Vernon Malone College and Career Academy (VMCCA), is one of the flagship schools of

Wake County Public School System The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) is a State school, public school district located in Wake County, North Carolina. With 159,995 students in average daily membership and 198 schools as of the 2023–24 school year, it is the large ...

. It is an application-based early college in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The building was formerly a

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

bottling plant The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as st ...

before being renovated to its current configuration.: It was first opened in 2014 as a career and technical education institution focusing on college and career readiness. It has six programs offered to students through Wake Technical Community College which include; Biopharmaceutical Technology,

Cosmetology Cosmetology (from Greek , ''kosmētikos'', "beautifying"; and , ''-logia'') is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty include hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/ pedicures, non-permanent hair removal suc ...

, Multi-Trades/Facilities Technology, Nurse Aide, Simulation and Game Development, and

Welding Welding is a fabrication (metal), fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, primarily by using high temperature to melting, melt the parts together and allow them to cool, causing Fusion welding, fusion. Co ...

. The school is formally a part of the

. Their official mascot is a ''Silverhawk''.

History

Vernon Malone College and Career Academy is named after former educator, politician, and school administrator, Vernon Malone. Malone was consequential in merging Wake County Public Schools and Raleigh schools, ending

racial segregation Racial segregation is the separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, ...

in the area. When choosing the name for the college and career academy, the Wake County

board of education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

unanimously passed a resolution signifying their support for the school to be named after Malone, who had formerly served as the first Chairman for Wake County Public Schools following the merger. The inaugural principal when the school opened in 2014, was Dr. Ashlie Thompson. She has since left the position and now serves as an Area Superintendent for Wake County Public Schools in the district that Vernon Malone College and Career Academy is in. The school cost $24.5 million to construct. During

Hurricane Matthew Hurricane Matthew was a powerful tropical cyclone which caused catastrophic damage and a humanitarian crisis in Haiti, as well as widespread devastation in the southeastern United States. The deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Stan ...

, the Raleigh area sustained heavy rainfall which flooded Vernon Malone College and Career Academy and displaced students for a few months while repairs were made. A student was arrested in February 2018 for threatening to 'shoot up' Vernon Malone College and Career Academy during a FaceTime conversation. The school responded by increasing security at the school.

Location

Vernon Malone College and Career Academy is located at 220 South Wilmington Street in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school is just south of highway I-40 and the Raleigh Beltline.

Students

Vernon Malone College and Career Academy operates on a modified-traditional calendar. Students begin school at 7:25 AM and end at 2:18 PM. They operate on a standard 2 Core 2 Electives block schedule. In its first year, the school only had 131 students, which was only 28% of its capacity. In 2016, the school had a total 306 students, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.1. 42.5% of students in 2016 received free or reduced lunch.

Academics

Vernon Malone College and Career Academy offers 4 English literature courses, 7

Mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

courses, 5

Science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

courses, 5

Social Studies In many countries' curricula, social studies is the combined study of humanities, the arts, and social sciences, mainly including history, economics, and civics. The term was coined by American educators around the turn of the twentieth century as ...

history courses, 6

Foreign Language A foreign language is a language that is not an official language of, nor typically spoken in, a specific country. Native speakers from that country usually need to acquire it through conscious learning, such as through language lessons at schoo ...

courses, 5

Physical Education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

(PE) courses, 4

Art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

courses, and 12 Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses, not including any of the Wake Technical Community College courses. Of those courses, 3 are

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere ...

(AP). These courses are accompanied by the 7 college programs, offered by Wake Technical Community College. Students are able to receive college credits that can be applied towards an

Associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

, diploma, or certificate at Wake Tech. The school also offers various fifth-period courses after school for juniors and seniors.

Sports

Athletics programs are not offered at Vernon Malone College and Career Academy. Students are eligible to participate in athletics at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School.

Clubs & Organizations

Vernon Malone College and Career Academy has 13 official clubs/organizations as of the 2018-2019 school year * Gaming Club *

Key Club Key Club International, also called Key Club, is an international service organization for high school students. Key Club International is the high school branch of the Kiwanis International family, classified as a Service Leadership Program ...

* National Achievers Society * Programming Club * Public Speaking & Debate Club * Robotics Club * Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) *

SkillsUSA SkillsUSA is a United States career and technical student organization serving more than 395,000 high school, college and middle school students and professional members enrolled in training programs in trade, technical and skilled service oc ...

Student Government A students' union or student union, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, organizatio ...

* Teen Democrats *

The Academy An academy is an institution of secondary education or higher learning, research, or honorary membership. Academy may also refer to: Education * Academy (English school), formerly known as city academy, type of publicly financed but independently ...

* Yearbook Club

Awards

In 2018, Vernon Malone College and Career Academy received the '' Magnet School of Distinction Award'' for meeting all basic requirements outlined in the merit awards scoring rubric.

References

{{reflist Magnet schools in North Carolina Schools in Raleigh, North Carolina Career and technical education 2014 establishments in North Carolina