Escambia County’s Top Seniors Are Honored
April 26, 2013
The Escambia County Public Schools Foundation honored the top of the Class of 2013 during the Senior Academic Awards Thursday night. Eighty-eight of Escambia County’s high school seniors were selected as recipients of the 2013 Senior Academic Awards and will be honored for their academic achievement during a banquet at New World Landing .
Honorees include the top five students in each graduating class, as well as one student from each of the following disciplines: Career & Technical, English, Foreign Language, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
Escambia County’s National Merit Finalists and National Achievement Finalists will also be honored.
Honored Thursday night were:
Northview High School: Top Five – Hannah E. Fiellin, Jazzlyn Franklin, La’Derious Franklin, Justin Lance Halteman, Winston Riley; Subject Areas – Jessica Baldwin, Career & Technical; Tyler Roley, English; Maranda Moye, Foreign Language; Timothy W. Rackard II, Math; Talia Syria, Science; Zach Johnson, Social Studies
Escambia High School: Top Five – Lauren C. Cabrera, Sarah P. Potter, Johnie E. Sublett, Amanda L. Tonnaer, Kelsey M. Wood; Subject Areas – Dominic Eaton, Career & Technical; Elaina M. Keyes, English; Regan M. Juras, Foreign Language; Philip L. Adams, Math; Jaycee G. Palang, Science; Miranda K. Martin, Social Studies
Tate High School: Top Five – Alonna Simone Chastang, Jordan Noelle McGowan, Kelsey Marie Potoczek, Amy Elizabeth Sapp, Travis Lee Walton; Subject Areas – Chase Edward Green, Career & Technical; Hannah Marie Malone, English; Wes Jiang Chu, Foreign Language; Ryan Edward LaVoie, Math; Amanda Margaret Finger, Science; Andrew Seth Belt, Social Studies
Pine Forest High School: Top Five – Serena Bishop, Tawney Moylan, Haley McMillian, Danny Bao Phu, Spencer Simpson; Subject Areas – Leah Shank, Career & Technical; Rachel Moore, English; Harmony Lu Matson, Foreign Language; Rachel Muñoz, Math; Trevor Pulliam, Science; Emily Lockard, Social Studies
West Florida High School: Top Five – Caymen Barlow, Jennifer G. Clements, Alexander K. Dinelli, Lauren Elaine Meadors, Samantha Richardson; Kevin Le, Career & Technical; Natalie Allgyer, English; Jake Breeden, Foreign Language; Jakob Breidenbaugh, Math; Alexandra Organt, Science; Roberta Renee Skinner, Social Studies
Pensacola High School: Top Five - Michelle Bellanova, Madison Berner, Jasmine Bradstreet, Catherine Jorgensen, Jiwon Kim; Subject Areas – Victoria Jasmine Freeman, Career and Technical; Son Kim Truong, English; Nyoka Sarai Hicks, Foreign Language; Hailey Victoria Daigle, Math; Reem Alshaher, Science; Kaleb B. Kelsoe, Social Studies
Pensacola High School IB Program: Top Five – Emily Busse, Nicholas Gupta, Preeyal Gupta, Rhiana C. Simon, Olivia Warren; Subject Areas – Cameron Abney, Career & Technical; Carolyn Elise Hamilton, English; Nolan Danley, Foreign Language; Joal Swindells, Math; Andreas B. Dias, Science; Alexandra Rae Hunt, Social Studies
Washington High School: Top Five – Analeis Bain, Elise Griffin, Brady Kirby, Payton Kotlarz, Robert Turnage; Subject Areas – Michael Huang, Career & Technical; Destiny Williams, English; Nora Fanfalone, Foreign Language; Sarah Eleanor Louise Tucker, Math; Katherine Varnson, Science; Phi-Viet Van Phan, Social Studies
National Merit Finalists: Pensacola High IB Program – Nicholas Gupta; Tate High School – Andrew Belt
National Achievement Finalists: Pensacola High IB Program – Jalen A. Benson, Hannibal A. Brooks, Malcolm E. Brooks
The Academic Awards are sponsored by Bob and Sharon Kerrigan.
Pictured top: Northview seniors (L-R) Hannah Fiellin, Jazzlyn Franklin, La’Derious Franklin, Jessica Baldwin, Tyler Roley, Maranda Moye, Timothy Rackard II, Zach Johnson, Superintendent Malcolm Thomas, and Northview Assistant Principal Gerry Pippins. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ransom Knights Chess Team Recognized For National Ranking
April 24, 2013
The Ransom Knights chess team was recognized Tuesday night by the Escambia County School Board for their national ranking.
