Paxton High School’s aerospace students are learning to pilot unmanned aerial systems, sometimes called drones, as part of their concurrent enrollment courses with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Through a partnership with ERAU’s Gaetz Institute, the students earn both high school and university credit while they learn aerospace concepts that lead to industry certifications. Submitted by Samantha Martin.
Members of the Pensacola Opera recently visited and performed for students at Bay Elementary School as part of their educational outreach program. They performed an operatic version of the story of Goldie Locks and the Three Bears titled Goldie B. Locks and the Three Singing Bears by John Davies. The story is a "fun retelling of the classic tale with an operatic twist. Goldie, a little girl who has a great passion for bus and spiders, finds herself in a sticky situation when she stumbles upon dwelling of the three singing bears." The production features the music of Mozart and Offenbach to teach the importance of honesty and true friendship. Special thanks to the Pensacola Opera for sharing their talents with the students of Walton County!
Submitted by Keitha Bledsoe
The 12 students listed below have read at least 21 books this school year. Each book contained a minimum of 300 pages. Nine of these students went to Blast Arcade in Miramar Beach on March 31 to celebrate this accomplishment. They have just four more books to go to meet the year-long 25 Book Challenge.
Pictured left to right are Darien Mason, Cheyenne Cordle, James Coffman, Clay Lemay, Latayia Gregg, Kyle Burch, Rachel Smith, Anthony King, and Emma Kuykendall. Not pictured: Hayden Clemmons, Paige Howell, and Hannah Mays
Keep reading, Braves!
Submitted by Christy English.
Paxton’s eighth grade students had an out of this world time at the Challenger Learning Center in Tallahassee, Florida. Thanks to a grant from the Florida Space Grant Consortium, students participated in a simulated space mission to the moon where they navigated the spacecraft to landing, built rovers, maintained the health of the crew, monitored space weather, and more! They also viewed the northern lights in the planetarium and watched a 3D Imax movie about Earth as seen from the viewpoint of the astronauts on the International Space Station. Thank you Florida Space Grant Consortium and Challenger Learning Center for providing this opportunity to our students! Submitted by Samantha Martin.
Toni Aguilar from the Walton County Sheriff's Office crime scene/evidence unit visited Mrs. Melissa Susenbach's Law Studies class recently. Ms. Aguilar educated students about how techs work crime scenes and what tools are used in the field. Students immensely enjoyed this realistic learning opportunity. Submitted by Kristen Rhodes.
During the March 21, 2017 Walton County School Board Meeting, School Board Member Kim Kirby and Superintendent Russell Hughes presented certificates to several Walton County teachers for being recognized by the Commissioner of Education, Pam Stewart, as some of the highest impact teachers in the state of Florida.
Pictured left to right: Superintendent Russell Hughes, Carol Davis, Van R. Butler Elementary; Wendy Anderson, Van R. Butler Elementary; Taylor Griffith, Seaside Neighborhood School; Joy Robbins, Seaside Neighborhood School; Dana Akridge, Seaside Neighborhood School; Brandy Wesson, Emerald Coast Middle School; Charlotte Sause, Seaside Neighborhood School, and Kim Kirby, WCSD Board Member. Not pictured, but also recognized are: Jeannine Abadie, Tracey Behr, Nina Borthwick, and Constance Morreale from Emerald Coast Middle School; Sharon Martin from Seaside Neighborhood School; Kasey Smith from Van R. Butler Elementary; Angela Reilly from South Walton High School; and Lisa Henry from Bay Elementary School.
A big congratulations and thank you to these teachers for their hard work in and out of the classroom. One more example of the quality education and leadership being provided by the teachers, administration and staff of the Walton County School District! Submitted by Keitha Bledsoe.
5th grade students in Mrs. Currid and Mrs. Garrett’s classes are participating in a program called The Great Mail Race. Mrs. Currid received a letter from a fifth grade class at Al Burress Elementary in Marietta Georgia. The letter invited WDE students to join them in sending handwritten letters to different elementary schools across the nation. The goal is for students to learn how to write a letter and to communicate with other classes in the 50 states
For more information please visit the following website:
http://thegreatmailrace.weebly.com/
Submitted by Jessica Dawkins
On February 27th, West DeFuniak Kindergarteners were visited by Nurse Stacey Betts and her monkey friend, Mojo. They told students how important it is to keep their teeth healthy. With the help of Mojo, students were able to learn how to brush and floss their teeth properly. Submitted by Jessica Dawkins.
Freeport Middle School (FMS) hosted our fourth annual Career Day on March 9th. The goal was to expose students to a variety of career opportunities that varied in preservice educational experiences. Sixteen presenters visited fifth through eighth grade classrooms led by AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) students. AVID is a program which helps career-minded students reach their goals.
FMS would like to extend a big thank you to all the people who volunteered to be a guest speaker for Career Day and to the PTO for organizing the event! From having the opportunity to tour an ambulance, pet a baby goat, to listening to Mr. Russell Hughes’s journey to becoming the Walton County School District’s Superintendent, the students’ exposure to the various careers was a priceless educational experience and one they are sure to remember for a long time.
2017 Freeport Middle School Career Day Guest Speakers
Ronnie McBrayer- Writer, Musician, and Pastor
Theresa Devine and Charlie the Goat- Farmer
Kristin Pond- K-9 Deputy
Freeport Fire Department
Bo Wilkerson- Historical Fiction Author
Jenn Latusek-Nabholz- Marine Biologist & Environmental Scientist
Joseph Register- Bee Keeper
Dylan Laird- Regional Utilities Engineer
Trey Nick- Nick’s Restaurant Owner
Denise Rogers- Custom Impressions Painting Company Owner
Brittany Tate- Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance Representative
Chandler Williams- Photographer and Owner of Modus Photography
Rik Poloski- Five-Star Audio Visual Representative
Leslie Harrison- Forensics
David Swanick- Attorney and Mary Garner- Paralegal
Russell Hughes- Superintendent of Schools
Submitted by Chelsea Ellison.
