The Buzz Around Wayne County

13 THE BUZZ AROUND WAYNE COUNTY June 2024 What's Next for ArtXecute? Lion King! Barbara Jones, ArtXecute Director Communities Supporting Schools Like all good ideas, ArtXecute started with a question. What if? What if we utilized the arts to intentionally engage the youth in our community? What do you think would happen? Scores of rehearsals, six performanc- es, and hundreds of audience members later, the answer is . . . MAGIC. ArtXecute was birthed less than a year ago, but what we've accomplished in that short period of time seems like nothing short of magic! We performed our first stage production, Moe's Town, at the Paramount once, at Wayne Community College twice and at Dillard Middle School three times. Our students sat on a panel at the 2024 State of the Child conference and not only discussed the impact that the arts can have on youth but served as shining examples as well. ArtXecute has set its sights on producing Lion King Jr., a version of the hit Broadway stage production designed to be performed by young creatives but lacking none of the awe and wonder of the original stage play. An information meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 4 at 6 p.m. at the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce. The meeting is open to youth and adults interested in participating in ArtXecute's production of Lion King Jr. Mark your calendar! For more information about ArtXecute, contact Barbara Jones at 919-735- 1432 or by email at ArtXe- cuteWayne@gmail.com. Meet DITR'S Elmo Elmo, an American Stafford- shire Terrier, is a laid-back fellow. Although he likes to sleep in, he doesn't like to miss anything and will join in family fun. He's very food motivated and is learning to sit and respond to his name. His favorite activities include digging, playing with squeaky toys, and chew- ing on bones. Elmo gets along well with other dogs – even bigger ones – and kids. He would love to live with an active family. Elmo is one of six puppies born on New Year's Day. Mama was found on New Year's Eve and was brought inside to have her babies. She and the puppies have had lots of love and care. Elmo is up-to-date on vaccines, micro- chipped and being maintained on monthly heartworm and flea/tick prevention. This dog is currently being fostered as part of Diamonds in the Ruff Canine Rescue. An application is required, along with a home visit and small adoption fee. Applicants must be at least 25 years of age. **FENCED IN YARD REQUIRED** (no invisible or electric fencing) Please visit us on our Facebook page for additional photos, give us a LIKE while you're there! https://www.facebook.com/diamondsintheruff- NC All of our dogs are fostered in homes and areINDOOR dogs. We believe all dogs are family members and should be treated as valued members of the household. Please review our adoption guidelines for further information on adopting from Diamonds in the Ruff Canine Rescue before submitting an application. www.DITRnc.com. LETTERS OF LITERACY: Faina, Literacy Connections' Student shares in Her Own Words Today, when I opened the newspaper "The Buzz", I saw a familiar face and an article of which the heroine was my friend — Martie Saylors! And it all started with the fact that 10 years ago my husband and I moved to North Carolina to the small town of Golds- boro from the capital of Russia, Moscow! My daughter and her family live here, and now we live here too! Of course, changing our life like this at our age (I was about 70 years old, and my hus- band was about 80!!!) was not easy! We are both retired, both active people, and the ques- tion of communication and contacts in a new country worried us very much, especially me. My husband knew English well, and I studied the language at school, but since there was no practice communicating in the language, I almost forgot it. But, thanks to my daughter, we ended up Literacy Connections, where we were well received by all the employees working there. I believe that everyone should definitely know the language of the country in which they live! Therefore, I asked to find me a person with whom I would be interested in communicating, who would help me improve my knowledge of the English language and who would become my friend! And they found such a person for me - Mar- tie Saylors, whose photograph I saw in the newspaper! She turned my dreams into reality! Thanks to everyone who helped me with this! TOGETHER, WE ARE GROWING A LIT- ERACY RICH COMMUNITY. WCCAEOP Names Professionals of the Year, Installs New Officers The Wayne Community College Associa- tion of Educational Office Professionals (WC- CAEOP) recently recognized its administrator and professional of the year and installed new officers at its annual luncheon. Executive Director of the Foundation of WCC Emily Byrd was named Administrator of the Year for 2024. Byrd was described by nominators as "a positive, caring, encouraging, committed, and willing team player." She has been a WCCAE- OP member for 12 years and was honored for her leadership, commitment to student suc- cess, and support of the College. Dental Administrative Assistant Denise Zakrzewski is the 2024 Educational Office Professional of the Year. Zakrzewski's nominator described her as "dependable, efficient, and unfailingly punctu- al," as well as always projecting a warm atti- tude to students and coworkers. She serves as chair of the WCCAEOP Audit Committee and has been the district auditor for the association on the state level. The 2024–2025 officers of WCCAEOP were installed at the luncheon and are as follows: President: Krystle Anderson, computer based learning coordinator Vice President: Bea Birdine, student activities office assistant Secretary: Kelvin Coley, financial aid specialist Treasurer: Denise Zakrzewski, dental adminis- trative assistant WCCAEOP is a member of the NCAEOP. The NCAEOP is a support organization for ed- ucational office personnel and administrators. It provides professional development opportu- nities, insurance, and scholarships to members as well as a legislative platform to promote input into all educational matters in the state.

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