Northview Student, Businesses Honored For Ethics
May 18, 2011
Tuesday, the BBB of Northwest Florida presented its sixth annual Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics, Customer Service Excellence Award and Student Ethics Scholarships for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
The BBB also awarded three, $1,000 Student Ethics Scholarships each to Sarah Malinda Killam from Northview High School, Amber Briana Cotten from Pace High School and Sarah Renee Green from Pace High School. At Tuesday’s awards ceremony, the scholarship winners read their essay on character building, submitted as part of the application process.
The Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics was created to publicly recognize business and charities that insist on exceptionally high standards of behavior dealing with customers, vendors and employees.
This year, your BBB Foundation received several outstanding nominations. Island Realty of Pensacola Beach and the Santa Rosa County Chamber of Commerce both received Honorable Mentions for the Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.
The Torch Award winner for a small business, Medi-Weight Loss Clinics, was recognized for their values-based management. The Torch Award winner for a mid-sized, Sea Gallery Stores, plays an active role in the community and chamber of commerce to promote other businesses in the area.
The recipient of the Torch Award in the charity category goes to Gulf Coast Kid’s House. The non-profit provides child-friendly services, minimize trauma to affected families, and educate the community about child abuse.
The Customer Service Excellence Award honors an individual that goes above and beyond in their customer service activities.
BBB’s Customer Service Excellence Award winner, Gretchen Shields with Granny Nannies, was highly recommended by her both her boss and clients. Amber Wright, BBB Dispute Resolution Specialist, was also recognized with a Customer Service Excellence Award.
Pictured top: Sarah Killam of Northview High School accepts a $1,000 BBB Student Ethics Scholarship Tuesday. Pictured inset: Killam reads here essay on character building, which was required as part of the application process. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Weekend In 360 Photos
May 16, 2011
From two big Relay for Life events, to a Fairy Tale dance recital, to Art Day and FFA honors, our NorthEscambia.com cameras were there this weekend with over 360 photos from across the area.
Click any of the items below to read more and see the photo galleries.
Fairy Tales: Danceworks Students Present Annual Recital
May 15, 2011
Heather Leonard’s Danceworks students presented their annual recital “Fairy Tales” Saturday night at Flomaton High School.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
The Danceworks students are instructed weekly at the Byrneville Community Center by teachers Heather Leonard and Chelsea Golson, who coordinated each of Saturday night’s dances.
The program included:
- Monster — Jalyn Bodiford, Morgan Digmon, Anna Fischer, Leah Fischer, Chelsea Golson, Karrie Gibson, Sarah Killam, Chloe Leonard, Jessica Lowery, Shelby Nielson
- A Whole New World — Ella Wade Caraway, Carsyn Dortch, Maddiemae Driskell, Madalyn Grimes, Ava Gurganus, Berklee Hall, Daisy Davis-Johnson, Meredith Johnston, Reiley Morgan, Maggie Scott
- Kingdom Dance, Choregraphy Heather Leonard — Anna Belle Barberree, Lana Harris, Allison Johnson, Olivia Porter, Delaney Reynolds
- The Little Mermaid — Lola Capps, Marina Franklin, Emma Gilmore, Kaleigh Macks, Lillie McCall, Mary Rice, Gracie Stockstill, Aubrey Stuckey, Aleigh Thornton, Abby Weber
- Escape from the Dragon — Bama Coburn, Jamison Janes, Ansleigh Maholovich, Kenna Redmond, Bailey VanPelt
- Charlotte’s Web — Taylor Kearley, Elizabeth Sanders
- Do You Believe in Magic — Anna Belle Barberree, Lana Harris, Allison Johnson, Olivia Porter
- Hero — Chelsea Golson, Heather Leonard
- You’ve Got a Friend in Me — Lola Capps, Marina Franklin, Emma Gilmore, Kaleigh Macks, Lillie McCall, Mary Rice, Gracie Stockstill, Aubrey Stuckey, Aleigh Thornton, Abby Weber
- Something That I Want — Bama Coburn, Jamison Janes, Ansleigh Maholovich, Kenna Redmond, Bailey VanPelt
- Ever Ever After — Anna Belle Barberree, Lana Harris, Allison Johnson, Olivia Porter
- Ready — Jalyn Bodiford, Morgan Digmon, Anna Fischer, Leah Fischer, Karrie Gibson, Sarah Killam, Chloe Leonard, Jessica Lowery, Shelby Nielson
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview FFA Celebrates Annual Banquet
May 15, 2011
The Northview High School FFA held their 16th annual banquet Friday night.