Four of the the Knights — Devon High, Nicholas ZaBelle, Joshua Moody and Rodriguez Smith — placed third in the nation in the Supernationals V Scholastic Chess Tournament in Nashville. With 5,335 students competing, it was largest chess competition in history.
“This is the first time in the history of the Escambia School District that we have had a chess team come back nationally ranked,” Escambia County School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said. Thomas presented the entire Knights team with their trophy Tuesday night.
“I want each of you to look up there at those young men, courageous men,” an emotional chess team sponsor John Lowe told the school board. “This is the proudest moment of my career.”
Lowe said the board should investigate avenues to fund chess clubs in all schools because it appeals to all demographics regardless of ability. As an example, he said a highly autistic student that was unable to control himself transferred into his class.
“I sat him across a chess board, showed him how to play. And now he behaves,” Lowe said. “He does his work, because at the end of the week, he knows he gets to play me in chess,.”
Members of the Ransom Knight chess team are Devon High, Shacorey Moss, Nick Zabelle, Connor Stuckey, Ryan Carty, Dillan Frisbie, Joshua Moody, Devin Searcy, Tristan Taylor, Rodriquez Smith, Travis King, Dawson Margeson, Zachary Donaldson, Isaiah Hansen, Johnathan Hendren and Paul Ashton.
High is currently ranked 19th in the nation, while Zabelle is ranked 20th.
Pictured top: Ransom Knights sponsor John Lowe with team members at Tuesday night’s Escambia County School Board meeting. Pictured inset: Superintendent Malcolm Thomas (right) and board member Bill Slayton presented the group’s trophy. Pictured below: The Ransom Knights chess team. Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Park Raises $1,028 With Math-A-Thon For St. Jude
April 24, 2013
About 40 first and fourth grade students at Molino Park Elementary School recently took part in the St. Jude Math-A-Thon.
Students were asked to complete a workbook full of math problems and collect pledges from sponsors. The school worked to make sure that every student that completed a workbook had a sponsor — including some faculty and staff teaming up to sponsor some students.
The event raised a total of $$1028.91 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“The students learned more than math problems,” said Molino Park first grade teacher Angie Bodiford. “They learned a valuable lesson of giving.”
This was the first year Molino Park had participated in the fund raiser.
Pictured: Molino Park first grade student Matthew Dix works on Math-A-Thon problems. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Billy G. Ward Courthouse Receives ‘Community Pride’ Award
April 24, 2013
The Century Chamber of Commerce’s Community Pride Award for April has been presented to the county’s Billy G. Ward Courthouse and Clerk of the Circuit Court’s Office at 7500 North Century Boulevard. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Volunteers Clean Up At Panhandle Equine Rescue
April 23, 2013
About two dozen volunteers spent part of their weekend cleaning up around the Panhandle Equine Rescue facilities in Cantonment.
The volunteers worked to clear an area in preparation for perimeter fencing at the facility. Volunteers included: Jay Birdsong, Matt Weber, Mike and Travis Wilson, Marty Luttrell, Ashley, Shannon, Madi and Kaeli Ann Josey, Ricky and Shelby Lowery, Pam Perry, Molly Edwards, Julianna Horn, Jonathon Pitts, Jim and Joyce Gill, Shana Gavlas, Nicole Eagle and Linda Lambert.
The only horse rescue in Escambia County, Panhandle Equine Rescue was recently certified by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Man Runs 9/11 Memorial 5K In New York City
April 22, 2013
Runners from across the world — including one local man — honored the Boston Marathon victims while remembering the tragedy of 9/11 during a 5K run Sunday in New York City.
Jerry Sanders of Century joined about 3,000 runners and walkers in the 9/11 Memorial 5K run and walk, a untimed fundraiser for the yet to be opened 9/11 Memorial Museum. The event started at Pier 57 and continued 3.1 miles to the World Trade Center.
But the finish line was not the end of the race for Sanders.
“I could not stop,” Sanders said in an email Sunday evening. “Completed the 5K then walked around the city for over 4 hours waving my flag and meeting people. I (my flag) sure was popular! I could not count the people that wanted their pic taken with me.”
Along the way, someone noticed Sander’s “Marines” hat, confirmed that he was a Marine, and led the crowd in the Marine Corp Hymn.
“They sang while I choked back tears, as I was fighting tears from the start,” he said. “Such great people New Yorkers.”
At the finish, a lady approached Sanders and asked why he was carrying the flag, and he explained it was memory of the 9/11 victims and their families. She said her husband had been killed in the North Tower collapse. She asked Sanders if he would meet her husband, and he accompanied her to the site of the north tower where she pointed out her husband’s name on the memorial, rubbing her hand across his name.
“That did it for me,” Sanders said. “I could not talk, only hug her.”
“Words just won’t do,” he said, calling the day an experience of a lifetime.
