Tate Showband Seniors Celebrate Scholarships
May 20, 2016
The Tate Band had a signing day ceremony to celebrate seniors who have earned scholarships in music and academics to attend college next year.
The list of students/universities is as follows:
Florida State University
Bryce Coots
Texas A&M University
Jacob Norre
Troy University
Ashley Barnett
Zachary Vranich
Tristan Workman
University of Mobile
Madison Tourney
University of South Alabama
Tiana Hendricks
University of Southern Mississippi
Cody Swilley
University of West Florida
Ryan Cawby
Nicholas Touchstone
William Carey University
Katie Woods
Photos submitted by Patricia Maness for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
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Ernest Ward Middle School Goes Solar For Flagpole Light
May 19, 2016
A new solar power flag light now sits atop the flagpole at Ernest Ward Middle School. The light was donated as project of the school’s Teens For Christ organization. Escambia River Electric Cooperative donated the use of a bucket truck and the labor to install the light. EREC is an Ernest Ward Middle School Partner in Education. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Crawfish Company Donates $5K To Tate Showband’s Hawaii Trip
May 19, 2016
Cordova Crawfish Company presented a $5,000 donation to the Tate High School Showband of the South. The donation came after the boosters and students helped volunteer for CCC during their inaugural year as vendors at the 2016 Crawfish Festival. The Tate Showband is raising funds to perform in Hawaii in a mass band to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 2016. Pictured are Showband Director Mike Philley, along with Chad Bonner and Shelby Phillips from Cordova Crawfish Company. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Students Named Florida State FFA Degree Candidates
May 19, 2016
The Florida FFA has announced the names of students who have been selected as candidates to receive the coveted State FFA Degree. The State FFA Degree is highest honor bestowed upon any regular member of the Florida FFA Assocation.
Each candidate will be recognized and will receive their degree on the main stage during 88th Florida FFA Convention on Friday, June 17 in Orlando.
2016 State FFA Degree candidates from Escambia County Schools are:
Northview High School: Kaitlyn Nicole Kleinatland, Bethany Cheyenne Reynolds, Haylee Alease Weaver, Courtney Bryce Weekly.
Tate High School: Owen Phillip Carter, Rachel Joy Grammer, Heath Haydon Herndon, Bricen Trace Iannone, Victoria Lynnne Kent, Patra Nicole Miller, Michael Austin Rising
West Florida High School: Miranda Marie Vidak
DCT Student Merchant Honored By Town, Wins Scholarship
May 17, 2016
Northview High School student Cheyenne Merchant was presented a scholarship and a proclamation in her honor during Monday night’s meeting of the Century Town Council.
Through the Northview Diversified Career Technology (DCT) program, Merchant spent a portion of her school day working at the Century Town Hall for high school credit.
The proclamation recognized Merchant for “her time of service as a positive example in our community” and for her “diligence and eagerness to learn…while continuing to meet the rigors of her academic studies”.
McCall surprised Merchant with the announcement that she was the winner of the $500 Twin City Volunteers Scholarship for 2016. The group is a service club similar to Rotary that works for the betterment of Flomaton and Century.
Merchant and her teacher, Brandy White, presented the town with a Certificate of Appreciation for supporting the Northview DCT program.
Pictured top: Cheyenne Merchant reacts as Century Mayor Freddie McCall announces that she has won a $500 scholarship from the Twin City Volunteers. Pictured below: McCall, Merchant at NHS DCT teacher Brandy White. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview’s Battle Of The Books Team Takes First Place
May 17, 2016
The Northview Battle of the Books team took home the first place Saturday in the Escambia County School District’s annual Battle of the Books championship held at Washington High School. Students had 15 books to read as a team during the school year. They were quizzed on the books in five different rounds. Pictured are Northview Battle of the Books team members (L-R) Jewel Garner, Jessica Amerson, Jason Perritt, Shyla Pope, and Amber Freeman. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Happily Ever After: Local Couple With Cerebral Palsy Gets Married
May 16, 2016
A local couple with cerebral palsy married Saturday in an emotional ceremony in Century. Family believes that they are first married couple in Florida where both suffer from cerebral palsy.