The event includes a somber ceremony for graduating seniors…they slowly remove their signature blue FFA jackets and hang them up for the last time on a coat rack. One at a time, the three graduating senior officers participated in the ceremony. Allyson Bullard, Stephanie Solari and Allie Vidak removed their signature FFA blue jackets one by one, placing them on the coat rack.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
The night also included many awards for Northview and Ernest Ward Middle school FFA members and supporters.
Among those honored for their support of the FFA program were Henry Thompson, Eli Miller, Lou Vickery, Rikki Vidak and Jennifer Castor. The five were named honorary members of the Northview FFA.
Five companies were recognized as being Blue Jacket Jamboree Banner Sponsors — PIONEER-A Dupont Company, Escambia County Farm Bureau, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, NorthEscambia.com and the Pensacola Interstate Fair.
Some of the other awards presented included:
- Blue/Gold Award: Brandon Chambless, Tyler Hester, Dillian Crutchfield
- Outstanding Freshman/Star Greenhand: Courtney Solari
- Outstanding Sophomore: Jessica Baldwin
- Outstanding Junior: Lydia Weaver
- Outstanding Seniors: Stephanie Solari and Allie Vidak
- Leadership/All Officers: Lydia Weaver, Allie Vidak, Stephanie Solari, Allyson Bullard, Courtney Solari, Jessica Baldwin, Devin Bell
- Dekalb Award: Stephanie Solari
- High Point Award: Lydia Weaver
The new Northview FFA officers named for the 2011-2012 school year were: Lydia Weaver, president; Jessica Baldwin, vice president; Brandon Chambless, second vice president; Courtney Solari, secretary; Brittany Thompson, treasurer; Jeremy Stacey, reporter; and Dillan Crutchfield, sentinel.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Ensley Graduates From FSU
May 15, 2011
Lauren Elizabeth Ensley, a 2007 graduate of Tate High School, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida State University in Tallahassee.
Ensley earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in psychology and criminology. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Psi Chi, and Phi Eta Sigma. She was a resident assistant while attending Florida State University and also completed an internship with Children’s Home Society of Florida.
Ensley will continue her education this fall at the University of Tennessee, where she will earn her Master’s Degree in social work.
She is the daughter of Lawrence and Karen Ensley of Cantonment.
Courtesy for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Relay For Life Events Held At Tate, Century (With Photo Galleries)
May 14, 2011
There were two Relay for Life events in North Escambia this weekend.
The Relay for Life of Greater Escambia (formerly called the North Pensacola Relay for Life) was held at Tate High School. Nearly 50 teams and about 1,500 people took part in the annual event which has raised over $500,000 for cancer research in less than 10 years.
Teams in the event were from across the Molino, Cantonment, Gonzalez, Cottage Hill, Ensley and surrounding areas.
The Century Relay for Life moved indoors due to the threat of rain. Teams lined the basketball court in the old Century High School gymnasium to support the America Cancer Society.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the Century Relay for Life, click here.
Pictured top: The Greater Escambia Relay for Life gets underway Friday night at Tate High School. Pictured inset: Members of the Jim Allen Elementary team cheer for survivors. Pictured below: A cancer survivor, right, takes her victory lap in style on motorcycle. NorthEscambia.com photos, lick to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Molino Park Celebrates The Arts
May 14, 2011
Molino Park Elementary School held its annual Arts Day on Friday, with the students spending the day immersed in a variety of arts.
The students enjoyed a wide range of arts, from pottery to photography to cake decorating. They had the opportunity to get “hands on” with many activities. The day ended with the “Molino Park Arts Day Roundup”, a live concert series in the school cafeteria. Artists appearing in the concert had local ties to Molino Park.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured top: A student checks out a dragster during the annual Arts Day at Molino Park Elementary School. Pictured inset: Photographer Candy McGahan explains her work to students. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Google Street View Car In North Escambia (With Photo Gallery)
May 12, 2011
The Google Street View car was spotted in Walnut Hill and Molino Wednesday. And no, that’s not a camera on top. It’s actually 15 cameras and lasers on top, mapping and photographing our communities.
Google Maps with Street View, as well as Google Earth, allows users to explore places through 360-degree street level imagery. Most of the roadways in North Escambia already appear on Street View, but the lower quality images are being updated with new realistic high definition photos.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery of the car and its equipment, click here.
