2022 Alleghany Living Guide - 42

LEARNING
Alleghany Highlands Regional Library
library difficult. While the library continued its
partnership with the Clifton Forge School of the
Arts and the Historic Masonic Theatre, CFPL
took a new approach to their summer reading
program. Rather than not hold the program,
Library Director Mike Barnes and the library staff
partnered with Alleghany County Public Schools
to bring programming to the Clifton Forge Fire
Department when meals were served by ACPS for
their summer meal program. The open-air venue
allowed the library to reach patrons of all ages
safely and encouraged them to make use of the
library's curbside services, which have become a
mainstay of library offerings.
Reckoning with the Past,
Looking to the Future
Mountain Gateway Community College
(formerly Dabney S. Lancaster Community
College) has long been a part of the educational
identity of the Alleghany Highlands for 60 years.
Located in Clifton Forge, the college's service area
stretches out into the surrounding regions.
MGCC works closely with local schools and has
been home to several recipients of the Governor's
Medal-high school students who earned their
associate's degree before they graduated from
high school. The college programs in nursing and
healthcare, business, forestry, welding, advanced
manufacturing, criminal justice and education
as well as a Workforce Training Center offering
short-term, in-demand, industry certifications,
which is exactly the role of a community college.
42 Alleghany Living
However, in the face of a new requirement
by the Virginia State Board for Community
Colleges for college names to reflect the
" values of inclusive and accessible education
articulated in the VCCS mission statement, "
school officials questioned whether Dabney S.
Lancaster, the school's original namesake, best
represented the college's ideals.
A committee of faculty members, alumni,
community leaders, and school officials
sought community input and worked for
months to rechristen the college Mountain
Gateway Community College, a name the
College Community found a much more fitting
representation of the beloved college's ideals.
" Mountain can serve as a metaphor for the
level of success and range of opportunities offered
by the college, " says Dr. John Rainone, President
of the college. It also doubles as a reminder of
a beautiful campus tucked into the Blue Ridge
Mountains and surrounded by the Jackson River.
" Gateway represents an opportunity for our
students toward a future, whether it's their
academic journey or a broader horizon they wish
to explore, " he adds. " For 60 years, the college has
provided students with education and training
to pave the way for their careers and futures. The
term 'gateway' opens doors by supplying local
industry with trained workers and residents with
opportunities to gain solid paying careers. "
The dedication and commitment of the
educators in the Alleghany Highlands to their
students continues to prove that a rural region can
provide a world-class education.*
2022 Alleghany Living Guide

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