LCC Community Learning Center Opens

Lenoir Community College and Lenoir County Schools are teaming up together to serve the community in education across the generational divide. The LCC Community Learning Center at Sampson School is among the latest partnerships between the college and Lenoir County Public Schools.

Sampson School currently hosts the Alternative School for Lenoir County on the lower level. Over the past year, the county school system opened the doors of the upper level of the school to Structured Day, Boys and Girls Club, Teen Center and now LCC.

"This is a very exciting opportunity for the Continuing Education Division at LCC. We are right in the center of town, right where we need to be to reach our target audience," said LCC ABE/ESL Coordinator Amelia Davis.

The LCC Community Learning Center, operated through the Basic Skills Department of the Continuing Education Division, officially opened in August offering Adult Basic Education and GED preparation classes. The Basic Skills Department serves adults from Lenoir, Greene and Jones County who enroll in the Basic Skills programs at LCC.

These individuals have a variety of reasons for attending classes - from working on their GED and learning how to read manuals for their jobs, to helping their children with homework or improving their English language skills. Adults of all ages, from all racial and ethnic groups, are having their special needs met through the Basic Skills programs.

Davis said at this significant time in their lives, they are realizing that education can make a difference for them and their families. "Our Adult Basic Education (ABE) classes offer instruction in GED as well as the basics of reading, writing, and math. Workforce preparation and life coping skills are components of classroom instruction and help contribute to a more rewarding life for our students," she said.
“It was hard work putting these classrooms at Sampson back in working order, but we had a vision for community learning and wanted to see it to fruition," she said. "Thankfully, with the support of colleagues and community friends, we were able to do so."

The Learning Center is designed and committed to offer programs and activities that enhance social, cultural, economic, and leadership growth, as well as enhance the quality of life of the citizens, the community, and the state.

The programs are designed to provide basic education for Grades 1-8 for adults; to provide high school courses of study opportunities in preparation for a high school equivalency certificate; to provide cultural and community service programs; and to provide upgrading and vocational courses designed to prepare students for new jobs or allow them to perform better in their present job.

The Community Learning Center is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Day and evening classes are held to fit the needs of each student. Daytime classes are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 to 4 p.m. while evening classes are held from 6 to 9 p.m. Some classes meet daily, while others meet two to three times per week. LCC works hard to meet the needs of the individual student and provide them with every opportunity to improve their skills.

For more information, call Olene Solomon at 522-2560 or Amelia Davis at 527-6223 ext.730.

Students surround the new sign recently hung for the Lenoir Community College Community Learning Center located at Sampson School. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday.