2000, it has provided a signature educational program that combines the proven Direct Instruction teaching method with a robust classical curriculum – a combination which consistently produces best-in-county academic performance by client schools. RBA’s client schools include Charter Day School in Leland, Columbus Charter School in Whiteville, Douglass Academy in Wilmington, and South Brunswick Charter School in Southport. All schools are public, tuition-free, and welcome any student regardless of income, ability, or address.

Parents interested can find further information and online enrollment information by visiting www.EnrollRBA.com?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss

White Lake — Police Officer Jay Davis was promoted to the position of sergeant during a ceremony at White Lake’s town hall Friday morning.

Davis, of Elizabethtown, has been with the White Lake Police Department since February 2014 and is a graduate of E.A. Laney High School in Wilmington, NC and the 2009 BLET Academy at Cape Fear Community College.

Since joining the White Lake Police Department in 2014 Davis has remained a loyal member of the department, and an asset to our community.

HICKORY – West Bladen grad Trevor Lesane walloped a home run and a double to lead his Wake Tech Community College Eagles to a 13-12 victory over Catawba Valley Saturday.

Lesane hammered Catawba pitching for 4 hits in 5 at-bats, knocked in 3 runs, and scored 3 runs. The freshman rightfielder also stole 2 bases as the Eagles rallied from early deficits of 6-0 and 9-4.

In the second game of Saturday’s double-header, Lesane belted a single and finished 1-3 at the plate, but the Eagles dropped a 4-1 decision.

Wake Tech is now 14-10 on the season.

On Point presentation5

On Point presentation4

On Point presentation3

On Point presentation 6

On Point presentation 2

On Point presentation 1

The Bladen County Board of Commissioners meeting got off to a festive start on Monday evening when Breeden Blackwell, with Cape Fear Valley Hospital, joined Dr Roxie Wells, who serves as President of Cape Fear Valley-Bladen Health Care, to present the On Point Award to Bladen County Commissioners Chairman Charles Ray Peterson.

The On Point Award is the highest honor someone can receive from the hospital, said Blackwell. This is the third time the award has been presented.

Blackwell said the award is presented to those who have demonstrated efforts to improve health care. He explained that On Point is a term often used by the military to describe someone who often gets the desired result of their assigned mission.

Blackwell explained the award is an engraved Roman short sword called a Gladious. It was used by frontline Roman shoulders when they encountered hand-to-hand combat.

Blackwell told those in attendance at the meeting when Cape Fear Valley entered into negotiations to acquire Bladen County Hospital, there were many long hours spent in discussions regarding the contract.  Blackwell said negotiations took about three years to complete and one individual was a strong fighter for health care in Bladen County.

When Blackwell requested Peterson come forward, he was obviously surprised.

“I’m totally shocked,” said Peterson during the presentation.

He added that when the county entered into negotiations with Cape Fear Valley, there were many needs facing Bladen County Hospital.

“I’m overwhelmed,” said Peterson of the honor as he accepted the engraved Gladious.

RALEIGH, N.C. – March 24th, 1663 the Carolina Charter granted the right to “… levy, muster and train men …” in order to defend the property and peoples of the Carolinas.  The North Carolina National Guard has been on duty ever since. North Carolina National Guard Citizen Soldiers and Airmen for 354 years have been trusted by their neighbors to bear arms in defense of liberty, state and nation.

Roy Cooper, Governor of North Carolina, signed a proclamation declaring March 24, 2017 “North Carolina National Guard Heritage Day” across the state.

During the ceremony, for the first time in NC Guard history, three Guardsmen from Monroe, Morganton and Pinehurst will receive the newly approved “North Carolina National Guard Soldier and Airman Medal” for heroism.  The North Carolina National Guard Soldier and Airman Medal (NCSAM) is awarded in recognition of acts of personal heroism or extraordinary achievement.

The NC National Guard has served with distinction in World War 1 and World War 2. Since 9-11, more than 22,000 NC National Guardsmen deployed for wartime service. The NCNG was the first to deploy a Reserve component attack aviation battalion into Afghanistan in 2002. The NCNG is the only state to have an Armored Brigade Combat Team deploy twice as an independent maneuver brigade commanding its own terrain in Iraq.

