Top-notch education and local programs for students make Vinton an ideal place to learn and grow.
Vinton fully embraces the notion that a mind is always under construction. Whether one is of school age or a grown adult, the town offers avenues of learning for all.
William Byrd High School, which serves 1,100 students, is set to literally go under construction this year. “Every single part of our building is going to be touched,” Tammy Newcomb, principal of the school, says.
The renovation will include the addition of a new choir room, guidance area, weight room and library. Additionally, all of the classrooms will be brought into the 21st century. November of 2023 is the anticipated completion date of the renovation.
William Byrd is a feeder school, receiving students from Herman L. Horn, Bonsack, Mount Pleasant and W.E. Cundiff Elementary Schools and William Byrd Middle School.
“The education students receive here is top-notch. Many of our students seek post-secondary degrees. Every student can be successful in our building,” Newcomb explains. “We have a family-like atmosphere that provides support. We’re inclusive of everyone. Our teachers, students and parents work well together.”
One of the reasons why the school, which has a graduation rate of 96%, fared so well over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic is because it maintains a one-to-one technology ratio, having been that way for the past 20 years.
“Our teachers have gone above and beyond to reach students and help them with any kind of assignment they might have. Our students have also stepped up to the plate. It wasn’t easy adjusting to all of the changes, but they’ve done a nice job,” she says.
Another educational institution in Vinton is The Gauntlet Business Program and Competition, which is the largest business competition in Virginia.
Although the program has been educating and preparing area entrepreneurs for success for the past seven years, an all-new approach was quickly constructed last year because of the pandemic. Delivered in an entirely virtual format, this past year’s program was still able to connect the 130 participating entrepreneurs with the resources, mentors and training they needed in order to take their businesses to the next level.
Virtual event platform Airmeet has allowed the program to facilitate small group discussions based on industry, in addition to speed networking.
Shannon Dominguez, director of business development at The Advancement Foundation, stresses, “We believe that when small businesses are successful, our whole community succeeds.”
This year, the program has placed an added emphasis on how participating businesses impact the local community when it comes to society, equity and the environment. “They are very focused on how they can have a positive impact on their communities. It’s inspiring,” she says.
The program is a collaborative effort between area chambers of commerce, the Roanoke Regional Small Business Development Center, the Roanoke Chapter of SCORE, RAMP, Innovation Mill, The Advancement Foundation and business leaders. Once participants have completed the 10-week program, been paired with a mentor and developed a business plan, they then get to compete for resources. In 2020 alone, over $300,000 worth of cash and in-kind prizes was distributed to fledgling small businesses.
One of the program’s recent success stories is Philip Clements, who enrolled just a month after starting his workforce development company, The Foundry. “Because of The Gauntlet, we ended up with a great mentor and some great contacts,” he says.
After watching his father go through the program in 2019, Philip’s son Judah decided he wanted in on the action so he launched his own lemonade company, Judah Bug Lemonade, in 2020.
Following in his father’s footsteps, seven-year-old Judah became the youngest participant when he enrolled in The Gauntlet this year.
Philips says, “Vinton is super supportive of small businesses. Tons of people have started their businesses out of The Gauntlet and out of Vinton.”
