Category: Education

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Education, Environment, Robeson County

UNC Pembroke partners with NC State on sustainable protein research center

By Rachel Baldauf rachelbaldauf@borderbelt.org  The University of North Carolina at Pembroke is partnering with N.C. State University to open a new research center that will focus on the production of sustainable protein sources, including plant-based products and meat grown from animal cells.  The Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein that launched last month on N.C. State’s Raleigh campus is funded by a $30 million grant from …Read more Continue reading UNC Pembroke partners with NC State on sustainable protein research center

Avatar photoRachel Baldauf
Judge's gavel on a desk. Sticky post
Education, Public Safety, Scotland County

Former St. Andrews student serving more than 23 years for on-campus sexual assaults

By Sarah Nagem sarahnagem@borderbelt.org A former St. Andrews University student-athlete accused of sexually assaulting three women on campus in 2022 and 2023 was sentenced to serve more than 23 years in prison.  Mison Mickle, 24, pleaded guilty in March to four felony counts of sex offenses and failure to register as a sex offender. The Border Belt Independent recently learned of Mickle’s conviction and sentencing …Read more Continue reading Former St. Andrews student serving more than 23 years for on-campus sexual assaults

Sarah NagemSarah Nagem
Education, Profile, Scotland County

Get to know three Laurinburg artists

By Kerria Weaver kerriaweaver@borderbelt.org How would you define art? Can it really be defined? The Border Belt Independent spoke with three artists from Laurinburg who show that there is an art to everything we do and how you can make a career out of it in the process. Keith Stephens, 42, is an art teacher at Scotland High School. Stephens has always been interested in …Read more Continue reading Get to know three Laurinburg artists

Avatar photoKerria Weaver
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Bladen County, Columbus County, Education, Robeson County, Scotland County

Schools in NC’s Border Belt say they need more county money to replace COVID funding

By Ben Rappaport benrappaport@borderbelt.org  School boards in rural southeastern North Carolina are asking for increases in local funding to increase employees’ pay and fill gaps left by the loss of federal COVID-19 relief money. School leaders in Bladen, Columbus, Robeson and Scotland counties have asked county commissioners to bump up funding for the fiscal year that begins July 1.  In North Carolina, the General Assembly …Read more Continue reading Schools in NC’s Border Belt say they need more county money to replace COVID funding

Avatar photoBen Rappaport
Education, Scotland County

SparkNC brings a new way of learning to Scotland High School

By Ben Rappaport benrappaport@borderbelt.org While his peers spend their mornings in math or English class, Trevon Wall connects wires to circuit boards for the robotic car he’s building and coding from scratch. Wall, a senior at Scotland High School, is one of the first in the state to experience SparkNC, a new curriculum aimed at teaching high-tech skills.  “I like to be hands-on,” Wall said. …Read more Continue reading SparkNC brings a new way of learning to Scotland High School

Avatar photoBen Rappaport
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Bladen County, Columbus County, Education, Robeson County, Scotland County

Low pay, lack of resources lead to burnout in southeastern NC schools, teachers say

By Ben Rappaport benrappaport@borderbelt.org  It’s an epic vocal trio of Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Tensions are rising within George Washington’s presidential cabinet. Jefferson can’t take it anymore. “If there’s a fire you’re trying to douse,” Jefferson raps in the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton,” “you can’t put it out from inside the house.” Those lyrics hit Kaylan Ganus like a brick. It was …Read more Continue reading Low pay, lack of resources lead to burnout in southeastern NC schools, teachers say

Avatar photoBen Rappaport
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Bladen County, Columbus County, Education, Robeson County, Scotland County

Here’s how high schools in NC’s Border Belt performed in latest rankings

By Rachel Baldauf rachelbaldauf@borderbelt.org  Scotland Early College High School in Laurinburg is the 70th best public high school in North Carolina, according to new rankings from U.S. News & World Report. The school far out-ranked other public high schools in the Border Belt region of Bladen, Columbus, Robeson and Scotland counties. PSRC Early College at Robeson Community College ranked 168th. All others fell below the …Read more Continue reading Here’s how high schools in NC’s Border Belt performed in latest rankings

Avatar photoRachel Baldauf
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Culture, Education

Tyris Jones taps into the art of storytelling

By Kerria Weaver kerriaweaver@borderbelt.org Tyris Jones, 55, has always dreamed of his name being in lights on Broadway and knows one day he is going to win an Oscar.  In his community, Jones is best known as a storyteller and enjoys sharing his craft with others. The Border Belt Independent spoke with Jones about storytelling and how he brings awareness to this uncommon art form. …Read more Continue reading Tyris Jones taps into the art of storytelling

Avatar photoKerria Weaver
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Education

Private school vouchers in southeast NC see sharp increase as funding more than doubles

By Ben Rappaport benrappaport@borderbelt.org  Private schools are on the rise in North Carolina, and the Border Belt region is no exception. A successful Republican-led push to expand the state’s private school voucher program last year has created massive growth in the number of students receiving vouchers and the amount of state funding in the program. Private school vouchers, also known as Opportunity Scholarships, provide families …Read more Continue reading Private school vouchers in southeast NC see sharp increase as funding more than doubles

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Education, Politics / Government

‘Feel more pain’: southeastern NC is at the heart of a 30-year public education fight

By Ben Rappaport benrappaport@borderbelt.org  For 28 days, Angus Thompson has been undergoing intensive radiation therapy at UNC Health Southeastern in Lumberton. The treatments have left him tired and he now walks with two canes for support. But the fire hasn’t left the 72-year-old retired public defender. Neither has the fervor in his booming voice. He’s a presence that demands attention and a listening ear when he …Read more Continue reading ‘Feel more pain’: southeastern NC is at the heart of a 30-year public education fight

Avatar photoBen Rappaport