Firefighters, Nonprofit Pay Special Visit To Cantonment Girl Fighting Rare Kidney Cancer
September 25, 2022
Escambia County Fire Rescue and Guardians of the Ribbon – Lower Alabama Chapter recently paid a special visit to the home of Natalee Hoffman in Cantonment.
Natalee is battling a rare kidney cancer called Wilm’s tumor on her left kidney.
Engine 4 and crew from the Cantonment Fire Station took part in the event.
The nonprofit Guardians of The Ribbon use a pink fire truck to spread word of their awareness campaign for women as they fight cancer.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Why Not Just Cook S’mores In A Solar Oven? These Bratt Fourth Graders Did.
September 23, 2022
When it’s a hot day in Florida, why not just cook s’mores in a solar oven? Fourth grade students at Bratt Elementary School did.
They constructed solar ovens and successfully cooked s’mores outside, all in the name of STEM (science, technology, engineer and math) education.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Registration Underway For Tri-City Children’s Choir
September 21, 2022
Registration is underway for the second season of the Tri-City Children’s Choir (TCCC), a regional initiative of the Pensacola Children’s Chorus.
TCCC welcomes young singers in grades 1-6 who reside in Century, Flomaton, Jay and the surrounding areas.
The choir will one again be under the direction of Holley Driver, a Century-based music teacher.
Singers will meet weekly on Thursdays from 4:30 until 5:15 p.m from October 6 to December 15 at Century First United Methodist Church, 530 Church Street. A performance is scheduled for December 16. TCCC is a tuition-based program and costs from $15 to $65 per week. Families may choose the weekly amount that works best for their household finances, and scholarships are also available.
For more information on joining the choir, or make a contribution, visit www.tricitychoir.org.
Driver directed the TCCC during their first season this past spring. She taught music in the Escambia County School District for over 15 years, served as the choral director at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Molino for nine years, and teaches in her own studio.
If you need more information, call Driver at (850) 324-6182.
Pictured: A May 2022 by the Tri-City Children’s Choir. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Sneak Peek: Planting Thanksgiving Dinner For 1,000 Needy Families
September 19, 2022
Every November, NorthEscambia.com takes you to Farm City Week, and this year we are giving you an early sneak peak.
During Farm City Week, a couple of hundred or so student volunteers from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties work for a day in the fields near Jay to harvest collards, bag sweet potatoes, and more that will feed needy families at Thanksgiving.
Recently, the University of Florida’s West Florida Research and Education Center in Jay planted collards donated by Wendt Farm and Nursery. They collards will be ready just in time to harvest for Thanksgiving meals for about 1,000 families in partnership with Feeding the Gulf Coast and Waterfront Rescue Mission.
At the bottom of the page, you can see the harvested collards in 2021.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ascend Contributes $50,000 To College Scholarship Endowment
September 14, 2022
Ascend Performance Materials’ Cantonment site has announced a $50,000 contribution to an endowment established by former employees from Monsanto and Solutia.
Income from the endowment will be given in the form of scholarships to support students who have demonstrated an interest in the fields of chemical engineering or healthcare, who have shown a devotion to academics, and who have a need for financial support. Preference will also be given to students who have an association with Monsanto, Solutia or Ascend and to current Ascend employees attending college to enhance their job skills.
“Our Cantonment site has been a proud member of the Pensacola and surrounding community for over 50 years. Generations of families have built their careers here. The Ascend-Monsanto-Solutia Endowed Scholarship gives us a chance to support the next legacy of employees,” said Matthew Stewart, senior site director at Ascend’s Cantonment site.
The endowment was established in 2019 by a group of retired employees from Monsanto and Solutia, the companies who owned and operated the Cantonment site from 1953 until 2009. Ascend purchased Solutia’s nylon assets in 2009 and continues to operate the Cantonment site today.
The endowment contribution matches that of the initial funding amount from the group in 2019.
The Solutia/Ascend college endowment is open for additional contributions which can help the funds grow. Anyone wishing to make such a contribution should contact the Pensacola State College Foundation and request information for the Ascend-Monsanto-Solutia Endowed Scholarship.
The Chemstrand, Monsanto and Solutia companies grew here and have greatly contributed to our community. That growth was done hand-in-hand with Pensacola Junior College/Pensacola State College. Our organization wants to leave a legacy of support to the students at PSC, in recognition of our long relationship with the college,” said Gerald McArthur, chairman, Association of Monsanto-Solutia Retirees.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Rotary Presents ‘Service Above Self’ Award To First Responder Craig Ammons
September 2, 2022
The Rotary Club of Cantonment has presented their “Service Above Self Award” to first responder Craig Ammons.
In December, Ammons retired as a captain for Escambia County Fire Rescue after 36 years. He took just six weeks off before continuing his 42-year safety career by going to work as a paramedic with Lifeguard Ambulance Service in Santa Rosa County,
Ammons began his career with Escambia County as a paramedic in 1985 and moved to the fire department in 2000 where he began as a firefighter and worked his way through the ranks to captain.
During his career with Escambia County, he worked through emergencies that included hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms, floods, the oil spill, the recent pandemic and more.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
The Buzz: Bees Swarm At Beulah Middle School
August 31, 2022
The Beulah Middle School campus was abuzz Tuesday after a swarm of bees was discovered.
BMS tech coordinator Laura Lee discovered the bee swarm on a tree branch in the courtyard outside her window.
Joan Strickland from Urban Farmer Supplies beekeeping in Molino and Beulah Middle agriscience teacher Charlotte Davis suited up and went to work. They carefully harvested the bees and lowered them in a nuc — that’s a smaller version of the traditional wooden beehive. The bees were not happy with the move and flew to the next tree.
Strickland and Davis captured the queen and placed her in the beehive where she was joined by the swarm.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia County Native Serving Navy In Nuclear Deterrence Mission
August 29, 2022
An Escambia County native native is serving in the U.S. Navy as part of the nation’s nuclear deterrence mission at Strategic Communications Wing One (STRATCOMMWING ONE). Its TACAMO (“Take Charge and Move Out”) mission provides airborne communication links to nuclear missile units of U.S. Strategic Command.
Petty Officer 1st Class Crystal Moody joined the Navy six years ago.
“I joined the Navy for a better life,” said Moody. “I also joined for the financial security the military provides.”
Today, Moody serves as an aviation maintenance administrationman.
“My favorite thing about my job is that I get to work with people from many different backgrounds,” said Moody. “I also get to travel to a lot of places, which I love.”
Growing up in Pensacola, Moody attended Pine Forest High School and graduated in 2010,
“I am thankful for the NJROTC program at Pine Forest High School,” said Moody. “The leadership there is what started me on this journey and gave me a passion for the Navy.”
Now, Moody uses skills and values similar to those found in Pensacola to succeed in the Navy.
“My hometown taught me to have respect for the people I work with,” said Moody. “That has carried me a long way in my career. I also learned that we all come from different backgrounds. We all have different dreams and goals, but we’re all trying to accomplish the same mission.”
The Navy’s presence aboard an Air Force base in the middle of America may seem like an odd location given its distance from any ocean; however, the central location allows for the deployment of aircraft to both coasts and the Gulf of Mexico on a moment’s notice. This quick response is key to the success of the nuclear deterrence mission.
The Navy command consists of a Wing staff, the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training, and three Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadrons: The “Ironmen” of VQ 3, the “Shadows” of VQ 4 and the “Roughnecks” of VQ 7.
STRATCOMMWING One employs more than 1,300 active-duty sailors and 100 contractors to provide maintenance, security, operations, administration, training and logistic support for the Boeing E-6 Mercury aircraft fleet, an airborne command post and communications relay based on the Boeing 707.
Their mission stems from the original 1961 Cold War order known as ‘Take Charge and Move Out!’ Adapted as TACAMO and now the command’s nickname, the men and women of TACAMO continue to provide a survivable communication link between national decision makers and the nation’s nuclear weapons.
The commander-in-chief issues orders to members of the military who operate nuclear weapons aboard submarines, aircraft or in land-based missile silos. Sailors aboard TACAMO E-6 Mercury aircraft provide the one-of-a-kind and most-survivable communication needed for this critical mission.
With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.
Serving in the Navy means Moody is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“The Navy is important to the National Defense Strategy because we are a show of force around the world,” said Moody.
Moody and the sailors they serve with have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service.
“My proudest Navy accomplishment has been being named Sailor of the Year in 2021,” said Moody.
As Moody and other sailors continue to perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.
“For me, serving in the Navy is a sense of pride,” added Moody. “I feel good about how I contribute and give back. It’s really a sense of pride for me. I love it.”
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anna-Liesa Hussey for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Brenda Kahalley Of Molino Celebrates 40 Years At City Of Pensacola
August 27, 2022
The City of Pensacola recently celebrated the service anniversaries of several employees, including Brenda Kahalley of Molino. Kahalley is celebrating her 40th anniversary in the city’s Technology Resources department. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Hero In The Classroom: Beulah Middle Teacher Saves Life Of Choking Student
August 26, 2022
A Beulah Middle School teacher is being called a hero after she saved one of her students that was choking on a piece of candy Thursday.
Agriculture teacher Leanne Jenkins said she just did what anyone else would have done.
“A precious little girl in my class went to answer a question I had asked, and she swallowed a piece of candy that was in her mouth,” said Jenkins, who was the 2022 Florida FFA Teacher of the Year. ”I immediately could tell she was in trouble. She grabbed her neck, and I knew then that she couldn’t breathe. I started the Heimlich and we got it unlodged pretty quickly.”
Jenkins said she and the entire class were shaken by the incident, but her Beulah Middle students were simply amazing.
“They were quiet, supportive, and someone immediately ran for help.” The student who choked was whisked away by the school nurse and is doing fine.
Jenkins and her husband took a CPR class about a decade ago when they were house parents at a children’s home. She didn’t think she could ever remember the information from the course, but it all came flooding back Thursday.
“I am thankful that the Lord had me right where I needed to be at that moment,” she said.
Pictured above: Beulah Middle School’s Leanne Jenkins was named Florida’s 2022 FFA Advisor of the Year last June at the state FFA convention in Orlando. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.