NorthEscambia.com caught up with the Google Street View car at the intersection of Arthur Brown and Pine Forest roads in Walnut Hill Wednesday afternoon. The driver, who is from Pensacola, would not allow us to photograph the inside of the vehicle. But it’s remarkably simple in appearance compared to the outside of the colorful vehicle.
The back seats have been removed or folded down, making room for a ladder to reach the camera mounted above the car. There is one small computer (the original Street View SUV had a rack of computers in 2007) and a hard drive to store the data. There’s one touchscreen computer monitor mounted next to the driver. During our visit, the monitor was displaying a Google map with the driver’s route planned out along with a “record” and “pause” button.
But the real magic is in the red ball mounted above the car. The latest, fifth generation, car’s red ball has 15 lenses taking 360 degrees of photos. It has motion sensors to track its position and three laser sensors to determine distances within the Street View imagery. The laser sensors call also be used to create 3D maps of the surroundings.
GPS sensors, along with sensors that measure speed and direction are used to make sure the images are placed in the right place on the Google Maps and in Google Earth. The sensors even provide enough information to tilt and align the images with hilly terrain.
Google uses cutting-edge face and license plate blurring technology to make sure that people and vehicles captured in the images can’t be identified.
There’s no word when the new images from North Escambia will be available on Google Street View.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery of the car and its equipment, click here.
Pictures top: The Google Street View car Wednesday afternoon on Arthur Brown Road at Pine Forest Road in Walnut Hill. Pictured inset: The red ball contains 15 cameras for photographing a 360 degree view. The three boxes below the cameras are laser mapping sensors. Pictured below: A closeup of the camera systems. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Park Elementary Names Volunteers Of The Year
May 12, 2011
Molino Park Elementary School has named its 2010-2011 volunteers of the year. They are (pictured L-R) Adult Volunteer Tina Pendleton, Youth Volunteer Brandy Hart and Senior Volunteer Janet Crosby. The were honored with a dinner at New World Landing on May 4 and were also honored at the school Wednesday. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cheerleaders Adopt Squad In Tornado Devastated Alabama Town
May 11, 2011
Cheerleaders at one area school have adopted the cheerleaders at a small school in an Alabama town devastated by the recent tornadoes.
Phil Campbell, Alabama, tucked away in the northwestern corner of the state, is a small town with a population of 1,090 — until the tornado hit. There were 28 fatalities in the Phil Campbell High School attendance zone when the massive EF5 mile tornado devastated the town, flattening hundreds of homes and businesses. About 60 people remain hospitalized.
The varsity and junior varsity cheerleaders at Jay High School decided to “adopt” the cheerleading squads at Phill Campbell High School and send a personal care package to each cheerleader.
“We wouldn’t have been doing our job as cheerleaders if we hadn’t jumped at the opportunity to help,” Jay cheerleader Tessa Hendricks said. “I would have been devastated and in complete shock. I hope by sending care packages we were able to cheer them up or at least make them smile.”
Many of the Jay Royal girls contacted their “adopted” cheerleader via Facebook, where they learned that 4 of the 12 varsity cheerleaders at Phil Campbell lost their homes and everything that they had.
“Since we are the same age and have been through a natural disaster before, we can kind of understand what they are going through. All of us wanted to help in any way we could, and this was a great opportunity to do something for people that we can relate to,” said the Royals’ Meridith Owens. “It’s hard to imagine exactly what these girls are feeling, but if I were in their situation, I would be glad to get any help possible. Even the smallest things would mean a lot. Getting a care package from someone my age would be great, and I would be very thankful.”
The care packages were delivered directly to the PCHS girls by Janie Gomillion, Jay’s SGA sponsor, who has a relative who teaches at Phil Campbell High.
“I love helping out people, it’s the Christian thing to do. When something terrible like this happens, it is important to be a part and do as much as you can,” said Abby Raney. “If I were in this situation, I would be completely devastated, and I would greatly appreciate people helping me out in anyway possible.”
“This school really touches the heart of our students because the school is very much like Jay,” said Junia Fischer, Jay varsity cheer coach. “This is a good story that comes from such a bad storm.”
Pictured top: The Jay High School varsity cheerleaders created personal care packages for each member of a cheerleading squad in the town of Phil Campbell, Alabama, which was devastated last month by a tornado. Pictured top inset: Camille Driver writes a note to her “adopted” Phil Campbell cheerleader. Pictured bottom inset: Hanna Roberts works on a card for the PCHS squad. Pictured below: Some of the care packages. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
