District News

Every month, Mr. A. Russell Hughes, Walton County, Florida Superintendent of Schools, will share a video message with an update on the exciting things happening in the Walton County School District, Walton County, Florida. Check back often to stay informed on all the activities, events and accomplishments of teachers and students in the Walton County School District.

This month's video was recorded at the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center on Hwy 20 in Freeport, Fl. We are proud to be partners in education with this amazing facility, and grateful for all they do to impact the students of Walton County.

In this video, Superintendent Hughes shares information about upcoming events during the month of April, as well as important dates and recognitions.

Superintendent A. Russell Hughes is proud to announce the opening of a second Walton County magnet program, Walton County’s Magnet Innovation Center at St. Joe, WaterSound. The Magnet Innovation Center will focus on STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics and will help high school students become college and career ready, especially in the area of Engineering and Robotics. This new, EPIC endeavor, which is a partnership between the school district and the St. Joe Corporation, will involve the business community and distance learning as students will participate in hands-on learning in laboratory settings.

A parent night has been planned for Wednesday, April 3rd at 5:30 p.m. at South Walton High School to take questions about this exciting new program. Please attend if you are interested or feel free to contact Jennifer Hawthorne at [email protected] for more information.

Submitted by Jennifer Hawthorne

Paxton High School's Gaetz Aerospace Institute students enjoyed a beautiful day at the ninth annual Marvel of Flight Fly-In held last week at the DeFuniak Springs airport. Students had the opportunity to view vintage aircraft, speak with several pilots, and view a rocket launch. They also volunteered their time to assist students from West DeFuniak Elementary School learn about airplanes and rockets. Submitted by Kalli McMillan

This past week, Paxton Baseball honored former player Jesse Whitemire. The 2014 graduate was in a car accident last year that paralyzed him from the waist down. However, Jesse now has movement in his arms and legs. He was able to throw out the first pitch against Laurel Hill, which was caught by his former coach, Jeff Bradley. Submitted by Kalli McMillan

Paxton School’s FIRST Lego League, Jr. teams showed off their hard work on their “Mission Moon” project at the Northwest Florida Okaloosa County Expo on March 14. After weeks of learning about the moon and engineering through hands-on activities, students designed a moon base out of Legos to solve the problems humans would encounter on a long-term moon mission, including building and coding two robots. Students shared their seven months of hard work by displaying their Lego build, robots, and presentation board to a panel of reviewers who questioned the team members about their moon knowledge and teamwork. As a result of their exceptional work, Paxton’s Lunar Cats have been selected to represent the 137 teams in their sixteen county region at the World Expo in Houston, Texas in April. Submitted by Kalli McMillan

Our fifth graders visited the beach last week and learned that the life of a Sea Turtle is not an easy one! Thanks to the Friends of South Walton Sea Turtles Volunteers for organizing fun, educational activities for our students. Friends of South Walton Sea Turtles volunteers are dedicated to promoting sea turtle conservation through awareness and education for the residents and 3 million+ visitors to Walton County, Florida. Now that our students know the challenges that Sea Turtles face, we consider ourselves lifelong friends of sea turtles too! Submitted by Krisy Spence

Turtles

Freeport Middle School dads and students participated in the 1st annual "Watch D.O.G.S Pizza Night" on Thursday, March 28th to kick off the implementation of the Watch D.O.G.S. program. Watch D.O.G.S. is an acronym for Dads of Great Students. The program allows fathers and father-figures to make a positive impact on hundreds of children by volunteering in their school. FMS is excited to welcome our new Watch D.O.G.S. to our campus! If you are interested in learning more about the Watch D.O.G.S. Program at FMS, please contact Ms. Leavins at 850-892-1221 ext. 3251.

Submitted by Sharie Smith

Watch Dog Dads 2

April is Autism Awareness Month! Walton County School District celebrates the value and uniqueness of every child, and recognizes the challenges that people with autism, and those who love them, face every day.

MSE 5th graders visited Emerald Coast Technical College today and learned about the many programs the school offers. The students visited several programs, including Nursing and Health Science, Information Technology, Automotive, Electricity, and Cosmetology. In addition, Career Source provided each student with a printout of career paths that they are best suited for, based on results of an online interest survey they took. Maude Saunders is fortunate to have an awesome business partner like ECTC!!

Submitted by Krisy Spence

MSE and ECTC

On Friday, March 8th, the Walton Middle School Seaperch team, led by Mrs. Greer Harvell, traveled to the University of West Florida in Pensacola for the regional competition, scoring their best times yet. We are incredibly proud of these students! Submitted by Kristen Nelson.

Superintendent A. Russell Hughes' Monthly Video Update for April 2019

April 2, 2019

Superintendent Hughes is Proud to Announce the Opening of Walton County’s Magnet Innovation Center at St. Joe, WaterSound

April 1, 2019

Paxton Students Present at the 2019 Marvel of Flight!

April 1, 2019

Paxton Baseball Honors Former Player

April 1, 2019

Paxton's First Lego League "Moon Mission" Project Goes to World Expo!

April 1, 2019

MSE 5th Graders Live Like Sea Turtles

April 1, 2019

FMS Implements Watch D.O.G.S. Program

April 1, 2019

April is Autism Awareness Month!

March 30, 2019

MSE Fifth Graders Visit ECTC

March 28, 2019

WMS Seaperch Team Competes at UWF

March 25, 2019