May 2025

If you have driven through the Historic Town of Charlotte Court House and have not stopped at The Scoop, you are missing a special treat.

In Spring 2024, the ice cream shop in Historic Town of Charlotte Court House was hoping to find a new owner to continue serving Ice Cream – in scoops, shakes, and floats!

Vivian Eason, then a Randolph-Henry High School (RHHS) Junior, heard the announcement in her dual enrollment class and thought it would be a great experience. Vivian grew up with both parents being entrepreneurs so it did not take long for Vivian to convince her best friend and fellow RHHS Junior, Sarah Ramsey, to be her partner. Together, with the help of a couple high school employees, they kept the business going their first year until it was too cold to scream for ice cream.

Fast-forward to April 2025—The Scoop is back and so are Vivian and Sarah, now Seniors at RHHS. When asked about maintaining a friendship while managing a business and keeping up with school work, the two immediately looked at one another and smiled. They both have matured while overcoming unexpected tough challenges. They remain great friends and their most important advice to others is time management and communication. Their business adventure is funand they have the utmost respect for each other.

With high school graduation fast approaching, Vivian and Sarah’s paths will soon diverge; Vivian plans to study Business at Longwood University and Sarah will pursue Welding at Southside Virginia Community College.

For now, however, the two will remain side-by-side for the summer-scooping, smiling, and searching for the next entrepreneur to continue the legacy of The Scoop!

By Hunter Tuck, Career/STEM Coach, Halifax High School

Ron Becker is a current senior at Halifax County High School. After hearing about the STEM Education programs offered by Virginia Space Grant Consortium, Ron applied and was accepted into the Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS) program! He will be learning a broad range of science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills and seeing how they connect to career pathways at NASA throughout the online course.

After graduation, Ron is interested in completing the IT Academy at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center to earn a certificate in Cybersecurity and Networking Foundations while also working towards the Associate of Applied Science degree in Information Systems Technology through Southside Virginia Community College. We look forward to seeing what Ron accomplishes in the field of STEM in the future!

Bernadine Johnson, Career Coach

My name is Layne Wilkinson, I am a senior at Mecklenburg County High School. I want to thank Ms. Johnson for supporting me through my high school career by giving me advice and insight about SVCC programs.

I am now a Certified Nursing Assistant due to Ms. Johnson’s help through the enrollment process for the Nurse Aide class. Ms. Johnson gives great advice and is able to help through any problem. After I graduate, I plan on attending SVCC for my RN prerequisites and then transferring to a college to finish my RN, BSN. I am very appreciative of Ms. Johnson.

Ernestine Sharpe, Career Coach

Hello! My name is Addy Carney and I am a senior at Cumberland High School. I entered the Dual Enrollment program during my freshman year and during my junior year began attending the Governor’s School of Southside Virginia. 

I am the Fundraising Chair for my school’s National Honor Society, team captain of my Speech & Debate team, and an actress in the Cumberland Theatre Troupe. I have won numerous awards from the Virginia High School League, including Original Oratory class one state champion the past two years and an Outstanding Actor award. Outside of school, I enjoy working at Bear Creek Lake state park, reading, baking, and crafting. 

Thanks to SVCC, I will graduate this May with my Associate’s Degree as well as my high school diploma. This fall I will be attending Longwood University as both a Cormier Honors Scholar and Gaskins Scholar. I plan to major in psychology and minor in neuroscience and sociology with the hopes of pursuing both my masters and doctorate degrees in clinical psychology in the years to follow. 

By taking courses through SVCC as a high schooler, I have been given the unique and invaluable opportunity to enter college as a junior, expand my academic skills and knowledge, and much, much more. I am incredibly grateful for all of the resources that have been provided to me throughout the past four years and all that they have taught me. Thank you, SVCC, and thank you to all those who have helped me along the way!

By Leon Robinson, Career Coach

As we approach the end of the first semester, it's the perfect time to start thinking seriously about the future. Whether a student is considering college, military, or jumping directly into the workforce, it's important to have a post-graduation plan in place. Greensville County High School is hosting an upcoming Senior Parent Night where we plan to be present and assist with sparking the conversation surrounding the future of our students. From admissions steps to paying for college, the students and parents will be well informed about the opportunities at SVCC. And don’t forget our Eagle Scholarship which provides tuition & fees for Greensville graduates who plan to attend SVCC!

By Melissa Colbert, Career Coach, Central High School

On November 7, 2024, SVCC’s Occupational Technical Center at Pickett Park hosted over 80 students from 11 area high schools for their second annual Day in the Life Event. The information and hands-on student experience was based on the successful Day in the Life of a Lineman program designed by Southside Electric Cooperative (SEC) to introduce students to careers in electrical trades including power lineman. In conjunction with SEC, SVCC expanded this program to showcase not only its power line worker training, but also its diesel technician and commercial driver’s license schools.

Students were given the opportunity to watch practicing linemen demonstrate real-life work situations and then attempt some tasks themselves while wearing some of the protective gear associated with the occupation. They received genuine feedback from current students and former graduates about their educational experiences and the value of the education they received from SVCC’s very talented teaching professionals.

Matt Dunn from Workforce Development introduced the students to two new programs being offered by SVCC. These short-term trainings for solar panel installation and fiber optic certification piqued the interest of a number of attendees. After all the sessions, everyone was treated to lunch and goodies from Southside Electric.

Overall, the program was a glowing success. Student surveys gave high marks to the information received. J. R. Phillips, a senior at Central High School, commented that in addition to enjoying the day immensely, “there is a lot more to being a diesel technician than I realized”.

Career coaches are a network of community college employees who are based in high schools across Southside Virginia. They help high school students define their career aspirations and recognize community college and other postsecondary programs, including apprenticeships and workforce training that can help students achieve their educational and financial goals. The fundamental objective of the SVCC High School Career Coach Program is to empower students to make informed decisions about their career and educational plans and to prepare students for success in postsecondary education and training. The career coaches bring college to high schools!

From July 1 through October 31, Southside Virginia Community College Career Coaches served 2,137 students with establishing academic and career plans, post-secondary plans, and college application assistance.