Dept. Of Ed Releases High School Accountability Grades
January 5, 2012
School accountability grades were released Wednesday for Florida’s high schools, and they were good news for most North Escambia area schools.
Northview, Tate, Washington and Pensacola high schools all maintained their B grades from last year, while West Florida High School remained an A school for sixth consecutive year. Two Escambia County schools — Escambia and Pine Forest — showed improvement from a D last year to a C grade.
Every high school in Santa Rosa County earned a B — with Jay, Milton, Pace and Gulf Breeze falling from A grades last year.
“We are disappointed that we incurred a penalty. However, we are very excited about the continuous effort and performance of our Aggie family. With immeasurable support from the parents and community, our students and staff have had an incredible year. We will review the current data making necessary adjustments to provide our students with the best opportunity to be successful,” Tate High School Principal Rick Shackle said.
“We are ecstatic about our School Grade, knowing that we really were an “A,” without penalty for drop in At-Risk Graduation Rate,” Northview Principal Gayle Weaver said. “The teachers and staff have worked extremely hard to accomplish our goals. Our total points, FCAT Points and High School Component Points combined, increased 180 points above 2010 points. That improvement is twice as much as any other high school in our district
“Right now, we are just basking in the fact that we had total points to be an “A,” and we will begin to look into why our At-Rick Graduation Rate declined. I encourage parents to view this accumulation of points as a validation of the hard work that has been done by their students and the entire NHS faculty and staff. It is truly a team effort,” Weaver said.
Statewide results from the Florida Department of Education showed that 78 percent of the state’s high school earned either an A or B grade, up from 71 percent last year.
The expanded high school grading system, first used for the 2009-10 school year, focuses on a broader set of student outcomes, including graduation rates and student participation and performance in advanced coursework. The high school grade is earned based on two major elements: 50 percent from the performance of each school’s students on the FCAT, and 50 percent from factors that include the following:
- The school’s graduation rate.
- The performance and participation of students in Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Dual Enrollment, Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), and industry certification.
- The postsecondary readiness of high-achieving students as measured by the SAT, ACT, or College Placement Test (CPT).
- The high school graduation rate of at-risk students.
Statewide, the greatest average increase in high school grade component points earned in 2010-11 was for student performance on accelerated coursework measured by AP, IB, AICE and industry certification examinations, as well as dual enrollment courses.
High School Seniors Can Apply For Cooperative Scholarships
January 5, 2012
This April, Escambia River Electric Cooperative will award the Herman D. Johnson Scholarships to graduating seniors in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Two $4,000 scholarships, one in each county, will be offered to students with a parent or guardian that is a member of cooperative. The students must show proof of enrollment and maintain a 2.5 GPA to continue to receive the funds each year.
To apply, seniors in EREC’s service area should check with their high school guidance counselors or contact EREC Marketing and Communications at (850) 675-4521 or (800) 235-3848. The deadline to submit an application is March 1. Winners will be announced at EREC’s annual meeting on April 28.
This is EREC’s 15th year of offering scholarships to high school seniors. In the past, capital credits issued by EREC that were unclaimed were required to be turned over to the state. But state legislation now allows such funds to be deposited into a qualified, educational charity fund. The EREC membership voted to use these funds in the form of scholarships for graduating seniors in EREC’s service area.
Escambia Man Indicted For Murder
January 5, 2012
A grand jury has indicted Charles Douglas Boshell for first degree murder in the death of Caroline Marbury-Smart.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies found Marbury-Smart’s decomposing body in a bedroom closet under boxes and suitcases at her Starboard Village condo on Pensacola Beach on July 23, 2011.
Boshell is scheduled to be arraigned on January 5, 2012.
Fog Overnight; 70’s Tomorrow
January 5, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Areas of dense fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 41. Calm wind.
- Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 71. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 10 mph.
- Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. South wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. South wind around 5 mph.
- Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. South wind around 5 mph.
- Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 68. South wind around 5 mph.
- Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 55. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68.
- Tuesday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
- Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 59.
- Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 56.
Area Band To Perform At BCS Championship Game
January 5, 2012
An area high school band will perform next Monday night at the BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans.
The T.R. Miller High School band of Brewton will play at the game as the Alabama Crimson Tide takes on the Tigers of LSU for number one in the nation.
Band members have rehearsed and held fund raisers for months. Band Director Lance Gainous said his young musicians earned the trip through hard work and a string of superior ratings in competitions last fall. The band departs for New Orleans on Friday and will return after the game.
The game airs on ESPN beginning at 7:30 Monday night. There’s no word yet if the Miller band will appear in the broadcast.
Pictured: The T.R. Miller Band practices. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Christopher Glenn Middleton
January 5, 2012
Mr. Christopher Glenn Middleton, 34, passed away on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at a Pensacola hospital.
Mr. Middleton was a native and lifelong resident of Atmore and attended the Atmore First Assembly of God Church. .
