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Bratt Elementary Names Students Of The Month

The following students (pictured above) were named Students of the Month for August at Bratt Elementary School.

Pre-K
MaryStephen Moody
Levi Milliken (not pictured)

Kindergarten
Chayton Rolin
Rylan Johnson
Braylie Harrison (not pictured)
Brooklynne Fountain (not pictured)

1st Grade
Carson Eady
Sophia Ikner
Mi’Kavion White
Noah Luker

2nd Grade
Lanie Steadham
Robbie Goens
Kameryn Thompson
Madalynn Pittman

3rd Grade
Cobie Wiggins
Makayla Plato
Christian Caraway

4th Grade
LanDon Johnson
Maggie Stewart
Lauren Abbott
DaShay Robinson (not pictured)

5th Grade
Ally Richardson
Markavia Johnson
Colby Pugh

In addition, Chayton Rolin and Maggie Stewart were chosen to represent Bratt Elementary School as Escambia County Students of the Month for August.

Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Jim Allen Elementary Goes Gold For Childhood Cancer Research

Jim Allen Elementary faculty and staff went gold and rallied to show support for childhood cancer research.

For more photos, click here.

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Fall Gardening Tips

As fall approaches, now is the time to start preparing your landscape for the upcoming cooler weather, according to the UF/IFAS extension service.

Flowers

• Cut back, and remove old flower stalks from flowering annuals and re-fertilize in order to obtain one more color before cool weather.
• Prepare beds for the planting of cool season annuals next month. Some plants to establish for fall, winter and early spring include: pansy, petunia, snapdragon, larkspur, stocks, statice, bachelor button, calendula, cleome, alyssum, marigolds, verbena, dianthus and candytuft.
• Divide perennials such as Shasta daisy, canna, amaryllis, daylily, coneflower, violets, and ornamental grasses like mondo grass and liriope.
• Cut strong stems of roses to encourage new growth for final flush of the year.
• Find a local source, or order wildflower seeds for fall planting. Be certain to choose a mixture that is specifically for the south. Prepare the area, but wait until November to seed them.

Trees and Shrubs

• Last month to fertilize woody ornamental shrubs in the landscape.
• No pruning unless it’s absolutely necessary. This is probably the worst time of year to do major pruning of shrubs. Late summer/fall pruning can stimulate tender growth that might be damaged by low winter temperatures.
• Plant woody ornamentals, including trees, shrubs, vines and ground covers during the fall and early winter. They respond well to planting late in the year because our relatively mild winters allow for root growth. Fall planted shrubs, for example, are well on their way toward having their roots established before hot weather arrives next spring.
• Select crape myrtles while in bloom.
• Examine the small twigs on the outer canopy of hardwood trees for black twig borer damage. Remove and destroy infested twigs.
• Pine needles fall during September and October. Rake and use them in the vegetable and flower garden as well as in shrub beds. Pine needles make excellent mulch. Apply generously to obtain a depth of 2 to 3 inches on the soil surface after they have settled.
• Mature palms should receive an application of granular fertilizer. Use a special palm fertilizer that has an 8-2-12 +4Mg (magnesium) with micronutrients formulation. Apply one pound of fertilizer per 100 sqft of canopy area or landscape area.

Vegetable Garden

• Prepare the soil now, allowing about 3 weeks between the incorporation of amendments and planting. In September sow seeds of beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, endive, escarole, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard, onions, parsley, radishes and turnips.
• Last planting of beans (bush, lima and pole), cucumbers and summer squash
• Clean out the spring/summer vegetable garden once plants have stopped producing. Remove any that are known to have been diseased or heavily insect infested during the previous season.

Lawns

• Check the lawn weekly and watch for lawn pests. Check for chinch bugs and sod webworms in St. Augustine, spittlebugs and sod webworms in centipedegrass and mole cricket damage in all grasses
• Last month to fertilize bahiagrass, bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass and Zoysiagrass using a complete fertilizer applied at 1.0 lb nitrogen per 1000 square feet containing 50% soluble and 50% slow-release nitrogen.