Since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, well over 3,000 Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen have supported N.C. and many other states in response to natural disasters.

The North Carolina National Guard is a ready, reliable, responsive and relevant force that is committed to serving the citizens of our state and nation. The North Carolina National Guard works in support of our partners in N.C. Emergency Management and other State agencies in order to coordinate support for natural disaster incidents. The North Carolina National Guard is one of the oldest institutions in our state.  Countless business, civic and religious leaders served in the Guard throughout our history.

DUBLIN – State Employees Credit Union Members, through the member-funded SECU Foundation, have awarded scholarships to Bladen Community College students Felicia Graham, Carie McLean, Clarissa Patterson, and Crystal Lewis. All four students are enrolled in the Nursing Assistant II program.

Based on the credit union philosophy of people helping people, these scholarships recognize the students’ leadership, excellence of character, integrity, and community involvement. Scholarship funds will be applied to tuition and other expenses associated with their community college education.

State Employee’s Credit Union local advisory board member Cynthia McKoy comments, “My fellow SECU members and I are dedicated to helping students succeed in their pursuit of higher education. The SECU People Helping People Scholarship Program allows us the opportunity to provide resources for many deserving individuals to attain their educational goals through our state’s excellent community college system. As a representative of the SECU, I am very pleased to award these scholarships to these students.”

Annually, SECU members provide two “People Helping People” scholarships to each of the 58 community colleges in North Carolina through the SECU Foundation Scholarship Program. To date, over $6 million has been awarded to help the state’s community college students further their education.
To learn more about scholarships and financial aid for Bladen Community College, call 910 879-5500.

Congressman Robert Pittenger and U.S. Chamber Senior Executive Vice President Suzanne Clark at the March 21st award ceremony.
Photo courtesy Ian Wagreich / © U.S. Chamber of Commerce

WASHINGTON – Congressman Robert Pittenger (NC-09) has been honored with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce “Spirit of Enterprise” Award in recognition of his support for policies which promote a healthy economy and job growth.

Congressman Pittenger received this year’s award for his support of legislation to help small businesses access the capital needed to grow and create jobs, reforms to make federal jobs training programs relevant to 21st century needs, and policies to help American manufacturers compete in the global economy.

“Hardworking Americans deserve good paying jobs.  Small business owners who risk everything to create jobs and economic growth deserve our support,” said Congressman Pittenger.  “For too long, out-of-touch Washington bureaucrats have hurt our economy.  As your Congressman, I’m fighting for policies which create more opportunities for all Americans.”

THM Science Olympiad team

CSD Science Olympiad team

Elizabethtown, NC – Teams from across North Carolina annually take part in a rigorous academic competition, which hosts 23 events in the fields of genetics, earth science, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering and technology known as Science Olympiad.

Clarkton School of Discovery’s JV and Varsity Science Olympiad teams competed in the regional Science Olympiad competition held at UNC-W on March 4th. This was CSD’s second year competing with Coach Jordan Raynor. In all, the Clarkton teams brought home 11 event medals. The varsity team placed in the top ten in 9 events, and the JV team placed in the top ten in 19 out of 23 events among teams from 25 other area schools.

The Tar Heel Middle School JV and Varsity Science Olympiad teams competed in the Fayetteville regional tournament on February 25 and once again the JV team brought home a second place trophy overall. In all, the Tar Heel teams brought home a total of 10 event medals. The varsity team placed in the top ten in 13 events, and finished eighth in the varsity division of teams from 14 other area schools. The JV team placed in the top ten in all 23 events among teams from six other area schools.

“This is my second year coaching the CSD Science Olympiad team and I’m so proud of how well our students competed” said Jordan Raynor, 6th grade math and science teacher and head coach of CSD’s Science Olympiad team. “I definitely couldn’t do all of this alone, we (CSD) have our Principal, Stephanie Norris, a Science Olympiad veteran, who’s been a great leader and mentor for myself and the students. We also have lots of parental and community support of which we are extremely grateful.”

“The entire staff of Tar Heel is so very proud of these students” said David Wimert, coach of the Tar Heel Science Olympiad team. “We proudly display the students trophies in the office for all to see.”

