District News

The Kids of Distinction Music Club from Maude Saunders Elementary School, under the direction of music specialist Cathy Drake, presented a meaningful tribute to the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King today. The program highlighted some of the struggles and characters of the Civil Rights movement, with a strong emphasis on the quest for peace by Dr. King. Students sang, played Orff instruments and shared important information that helped to remind us all of the important lessons that Dr. King taught.

MLK Program from MSE

MSE MLK Program

Dune Lakes Elementary School Fifth Grade First LEGO League Team performed wonderfully at the Robotic Competition today, Saturday, January 18th in Crestview. In their first-ever official qualifier event they exhibited their team’s “City Shaper” plan and earned a personal best high score of 215!

Congratulations to our Fifth Grade Team, “One Step Ahead!”

One Step Ahead Team Members: Evangeline Brown, Griffin Perk, Hieu Roberts, Steele Rodgers, Joey Strickland, Jon Villa

Coaches: Julie Sedlock Perk and @meredithflowers

For more information about First LEGO League visit: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/challenge

Walton County School District is proud to announce that 9 students from our Elementary Music programs were selected by audition to represent the district in the Florida Elementary Music Educators Association’s Regional Honor Choir and Orff Ensembles! ?

They are traveling to Tallahassee for rehearsals and performances on Saturday, January 18, 2020, at Opperman Hall, Florida State University School of Music.

We are so proud of them, and excited for them to have this experience?! More pictures to come!?

Selected for participation:?

West DeFuniak Elementary
Nathan Hight, Music specialist
Calie Brackin
Colin Dunnigan
Dakota Day
Annabel Hicks

Freeort Elementary
Angela Saltsman, Music specialist
Jaliyah Sand

Dune Lakes Elementary
Corrie Sober, Music Specialist
Sadie Scruggs
Brooklyn White
Caden Barnhart

Van R. Butler
Daniel Browne, Music specialist
Naya Pretorius

N Regional Honor Choir 2020

N Regional Honor Orff 2020

N Regional Honor Ensembles 2020 Directors

N Regional Honor Choir 2020 WDE

N Regional Honor Choir 2020 DLE

Congratulations to Superintendent A. Russell Hughes upon being formally recognized for completion of the Chief Executive Officer Leadership Development Program (CEOLDP) during the joint meeting of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents (FADSS) and the Florida School Boards Association in Tampa!

CEOLDP is a leadership development and performance compensation program that is comparable to chief executive officer development programs for corporate executive officers. The intensive program includes two phases. Phase I is a content-knowledge-skills phase which is a formalized training program that focuses on information and skill development. Phase II is a competency acquisition phase which provides a structured opportunity for participants to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in Phase I for the continuous improvement of the school district. Additionally, each participant engaged in Phase II designs and implements Learning Projects to address the improvement needs of their school district.

“The CEOLDP training is a stringent program that requires an immense time commitment and I applaud these education leaders and lifelong learners upon achieving this accomplishment,” states FADSS CEO and Florida Senator Bill Montford.

School Board Member Jason Catalano presented Superintendent Hughes with a special award certificate at the December 17, 2019 school board meeting at South Walton High School.

Walton County School District is extremely proud of our Superintendent, and of the integrity, vision and values he demonstrates as he leads our district into the future!

Supt Hughes CEOLPD recognition

Supt Hughes

5th Grade students earned a VIP educational experience at Sea World in Orlando January 16 and 17. They were able to enjoy an overnight outing while exploring nature up close. They were also able to enjoy a full day of Sea World shows, rides, animal attractions and educational programs.

Mossy Head 5th gd at Sea World

Freeport Middle School art students created Heart Hands art for Hands at the Florida Capitol. FMS students were excited to be able to participate in such a large cooperative project with the rest of the students in the state of Florida.