Survivors include his parents, Glenn and Denise Middleton of Atmore; two brothers, Kyle Kersey and Zach Kersey, both of Atmore; two sisters, Valerie Middleton of Atmore, and Tiffany Amerson of Bratt; his grandmothers, Catherine Middleton of Atmore and Betty Chandler of Falkville, AL; and a niece, Alexis Amerson of Bratt.
Funeral services will be Saturday, January 7, 2012, at 2 p.m. the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with the Rev. Don Davis officiating..
Burial will follow at the Oak Hill Cemetery.
Visitation will be Friday, January 6, 2012, from 6-9 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home in Atmore.
Ruth Johnson
January 5, 2012
Mrs. Ruth Johnson, 91, passed away on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at a Mobile, AL hospital.
Mrs. Johnson was a native of Moyeville, AL, a former longtime resident of Flomaton, and a resident of Pineview for the past seven years. She was a former member of the Flomaton Pentecostal Church and a member of the Abundant Life Assembly of God Church.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Bill Johnson, 12 brothers and sisters, and a great-granddaughter, Julie Bradley.
She is survived by two sons, Daniel and Cindy Johnson of Pineview, and Henry and Wanda Johnson of Pineview; three grandchildren, Angie and Lavon Bradley of Flomaton, the Rev. Eric and Leslie Johnson of Flomaton, and Lauren Johnson of Pineview; three great-grandchildren, Ashley Bradley of Flomaton, Nikki and Eric Flowers of Brewton, and Blake Johnson of Flomaton; and a great-great-grandchild, Zachary Flowers of Brewton.
Funeral services will be Saturday, January 7, 2012, at 10 a.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home in Atmore with the Rev. Eric Johnson and Roger Parker officiating.
Burial will follow at the Traveler’s Rest Cemetery.
Visitation will be Friday, January 6, 2012, from 6-9 p.m. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Annie Leggett McLemore
January 5, 2012
Annie Leggett McLemore, 85, entered into eternal rest on Sunday, January 1, 2012, at Oakwood Center for Living in Bay Minette. She was born on October 31, 1926, in Seminary, MS , the daughter of Mary Gladys Leggett and was raised by her late grandparents Phillip and Idella Leggett. She proudly made Atmore her home for over 50 years.
She was a loving and devoted mother, grandmother, and friend. She will be missed by everyone for her sweet spirit, her willingness to help anyone in need, and her many acts of kindness and generosity.
She worked at Porch Head Start for over 20 years and was a teacher for many of those years. She loved and cared deeply for all of her many students. After retiring from teaching, she went on to care for the elderly for several years. She was a faithful Christian and a member of Cross Point Baptist Church.
She was the widow of Bert A. McLemore. She was also preceded in death by her first husband Woodrow Pitts, who was killed in action in WWII, her mother Mary Leggett, her brother Rufus James Moss and her grandson Joey Irby.
She is survived by a loving family of two sons, Danny McLemore of Crawfordville, FL, and Glenn McLemore of Cape Coral, FL; and four daughters, Margaret and Fenton Miller of Charleston, SC, Diane and JR Maddox of Lutz, FL, Nita Monroe of Fairhope, AL, and Gina and Mitch White of Atmore; 14 grandchildren Evy MacNeil, Courtney Miller, John Irby, Daniel McLemore, Michael Maddox, Eric Maddox, Nicole McLemore, Paul McLemore, Adam McLemore, Blake Monroe, Amy Monroe, Clay White, Noah White, and Elise White; nine great grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.
Pallbearers are John Irby, Michael Maddox, Daniel McLemore, Eric Maddox, Courtney Miller, and Blake Monroe. Honorary pallbearers are Adam McLemore, Paul McLemore, Clay White, and Noah White.
Funeral Service will be held Saturday January 7, 2012, at Cross Point Baptist Church in Atmore at 10 a.m. with burial following at Oak Hill Cemetery in Atmore.
Family will receive friends Friday January 6, 2012, at Johnson-Quimby Funeral Home from 6 to 8 p.m.
Minor Fire At Historic Molino Home
January 4, 2012
Area fire stations responded to a minor fire in a historic Molino home Wednesday night.
A fire in a floor around a fireplace was reported about 9:20 p.m. in a two story wood frame home at the corner of Fairground Road and River Bend Road. No major damage was reported.
The Molino, Cantonment and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the call.
The home is one of Molino’s oldest remaining; according to Escambia County property records, the 4300 square foot home was constructed in 1928.
Suspicious Package Prompts Evacuation Of Sheriff’s Office
January 4, 2012
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was evacuated this morning because of a suspicious package.
A man reportedly received the package mailed to his address but not his name and took it to the Sheriff’s Office on Leonard Street. It also included a mailing label asking him to mail it to the Ukraine.
A bomb sniffing dog alerted to potential of possible explosive material in the package, prompting the evacuation of about 150 people. A robot from the State Fire Marshal’s Office was used to removed the package from the building. There was no immediate word as to what was in the package. There was no explosion.
Further details have not been released.