Pictured: Jerry Sanders of Century carried his American flag as he completed the 9/11 Memorial 5K run and walk Sunday in New York Century. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
University of Alabama Wins National Poetry Championship; Cantonment Resident Places
April 21, 2013
The University of Alabama has brought home another national championship trophy, while a Cantonment native also placed nationally.
Tuscaloosa native Thaddeus Fitzpatrick won first place in Poetry Interpretation at the American Forensic Association-National Individual Events Tournament this month and also finished ninth in the individual sweepstakes out of 198 total students. It marked back-to-back championships for Fitzpatrick, who was national champion in prose interpretation in 2012.
Fitzpatrick’s performance led the Alabama Forensic Council, UA’s speech and debate team, to a fifth place national finish. Junior Collin Metcalf, a gradate of Tate High School, is a member of the team, which placed in the top five for the first time since 2006.
Metcalf placed fourth in Extemporaneous Speaking and ninth place in Impromptu Speaking.
Full results are listed below:
5th Place Team Sweepstakes
Thaddeus Fitzpatrick, senior, Tuscaloosa
National champion, Poetry Interpretation
9th Place Individual Sweepstakes
4th place, Prose Interpretation (finalist)
8th place, Dramatic Interpretation
(semi-finalist)
17th place, Duo Interpretation with Taylor McDonald
Kalyn Lee, freshman, Hoover
19th place, Persuasive Speaking (quarter-finalist)
Collin Metcalf, junior, Cantonment
4th place Extemporaneous Speaking (finalist)
9th place, Impromptu Speaking
(semi-finalist)
Davis Vaughn, junior, Montgomery
19th place, Extemporaneous Speaking
(quarter-finalist)
15th place, Persuasive Speaking (quarter-finalist)
Kevin Pabst, junior, Niceville,
19th place, Communication Analysis (quarter-finalist)
Taylor McDonald, senior, Prattville
4th place, Dramatic Interpretation (finalist)
7th place, Prose Interpretation
(semi-finalist)
17th place, Duo Interpretation with Thaddeus Fitzpatrick (quarter-finalist)
Volunteers Clean Up Barrineau Park For Earth Day
April 21, 2013
The Barrineau Park community is just a little bit nicer , thanks a volunteer cleanup effort Saturday for Earth Day involving the Honeysuckle Garden Club, Barrineau Park Historical Society, Barrineau Park 4-H, and Clean and Green of Escambia County.
After doughnuts provided by Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry, volunteers fanned out across the community, working through the morning collecting trash from the roadsides. The volunteers were then treated to lunch by the Barrineau Park Historical Society.
Pictured: Members of the Barrineau Park 4-H Club picked up trash along Molino Road Saturday morning as part of a Barrineau Park community cleanup. Submitted photos by Sarah-Jane Conti for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Gohagan, Bell To Wed
April 21, 2013
Steven Andrew Bell and Carlee Alexandria Gohagan are pleased to announce their engagement and forthcoming marriage.
The bride-elect is the daughter of Larry (Kambi) Gohagan and Candy (Josh) Stuckey. She is the granddaughter of Regina Gohagan and the late Lawrence Gohagan Sr, and J.C. and Leitha Marshall, all of Atmore, Alabama. She is the great-granddaughter of Mattie Ruth Bailey of Canoe, AL.
The prospective groom is the son of Steven and Paula Bell. He is the grandson of Roscoe and Tommie Bell, and Wayne and Brenda Bell, all of Flomaton.
Carlee is a 2011 graduate of Flomaton High School. She is a current student at Reid State Technical College.
Andrew is a 2004 graduate of Flomaton High School and a 2006 graduate of Reid State. He is employed with SSAB Steele in Mobile.
The couple will exchange vows at 6 p.m., Saturday, April 27, 2013, at the Orange Beach Adult Center in Orange Beach, Alabama.
Northview’s Food For America Program Named Finalist For Best In Florida
April 19, 2013
Thursday, the Northview High FFA was named as one of five finalists for 2013 Fresh from Florida Advocacy Award.
Formerly known the Food for America program, this program is designed to encourage FFA members to participate in agricultural literacy and awareness projects on the local level.
The local Food for America Program, conducted by the Northview FFA in March, gave over 1,100 students a chance to learn about agriculture firsthand as they got up close and personal with farm animals, farm equipment and more. The students even had the opportunity to make their own butter and enjoy it on crackers.
Earlier in the year, members of the Northview High School FFA officer team visited several area elementary schools to read ag-related books to students.
The Northview High School FFA Food for America program has been honored as the No. 1 program in the state multiple times.
The overall chapter winner will be awarded on stage during the 6th General Session of the 85th Florida FFA State Convention on Thursday, June 13th, 2013 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando.