FMS Hand Art

https://childrensweek.org/event/celebration-of-the-hands/

Celebration of the Hands

Tens of thousands of pieces of “hand art” will be hung throughout the Capitol Rotunda Sunday, January 26 – Friday, January 31, 2020 creating an amazing display of children’s art. “Hand art” is decorated by children and their teachers, and collected at child care centers and schools across the state.

childrensweek.org

"Thousands of people passionate about children’s rights gather in Tallahassee once a year for Children’s Week to celebrate children and family. During this event, tens of thousands of “hand art” are hung throughout the Capitol Rotunda, creating an amazing display of children’s art. The “hand art” is decorated by children and their teachers, and collected at child care centers and schools across the state. The hands hang in the Capitol Rotunda as a reminder to legislators and advocates that we must take care of our most precious commodity – our children." (ISFNet.org)

WCSD Instructors, Nurses, and Guardians participated in Stop the Bleed Training this afternoon at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast. Todays training allows each participant to now go back and train their school faculty on the Stop the Bleed skills and techniques. We would like to thank Ascension Sacred Heart for providing the Stop the Bleed training today to our staff members.

Stop the Bleed

Freeport Senior Adelle Strickland was honored prior to game time as the 2020 recipient of the Taylor Haugen Trophy. The trophy and accompanying $1000 scholarship is awarded in conjunction by the Taylor Haugen Foundation and All Sports Association and is given in memory of Niceville Eagle, Taylor Reid Haugen, who tragically lost his life following an injury sustained as a high school athlete. Addie was chosen over other applying senior athletes in Walton, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa counties for best exemplifying the Taylor Haugen spirit in her balance of academics, athleticism, leadership, community service and Christian faith. Area high schools may only submit one applicant and Addie certainly represents these characteristics as well as the best of Freeport and Freeport High School. Congratulations to Addie and her family on this prestigious honor! She will be officially awarded at the annual All Sports Association FCA breakfast in February.

Freeport Middle School art students studied and painted abstract art. They enjoyed the process of planning and the freedom of abstract painting.

FMS Abstract art

Under the visionary direction of Principal Jason Campbell and Assistant Principal Scott Hulion, Walton Middle School strives to offer ALL students an abundance of academic, elective, and extracurricular opportunities, some of which were showcased at the school's most recent Title 1 parent training night. On Thursday, January 16th, WMS welcomed families for its first ever "Learning Expo." The event began in the lunchroom, where free dinner was served to all. After eating together, families rotated through three fun and informative twenty-minute stations.

In the gym, the PE coaches spotlighted their endeavors this year to teach character education in conjunction with physical education, helping students to become healthy, successful, and kind citizens. After explaining their department's philosophy about character building, the coaches led families in a fun four corners game, awarding a prize to the winner of each round.

Later, down the math and science hallway, families could choose to participate in one of two stations. Mrs. Vanessa Black designed and led a math escape room, in which families worked together to solve math problems to crack codes to a locked box. Just down the hall, Mr. Stephen Byrd and Mrs. Sandy Thorson's after-school LEGO League club led a session highlighting their City Shapers' endeavors and how they've prepared for their upcoming competition. These sixth grade LEGO Leaguers spoke articulately about their club's core values, their community improvement project design, and the coding involved in programming their LEGO robots so they can complete complex missions--STEM learning at its finest.

Finally, in the LMC, Mrs. Alex Parker and Mrs. Michelle Seay led a close and careful reading with balanced group discussion roles for text-dependent questions. Parents experienced the types of deep reading and thinking tasks their children participate in regularly in ELA classes, hopefully appreciating the rigor students experience, which makes them more successful critical thinkers.

And while parents participated in each station with their WMS students, younger children had a blast in the childcare station, full of games, coloring, and cartoons.

WMS graciously thanks each and every family who took time out of their busy schedules to attend. The school also thanks the student volunteers from Walton High School's Mu Alpha Theta and Anchor Clubs, who assisted in rotations, in the hallways and lunchroom, and in childcare. And finally, the event would not have been possible without the teachers who assisted in all facets of the event--from designing activities, to leading rotations, to cleaning the lunchroom after dinner. It takes a village, and the WMS "We, Not Me" spirit was alive and well at WMS' recent Learning Expo.