Beulah Students Have ‘Lunch With A Hero’

The Beulah Elementary School PTA held  “Lunch With A Hero” this week, with first responders and military personnel joining students for lunch. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

IMPACT 100 Names Non-Profit Finalists For $107,700 Grants

Everyone Wins: Welcome To The Miracle League

In a park where hundreds of Escambia County area athletes play baseball, softball and t-ball every year, one set of baseball diamonds stands out from the rest. A rubber surface covers what would normally be clay and grass on three of the fields at the county-owned John R. Jones Jr. Athletic Complex on Nine Mile Road, providing a safe, fun place for everyone who wants to play ball.

And for the Miracle League of Pensacola, “everyone” truly means everyone.

It’s a place where every player plays, hits, gets on base, scores and wins – every game. Operating out of the John R. Jones Jr. Athletic Complex, the Miracle League of Pensacola provides physically and mentally challenged children and adults an opportunity to play baseball, softball and t-ball just like anyone else, all in a spirited and secure environment.

“The most exciting thing is getting to see the kids,” said Miracle League of Pensacola President and Co-Founder Larry Thompson, who started the program in 2002 with his late wife Donna. “In a sense, we’ve watched them grow up. They’re more than just players to us – they’re part of our family, too.”

Thompson said the program has grown from 28 players at its inception to about 250 for the current fall season.

The Miracle League of Pensacola relies on its many volunteers or “buddies” to keep the program going, along with community partners including the Escambia County Parks and Recreation Department.

In addition to Escambia County donating the land at the park for the Miracle League to use, the Parks and Recreation Department has assisted with sidewalks, bleacher areas and perimeter areas to the newest Miracle League field. Recently, the department also coordinated with Miracle League to provide additional field safety netting and enhanced parking options.

Escambia County Parks and Recreation Director Michael Rhodes said the Miracle League of Pensacola has been a great community asset, and the county is honored to be able to support the organization’s mission.

“I’ve witnessed the joy on their faces and the sense of accomplishment on players’ faces over my years at the county,” Rhodes said. “I’ve witnessed the feeling of inclusion by those players when they’re getting to play a game that some probably thought they’d never get to play.”

District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry also spoke to the organization’s positive impact.

“The success and growth at the Miracle League is a fantastic example of a volunteer board and nonprofit organization changing the lives of not only our players, but also their families and all of our player buddies and our coaches,” Barry said. “Many of our volunteers, buddies, and their families have given thousands of dollars and thousands of hours to support our players and I thank them.”

And while Escambia County Parks and Recreation plays a role in Miracle League, Rhodes said the real credit belongs to the Miracle League volunteers who work hard on a daily basis to keep the program going.

“We’re happy to do the part that we can to provide the park, to provide the location and to assist with improvements at the facility, but the volunteers that provide assistance at the Miracle League provide such a key element to that organization’s mission and the success they’ve had over the years,” Rhodes said.

Commissioner Lumon May, who represents District 3 where the park is located, agreed that the county is pleased to support Miracle League and what it brings to the community.

“Miracle League of Pensacola provides an opportunity for all athletes to participate in the great game of baseball, which can be life-changing for those who might not have been able to play otherwise,” May said. “Youth sports are such a fundamental part of childhood, and nobody should be excluded from participating based on their ability.”

Thompson said one of the most rewarding parts of Miracle League is getting to witness the smiles on the players’ faces and watching them overcome physical limitations to achieve things they may have once considered impossible.

“I’ve seen kids come in with cerebral palsy that can’t hit a pitched baseball,” Thompson said. “We used to use a tee 90 percent of the time when we started, and now you may see us use a tee 10 percent of the time. It’s amazing to think you can take the same group of kids and see them hit a pitched ball – people who didn’t think they could even play ball.”

The Miracle League of Pensacola strives to facilitate a sense of inclusion for all who play, Thompson said, with the age of participants ranging from 3 years old to 61 years old.

“The Miracle League is built at a regular baseball park,” he said. “It’s not where I play ball – it’s where we play ball.”

