Orange County residents will receive Pauli Murray Human Relations Awards Sunday, Feb. 26

The Orange County Human Relations Commission will host the Pauli Murray Human Relations Awards Ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 26. The event will be held in the Central Orange Senior Center Ballroom at 103 Meadowlands Drive from 3 to 5 p.m.
The Pauli Murray Award is presented annually by the Human Relations Commission to an Orange County youth, an Orange County adult and an Orange County business that have served the community with distinction in the pursuit of equality, justice and human rights for all residents.
This year’s ceremony will include musical entertainment, poetic recitals by the Sacrificial Poets, the winners of the Human Rights Student Essay Contest reading their winning essays and the recipients of the Pauli Murray Human Relations Award being recognized.
The public is encouraged to attend this community event. A reception will follow the ceremony.
For more information, call (919) 245-2487.

Call for nominations for AASLH Leadership History Awards

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is seeking nominations of North Carolinians or North Carolina historical organizations that have excelled in the collection, preservation or interpretation of state and local history. Nominees will be considered for the Leadership in HistoryAwards, offered each year by the American Association for State and Local History.
The association bestows these awards annually to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards recognize exemplary work by federal, state or local historical societies, museums, institutions or agencies, or specialized societies in the areas of oral history, genealogy, folklore, archaeology, business history or others. Privately owned museums or foundations, individuals, junior historical societies and related agencies also may apply.
Winning North Carolina organizations in 2011 included the Greensboro Historical Museum, the University Library at UNC-Chapel Hill, the State Archives in Raleigh, the Outer Banks History Center in Manteo and the N.C. Museum of History.
Nominees do not have to be members of AASLH, and self-nominations are encouraged. Visit AASLH awards to download a nomination form and to learn more about the award guidelines and the documentation that must accompany the forms. Send nomination forms and other required information by March 1 to: Laura Ketcham, N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, 4610 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4610.
The American Association for State and Local History is a nonprofit organization of individuals and institutions working to preserve and promote history.

Small town restaurant thinking big

Panciuto chef Aaron Vandemark was recently recognized via two national cooking wards—nominee for Food and Wine Magazine's 2011 People's New Chef, Southeast, and semifinalist for the James Beard 2011 Best Chef, Southeast.
Panciuto is a small Italian restaurant located on Churton Street in downtown Hillsborough. Gathering 80 to 90 percent of the food used in his dishes from local farmers, Vandemark adds a hint of the American South into his Mediterranean cooking, creating unique and delicious dishes that simultaneously help support local agriculture.
To vote for Vandemark in Food and Wine Magazine's 2011 People's New Chef, click here. Voting runs through March 1. Finalists for the James Beard award will also be announced in March.
For more information on the awards, Vandemark or Panciuto, see the Feb. 23 issue of the News of Orange.

Central Elementary receives Lighthouse Award

From Michael Gilbert, Orange County Schools public information officer:

Central Elementary School received the prestigious NCASCD’s 2010 Lighthouse Award.  In the span of three years, Ms. Daniels and her staff have taken Central Elementary School from Title I sanctions to among the best in the state.

For more information, read tomorrow's The News of Orange County.

orange county schools classified staff awards

So, because I had so much education content I was trying to get on the Ed Page (and I didn't even get all I wanted), I was unable to run a second picture of the OCS Classified Staff Brunch and Awards Ceremony with the nominees and all their names. So, here it is. Congratulations to everyone:

The 2008-2009 nominees of Orange County Schools classified staff employees of the year awards are: for Bus Driver of the Year, Kay McPherson, Mary Baldwin, Albert Clayton, Renee Brown, Wanda Bain and Teresa Daniel; for Custodian of the Year, Gloria Cheeks (New Hope Elementary School), Eddie Snipes (Gravelly Hill Middle School) and Robert Richmond (Orange High School); for Teacher Assistant of the Year, Beverly Apple (Cameron Park Elementary School), Pamela Chapman (Central Elementary School), Shari Latta (Grady Brown Elementary School), Cassandra Williams (Hillsborough Elementary School), Beatrice Gregory (Pathways Elementary School), Patricia Horne (New Hope Elementary School), Lori Merritt (C.W. Stanford Middle School), Marquis Beasley (Gravelly Hill Middle School), Dawn Brown (Cedar Ridge High School) and Marcia Compton (Orange High School); for Child Nutrition Manager of the Year, Bonnie Pettiford (Cameron Park Elementary School), Bernice Walton (Cameron Park Elementary School), Barbara Robinson (Central Elementary School), Berthinia Brown (Central Elementary School), Yvette Miles (Efland Cheeks Elementary School), Kathy Walker (New Hope Elementary School), Kim McBroom (New Hope Elementary School), Lela Copeland (New Hope Elementary School), Anne Neville (Gravelly Hill Middle School), Christi Riley (A.L. Stanback Middle School), Jenny Smith (A.L. Stanback Middle School), Pamela Enoch (A.L. Stanback Middle School) and Mildred Davis (C.W. Stanford Middle School); and Office Professional of the Year, Carolyn Moore (Cedar Ridge High School), Cyrena Gentry (Gravelly Hill Middle School), Debbie Kimball (Cedar Ridge High School), Della Putney-Lewis (maintenance), Diane Wilson (Cedar Ridge High School), Holly Nichols (office), Jan Cain (Central Office), Joy Toellen (New Hope Elementary School), Karen Riley (Gravelly Hill Middle School), LaTonya Fields (Cedar Ridge High School), Piper Flynt (Orange High School), Portia Holman (Hillsborough Elementary School), Sucovis Hester (Grady Brown Middle School), Tamara Long (Central Office), Vickie Rich (Central Office) and Zevalda McPherson (Hillsborough Elementary School).
Orange County Schools board member Ted Triebel likened classified staff to the “unsung heroes” of his 30 years in the Navy. “We couldn’t do it without you,” he said.
District Superintendent Patrick Rhodes agreed. “From the bottom of my of my heart, I really, truly appreciate what you do everyday.”