Cody Michael Smith of Byrneville graduated from Northview High School in 2008. A short time later, he first laid eyes on Cristy Yevtte Rush at United Cerebral Palsy of Northwest Florida in Pensacola.
The friendship, and then their romance, blossomed — visiting UCP and Christy was the best part of Cody’s life. Until his world came crashing down when the state transferred Cristy to a home in Fort Walton Beach.
“Cody could not stand living without her,” Cody’s brother Chad Smith said. “We would get him to Fort Walton Beach to see her when we could, but it was hard to do very often.”
Cody’s family waited for a room to open at the group home, and then they moved Cody to Fort Walton Beach to be with the love of his life about three years ago.
Dreams came true Saturday as the couple, both confined to wheelchairs, exchanged vows in a small ceremony in Century.
Cody waited at the alter in his wheelchair with smile wider than his black bow tie. Cristy’s empty wheelchair was next to him, as the beautiful bride was helped to walk down the aisle in her flowing white wedding gown.
In an unscripted moment after the ceremony, Cody and Cristy were lifted to their feet for their first dance.
The couple will reside in the Fort Walton Beach Developmental Center.
As they embark on their happily ever after, the couple expressed their thanks to all that attended their perfect day, because fairy tale dreams do come true.
Photos by Morgan Odom for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Learn About Escambia Emergency Medical Services During EMS Week
May 16, 2016
This week, Escambia County is celebrating National EMS Week. The week honors emergency medical service professions for their dedication to public service and raises awareness about the many services, resources and programs available to Escambia County citizens offered by their local EMS staff. This year’s theme is “EMS Strong: Called to Care”. Community activities include a poster contest and open house on Saturday, May 21.
Fourth graders in Escambia County Schools are being asked to join in celebrating EMS week by designing a poster relating to this year’s theme. All submissions will be displayed at Escambia County Public Safety and one winning poster from each commission district will be selected by EMS staff on May 18. The winning submissions will receive a pizza party for their class delivered by an EMS crew on May 20.
EMS Week will conclude with an EMS open house Saturday from 1-5 p.m. at Escambia County Public Safety located at 6575 North “W” St. Residents are invited to tour the emergency communications and emergency operations center, learn about the county’s disasters assets and capabilities like a mobile command center and mobile hospital exhibits, receive free blood pressure screenings, and meet their local Escambia County EMS Staff.
Escambia EMS Facts:
- Escambia County EMS, a division of the Escambia County Department of Public Safety, is provider of critical care, advanced life support, basic life support and bariatric transports. ECEMS provides these services to Escambia County’s 300,000-plus residents. EMS has an aggressive Public Education Information Program that provides valuable information for various groups, including students, civic organizations, churches, professionals and the general public. EMS also provides both hands free and hands on CPR training.
- Escambia EMS responded to over 39,000 emergency calls last year.
- There are 100 full time employees and 40 relief employees at Escambia County EMS. The staff consists of paramedics, EMTs, stocking clerks, fleet managers, billing staff, and their supervisors.
- Both EMTs and paramedics have the knowledge and skills to transport patients and provide them with emergency care. The biggest difference between them is the amount of education they receive and what they are allowed to do for patients. Emergency Medical Technicians are entry-level patient care providers. EMTs learn the essential skills to help in life-threatening situations and their education is the foundation for all other levels of provider. EMTs are educated in many skills including CPR, giving patients oxygen, administering glucose for diabetics, and helping others with treatments for asthma attacks or allergic reactions. Paramedics are advanced providers of emergency medical care and are highly educated in topics such as anatomy and physiology, cardiology, medications, and medical procedures. They build on their EMT education and learn more skills such as administering medications, starting intravenous lines, providing advanced airway management for patients, and learning to resuscitate and support patients with significant problems such as heart attacks and traumas.
- Escambia County EMS was a 2015 STEMI Silver Award winner. The STEMI award is part of the American Heart Association’s The Mission: Lifeline Recognition Program who acknowledges STEMI Systems, or EMS, Referring Centers and Receiving Centers, for their efforts to improve quality of care for STEMI patients. Silver is the highest award an organization can receive in the first application year.