To learn more about the Miracle League of Pensacola or how to become a volunteer, click here.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Scott, Tebow Huddle Over Irma

A New York Mets minor leaguer with a Heisman Trophy from his time in The Swamp brought some star power to Gov. Rick Scott’s Hurricane Irma relief efforts Tuesday.

After visiting a special-needs shelter together Monday night in Jacksonville, Scott teamed with former University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow on Tuesday to thank volunteers and workers at the state Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee and then left to do the same in Lee County.

“In the midst of a really tough time, you know I think so many people that were hurting have something to hold on to because there were so many volunteers … and they knew there were people in it with them,” Tebow said during the Tallahassee stop. “It doesn’t take away their pain, and it doesn’t take away their fear and doubt of the unknown, but it does give them a little comfort to know that there are people battling with them and loving and supporting them.”

Tebow, who grew up in the Jacksonville area and stopped by a number of Northeast Florida evacuation shelters, had worked with Scott to rally people to volunteer at shelters and in relief efforts before Irma made landfall Sunday in the Florida Keys and Southwest Florida.

“It’s not like you can make everything better at once, but you can know that people are praying for you and they love you and they are here with you walking this journey with you,” Tebow said.

Also, before Scott took part Monday in an aerial survey of damage in the Keys, the governor talked about Hurricane Irma’s storm impacts with Tebow, college football’s 2007 Heisman Trophy winner. Tebow played minor-league baseball this year in the New York Mets system.

Scott told reporters that people staying and working in hurricane-evacuation shelters have appreciated Tebow’s appearances and efforts.

On Friday, Scott retweeted a message from Tebow that said, “@FLGovScott is asking for more volunteers. LET’S RALLY, Florida! Go here: volunteerflorida.org.”

Scott last week also retweeted a message from Miami rapper Pitbull, a former paid ambassador for the state’s tourism industry, who said, “Florida residents & visitors, please be diligent. Evacuate where needed. Be safe. We will be back bigger, better, stronger.”

The storm work by Tebow won’t get him a “Great Floridian” honor — Scott’s already given him that designation.

Tebow was part of the 2013 class of “Great Floridians” that included former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula, the late Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, golfer Bubba Watson, and 16th Century Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon, each recognized for making significant contributions to the progress and welfare of Florida.

Tebow, who is also a college-football analyst for ESPN, has a charity intended to help children in need. He’s also said he can envision a future career in politics.

by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida with contribution from Tom Urban, NSF.

Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Council On Aging Delivers Irma Meals, Encouragement To Homebound Seniors

The Council on Aging of West Florida wanted to make sure that their homebound, vulnerable elders were provided for just in case Hurricane Irma shifted closer to Escambia County. Friday morning, on less than two days’ notice, dozens of volunteers worked to deliver 300 meals, emergency information and a little encouragement to hundreds of seniors.

Longtime Century Chamber Employee Edna Earl Barnes ‘Retires’

Friday was the last day “on the job” for longtime Century Chamber of Commerce employee and volunteer Edna Earl Barnes.  Most recently, she has worked as employee for just a few hours per month — handling the mail, banking, public notices and other tasks.  Now that Barnes is officially “retired” from the chamber, she said she will continue to serve the Century Chamber of Commerce as a volunteer. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Workshop To Help Landowners Do Battle With Invasive Species

The Florida Forest Stewardship Program and the Six Rivers Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area are presenting a workshop September 28, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the University of Florida Extension office on Airport Road in Crestview.

The title of the workshop is Invasive Exotic Species and Control and the topics will include herbicide label, required personal protective equipment, applications techniques, herbicide resistance, modes of action, rotation, terrestrial and aquatic invasive exotic plants and control update, invasive species identification and look-alikes, established and new invasive exotic insects, and working with the Six Rivers CISMA.

Participants can learn about identifying and controlling cogon grass, Japanese climbing fern, privets and other non-native invasive species. Participants can earn pesticide applicator and forestry CEUs. Registration is $10 per person and participants may sign up on line at https://fsp-workshop092817.eventbrite.com or call (850) 689-5850.

Pictured top: Cogon grass. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

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