Congratulations to Paxton High School for their designation of Bronze Medalist from U.S. News and World Reports Best High Schools! Paxton was one of 35 schools in the state of Florida to receive Bronze Medallion status! Walton County School District is proud of this EPIC accomplishment!

Paxton School is recognized in the National Rankings and earned a bronze medal. Schools are designated based on their performance on state-required tests and how well they prepare students for college. 

FMS welcomed guest speakers from a wide variety of career backgrounds.  Freeport Middle School’s PTO would like to thank the following Career-Day guests:

Dr. Jennifer Hawthorne/Specialist-Schools & Leadership Development

Florida House of Representative Brad Drake

Trey Nick/Nick’s Restaurant

Melanie Moore/Mattie Kelly Arts

Rick Hayes/Security Consultant

Leslie Harrison/Cyber Security

David Swanick and Mary Garner/Attorney and Paralegal

Theresa Devine/Farmer and baby goat Charlie

Sergeant Kristin Pond and her K-9 partner Kayne

Walton County Fire and Rescue Team

Bo Wilkerson/Historical Fiction Author

Mr. Hayard Dykes/Attorney

Register Family/Bee Keepers

Dylan Laird/Regional Utilities

Erika Zambello/Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance

Deputy Blake McCormick/Walton County

Jeffrey Powell/DeFuniak Herald

Thank you AVID students for serving our special guests!

Submitted by Chelsea Ellison

Students in Walton County have been working all year to prepare for their Algebra EOCs with the help of their teachers and utilizing a program called Math Nation. With their test dates just days away, “study experts” Darnell and Chelsea from Math Nation dropped by our secondary schools to encourage students to do their best. Students have been utilizing videos made by both Chelsea and Darnell in preparation for the EOCs. A visit from them truly brought their videos to life.

Building on the extraordinary success of Algebra Nation, the University of Florida Lastinger Center teamed with Study Edge, a local educational technology company in Gainesville, to create Math Nation.

Math Nation provides an effective, easy, and FREE way for teachers and students to prepare for the End-of-Course exams year-round.  MATH NATION has PreAlgebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 videos aligned with the Mathematics Florida Standards (with more courses coming soon).  There is also an adaptive On-Ramp to Algebra Tool, so students can review fundamental skills necessary for success in Algebra 1, like performing arithmetic with fractions.

Funded by the Florida Legislature, Math Nation is a comprehensive online teaching and learning system designed to help students improve their conceptual and procedural understandings of mathematics.  Developed with cutting-edge technology and supported by mathematics education research, Math Nation advances student learning through a series of interactive and informative web-based programs.  

At any time of day, Florida students have free, unlimited access to adaptive diagnostic assessments with individualized remediation pathways, research-based content and videos that are engaging and standards-aligned, and opportunities for collaboration with students and math experts across the state.

As a starting point in Math Nation, students in middle school grades and algebra courses can navigate at their own pace through the On-Ramp to Algebra Tool.  This adaptive diagnostic program provides support and remediation on concepts and skills that are foundational and critical for students’ success in Algebra 1.  Additionally, students in Geometry and Algebra 2 have any-time access to tutorial videos, study experts, peer support through the Math Walls, and assessments to prepare for the state End-of-Course exams.

Submitted by Lauren Moore/Keitha Bledsoe

The 2nd grade Maude Saunders Elementary A.C.E. (Acknowledging Childrens' Efforts) group recognized all veterans in their efforts to raise donations for the Jeans for Troops on May 4th. This group with the help of the MSE staff raised over $200.00 for this great cause!  Submitted by Krisy Spence.