Varsity individual award winners from Clarkton School of Discovery are as follows: 3rd place Bottle Rocket- Garrett Melvin and Nick Norris; 3rd place Towers- Andrew Cahn and Nick Norris; 3rd place Wright Stuff- Garrett Melvin and Nick Norris; 6th place Road Scholar- Andrew Cahn and Jackson Bostic; 7th place Scrambler Car- Jackson Bostic and Jacob Priest.

Varsity team winners from Tar Heel Middle School are as follows: 3rd place Reach for the Stars – Atzel Salvador and Daniel Sanchez; 4th place Scrambler Car – Olivia Allen and Haleigh Fields; 5th place Towers – Alejandro Cruz Rodriquez and Edwin Flores; 5th place Write It Do It – Kaylee Page and Serenity Flakes.

Junior Varsity team winners from Clarkton School of Discovery are as follows: 1st place Mission Possible- Sophia Masaid and Skylar Suggs; 2nd place Disease Detectives- Hannah Davis and Natalie Spears; 2nd place Dynamic Planet- Connor Britt and Luke Barber; 2nd place Towers- Luke Barber and Sam Inscoe; 4th place Microbe Mission- Denitsa Dimova and Weslyn Hall; 4th place Wright Stuff- Emma Turbeville and Skylar Suggs.

Junior Varsity team winners from Tar Heel Middle School are as follows: 2nd place Disease Detectives – Cameron Page and Oswaldo Lopez; 1st place Ecology with the highest score of all junior varsity and varsity teams combined – Levi German and Serena Nwikina; 2nd place Food Science – Violet Allen and Kieria Lewis; 1st place Hovercraft – Alan Miranda and Alex Basilio; 2nd place Reach for the Stars – Alan Miranda and Alex Basilio; 2nd place Towers – Jose Cuc Reyes and Charlie Cruz Rodriquez.

“We have something special here in Bladen County,” Raynor added. “With so much emphasis now being placed on providing STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) opportunities for today’s students to help them become competitive in this global world, we at Clarkton School of Discovery are way ahead of the curve. Not only are students understanding the content taught, they are taking that knowledge and applying it to practical situations. This is an outstanding group of students who demonstrated what they are capable of. We hope the best is yet to come.”

Time is running out! Applications for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Youth Preparedness Council (YPC) close on March 31 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

Teens from across the nation have the opportunity to make a difference in their communities by joining the YPC. Young people on the council work to better their emergency preparedness skills to help ensure readiness and recovery in their own neighborhoods and beyond. All students in grades 8-11, who have engaged in community service or are interested in being an ambassador for emergency preparedness, are encouraged to apply.

Are you an adult working with youth or emergency management? Share the application with those you believe might be interested in applying today. Applicants must submit a completed application form, two letters of recommendation, and academic records.

Applications are accepted until 11:59 p.m. PST on March 31, 2017.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Robert Pittenger (NC-09) is excited to announce Jake Dean of Waxhaw has received a rare double-appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Mr. Dean is Battalion Commander at Camden Military Academy, president of the school’s STEM Club, and leads a program to tutor fellow cadets who are struggling academically.

“My parents have always said that ‘I am the company I keep,’ and ‘iron sharpens iron.’  When I attended West Point’s Summer Leaders Experience this summer, I finally understood what they meant.  It was incredible being immersed with other students who love to learn and desire to serve their country the way I do.  I want to be in the trenches with the most motivated and gifted students all striving for excellence, so I can have the best preparation to serve my country through a military career.”

Mr. Dean is the son of Christopher and Karen Dean.

“Jake has always dreamed of serving his country, and now he’ll face a tough choice between two outstanding service academies,” said Congressman Pittenger.  “We are grateful for Jake, and for every young man and woman like him who volunteers to risk their lives in defense of our freedom and way of life.

Mr. Dean is one of fourteen local students to receive prestigious U.S. Service Academy appointments for the 2016-2017 school year, and will only be allowed to accept one of his two appointments.

Congressman Pittenger will host two “Service Academy Days” later this spring in Charlotte and Fayetteville to give local students the opportunity to learn about the rigorous nomination process.  Call704-362-1060 for details.