NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – New Hanover County Schools released its open house schedule for the 2012-2013 school year recently.

Parents and students are encouraged to attend an open house event to learn more about the school before the first day of classes. The first day of school for traditional calendar students is Monday, Aug. 27, according to a news release.

The open house schedule, provided by NHCS, is provided below:

Year-Round Elementary Schools
Codington and Eaton will hold “Meet Your Teacher” on Monday, July 23 from 4 until 6 p.m. Codington and Eaton students will begin the new school year on Tuesday, July 24.

Traditional Elementary Schools
All traditional elementary school open houses will be held on Thursday, Aug. 23 during each school’s designated time.
Hours: 5 until 7 p.m.

• Alderman Elementary School
• Anderson Elementary School
• Bellamy Elementary School
• Blair Elementary School
• Bradley Creek Elementary School
• Carolina Beach Elementary School
• Castle Hayne Elementary School
• College Park Elementary School
• Forest Hills Elementary School
• Freeman Elementary School of Engineering
• Gregory Elementary School of Math, Science, Technology
• Holly Tree Elementary School
• Murrayville Elementary School
• Pine Valley Elementary School
• Snipes Academy of Arts and Design
• Sunset Park Elementary School
• Mary C. Williams Elementary School
• Winter Park Elementary School
• Wrightsboro Elementary School

Hours: 4 until 6 p.m.

• Ogden Elementary School
• Parsley Elementary School

Wrightsville Beach Elementary School will follow the below schedule:

• 3:30 until 5 p.m. Last name beginning with A – M
• 5:30 until 7 p.m. Last name beginning with N – Z

Lake Forest Academy will hold open house for K – 8 students on Thursday, Aug. 23 from 5 until 7 p.m.

Middle Schools

D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy will hold a family orientation on Thursday, Aug. 16 from 5 until 8 p.m. and an Open House on Wednesday, Aug. 22 from 5 until 7 p.m.

Lt. Col. Guy Wetzel, of Wilmington, is in Afghanistan for the holidays but wanted to wish everyone in  his hometown a happy 4th of July.

He also gives a special birthday wish to his uncle.

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) - The New Hanover County Public Library in Wilmington is one of 71 library projects around North Carolina to receive a grant for books, outreach, and technology.

The State Library Division of the Department of Cultural Resources awarded $1.4 million in federally funded grants on Thursday, according to a news release.

The New Hanover Public Library was awarded $32,000 for a digitization project. This money will go towards preserving 3,000 images of residents from the Lower Cape Fear region throughout history. These images will be digitized and placed in the library's photo collection. Community members are encouraged to bring in images to submit.

Other projects around the state include grants to purchase new print resources (H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library in Henderson), upgrade computer systems (Petttigrew Regional Library, which serves Chowan, Perquimans, Tyrell, and Washington), install wireless internet (Bennett College in Greensboro), and add eBooks (Fontana Regional Library, which serves Swain, Macon, and Jackson counties).