- Escambia County EMS Services was also recently selected as a 2016 Florida Excellence Awards Best Practices winner for the implementation of a customer satisfaction survey process in which recently transported EMS patients are contacted by telephone asking them for feedback on the quality of the care provided. The information enabled them to measure patient satisfaction, engagement and loyalty.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Reimagine Century 2016 Set For Saturday
May 16, 2016
The third Reimagine Century will be held next Saturday.
Community agencies, businesses, churches and others will come together on Saturday, May 16 to help the needy in Century and surrounding areas. Activities planned include a food giveaway, clothing giveaway, free haircuts and manicures, free laundry detergent and much more.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. until 2p.m. at 440 East Hecker Road. All activities are free.
NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Crews Work To Uncover History Of Old Muscogee Cemetery
May 15, 2016
Using trimmers and saws and a lot of brute force yanking on vines, a team of Gulf Power volunteers from Plant Crist and Environmental Affairs carved a path into a patch of densely overgrown woods to uncover a section of the Old Muscogee Cemetery, forgotten by society and families alike.
At the same time, a smaller group fanned out to collect garbage — a whopping one ton of discarded fuel tanks, a broken toilet, paint cans, tires, clothes, a cooking pot, drink cans and pounds and pounds of beer bottles.
“My bachelor’s degree is in environmental, so I feel a strong sense of responsibility when it comes to participating in stewardship events,” she said. “But it’s really sad that people who come here have to look at so much trash when they visit their loved ones. Not only is it sacrilegious to pollute hallowed ground, but it’s also extremely thoughtless and cruel when the Perdido Landfill is literally five minutes away.”
The cleanup was a partnership between Gulf Power Environmental Stewardship and Northwest Florida Water Management District to help begin restoration of the late 1800s cemetery, located a stone’s throw from the Perdido River in west Cantonment.
Steve Brown, senior land manager for the Water Management District, said it would have taken him and his three-member team weeks to do what 18 Gulf Power volunteers did in half a day.
“This has been a project we’ve wanted to do for some time, but it’s very sensitive,” he said of the fragile condition of the historic gravesite. “We can’t go in with large equipment. The only way to do the brushing back and clearing out is to use hand labor. It’s tedious and labor-intensive. We are thrilled that Gulf Power employees came out to help with their expertise.”
Jeff Cole, who leads the Environmental Affairs Stewardship program, said the project was a great opportunity to help out the community.
“Cleaning up the cemetery is key for this area because a lot of historic sites in Northwest Florida are being lost to time and a lack of money and materials to get them restored,” he said. “When we can come out and help, it adds another shining star to the community and historic value of the region.”
By the end of the workday, the team revealed six headstones and numerous indentations that are believed to be unmarked or vandalized graves.
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Among the graves are three marked sites of the Owens family — Elise Owens, 1885-1961; Sam Owens – 1880-1957; and what may be a son or relative, Huston Owens, 1927-1962. Huston’s head stone indicated he served as a steward’s mate 2nd class in the United States Navy Reserve.
When volunteers carefully brushed away layers of decaying leaves from his cracked, concrete tomb, they discovered a weathered U.S. flag, dusted it off and gently draped it over his headstone.
As the cleared circumference expanded, a marble monument was released from saplings and vines. Deeper in the woods the small headstone of John Brown emerged from a thick blanket of decaying leaves with hard-to-read lettering that identifies him as a war veteran.
Monuments and marble headstones that still exist are testaments to the story of Muscogee, a once a thriving timber town-turned-ghost-town. Founded in 1857 it once boasted four mills, a school, post office, train depot and fire station before the lumber industry pulled up stakes and moved on.
Eventually, many of the estimated nearly 500 citizens moved on too, leaving behind their family plots.
About two decades ago, a citizens group began restoring the neglected white section of the cemetery but many of them passed on or become too old to do the work, according to local historian Helen Allen, who has championed the restoration of the cemetery.
At the time, with no apparent family members to tend to the black section, the woods reclaimed that land. And no one had any idea how many graves rested underneath the brush and vines.
Because of its location on the Perdido River, the Water Management District purchased the land encompassing the cemetery from International Paper Company in 2006 and took over maintenance.
