Tate High And Ransom Middle Jazz Bands Earn Superiors At District MPA
February 25, 2019
Two Tate High School Jazz Bands and the Ransom Middle School Jazz Band each earned Superior ratings at the District Jazz Music Performance Assessment on Friday. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Scouts Hold Flag Retirement Ceremony (With Gallery)
February 25, 2019
Scouts held a retirement ceremony for American flags Saturday at the Walnut Hill Community Center, during the annual Ruritan Farm Auction.
The tattered and worn flags were first cut into pieces of cloth by the scouts. The blue star field was left intact to symbolize an unbroken union. The flags were then burned.
The flag retirement ceremony is a way American flags can be retired when they’re too worn to fly, according to the U.S. Flag Code, a set of guidelines on treating the nation’s flag respectfully.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Ransom Middle Shoe Drive Far Exceeds Goal To Help Train Service Dogs For Veterans
February 23, 2019
Ransom Middle School more than tripled their goal in a recent shoe drive.
They had set a goal to collect 100 pairs of shoes to benefit Healing Paws for Warriors, a group that rescues shelter dogs and trains them to become service dogs for veterans.
But the shoes just kept walking in. Pair after pair after pair.
When the counting was done, the 35 students that started Kicks for a Cause had collected 366 pairs of shoes.
Kicks for a Cause is a shoe drive created by librarian Crystal Roberts and her student book club members for Acts of Kindness Week. Healing Paws will receive $10 for every 25 pairs of donated shoes, helping the organization with the $5,000 cost to train a service dog.
The donated shoes will also be used to help needy people in 24 Third World countries.
The students held a small event Friday morning to announce their results and to thank students and the community for the donations, and to thank WEAR 3 and NorthEscambia.com for supporting the shoe drive with media coverage.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
A Very Special Mardi Gras Parade (With Photo Gallery)
February 23, 2019
A very special Mardi Gras parade was held Friday morning for the special needs students of Escambia Westgate School.
With plenty of beads, Moon Pies, stuffed animals and smiles, the parade rolled through the school parking lot for students that might not otherwise be able to attend a regular Mardi Gras parade.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate High School Names Students Of The Month
February 21, 2019
Tate High School has named their Students of the Month for January. They are Carter Pitts and Jordan Baker-Williams. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Celebrates National FFA Week With Breakfast
February 20, 2019
FFA members at Northview High School are celebrating National FFA Week with a variety of events.
Tuesday morning, the FFA officers and members prepared a homestyle breakfast for teachers, staff and invited guests that support the FFA program. Northview’s FFA program has been recognized as one of the top chapters in both the state and the nation.
For more photos, click to enlarge.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview, Tate FFA Horse And Livestock Teams Compete
February 19, 2019
The horse judging and livestock teams from the Northview High FFA and Tate High FFA competed recently for a chance to advance to the state finals.
Northview’s horse judging team placed 12th out of 58 teams during the state preliminaries at the Florida State Fair in Tampa and will advance to the state finals in Gainesville in April. Team members are Olivia Porter, Autumn Williams, Destiny Cleckler and Brooke Doolittle.
Northview’s livestock team placed 40th out of 79 teams. Team members are Raeleigh Woodfin, Kelley Merchant, Stewart Woodfin and Amber Gilman.
Competing for Tate’s livestock judging teams were Kylar Smith, Keaton Fuqua, Laura Alexander, Raven Hollis, Lindsay Von Stein and coach Melissa Gibbs.
Tate’s horse judging team also took part. Team members are Jessica Conti, Hannah Thorne, Emily Freeman, Katherine Cavanaugh and coach Erin Lawall.
Pictured top: Northview’s horse judge team. Pictured below: Tate horse judging team. Pictured bottom: Tate’s livestock team. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jim Allen Elementary Names Students Of The Month
February 19, 2019
Jim Allen Elementary School has named Kinzy Cutler and Cade Weaver as Students of the Month. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Students Place In Regional Science Fair
February 16, 2019
Two Ernest Ward Middle School students placed in the 2019 West Panhandle Regional Science and Engineering Fair at the University of West Florida.
They were:
Kelsey Boykin- Chemistry
1st place Overall Junior Division
Dr. B.H. Daughdrill, Special Award ($50 cash and certificate)
Dr. John P. Riehm Memorial Special Award, ($50 cash and certificate)
Society for Science & the Public-Broadcom Foundation Special Award (Certificate, letter of invite to register for 2019 Broadcom Masters national competition, t-shirt)
State Fair Finalists – representing EWMS at Lakeland FL. , March 26-March 29
Boykin’s project “Rainbow of pHacts” compared the pH level of beverages such as cola, milk and apple jucice to determine which was the lowest (most acidic).
Judson Lee – Engineering and Material Sciences
3rd place overal, Junior Division
Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, Special Award ($25 gift card & Certificate)
REMG Aviation, Special Award, ($25 gift card & Certificate)
Lee’s project “Which Shape of Parachute is the Best?”. He hypothesized that a rectangular parachute would descend slower than other shapes. He discovered that a round parachute actually had the slowest descent velocity.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Beulah Elementary School Students Write Letters Of Support To Navy Recruits
February 10, 2019
Beulah Elementary School participated in a writing project to promote individual student support focused on creating happiness and motivation within U.S. Navy recruits beginning basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois.
The writing project was established in January 2018 after being proposed by a Beulah student as an idea for an assignment. Other Beulah students eagerly supported the idea and wanted to help by providing emotional support to the recruits, while also learning the formalities of writing letters.
The writing project was administered by one of Beulah’s teachers, Krystal Gibson, to her fifth grade class. The assignment consisted of the student sharing information about themselves, transitioning into words of support for those who serve their country, followed by questions about the recruits’ life and goals. Each letter closed with at least two jokes to make the recruits smile and boost morale.
Capt. Kertreck Brooks, commanding officer of the Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center (NETPDC), accompanied by Command Master Chief Gregory Prichard, paid a visit to the class.
“My visit is motivated by my devotion to helping Navy recruits adapt to the sudden life changes they’ll experience in boot camp,” said Brooks, who previously served as the executive officer of Recruit Training Command from February 2013 to June 2015. “It’s important for me to express my appreciation to the students for their participation and thoughtfulness towards the Navy recruits.”
As a former executive officer, Brooks was able to provide details to the class about recruit life. He explained that recruits begin each day at 6 a.m. with continuous training lasting until 10 p.m. He also shared how exhausting Navy recruit training is physically and mentally, especially with the lack of emotional support from friends and family.
One of the descriptive points Brooks emphasized was the procedure that takes place when the new recruit arrives at the Great Lakes recruit training facility.
“Upon arrival, all recruits are allowed to make one final phone call home to their family, then all of their personal belongings, including their cell phones are boxed up and mailed home,” said Brooks. “The only form of communication left is through mail, which makes Mail Call a special event for recruits.”
Brooks went on to tell the students how their letters would now become a welcomed addition to that special event and add greatly to the emotional support of the recruits. The students were then invited to read their letters to the class, followed by a question and answer session.
Photo courtesy Julian Huff/U.S. Navy for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.