Byrneville 5th Graders Hit New Orleans (With Gallery)
May 29, 2012
Fifth grade students at Byrneville Elementary took their annual fifth grade trip to New Orleans recently.
The students visited the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, saw an IMAX movie, rode a trolley and toured New Orleans.
For a photo gallery from the trip, click here.
Pictured: The Byrneville Elementary School fifth grade trip to New Orleans. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Ernest Ward Football Car (And Tractor) Wash
May 29, 2012
The Ernest Ward Middle School 2012 football team held a fundraising car wash at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Molino on Saturday.
Organizers offered their thanks to the church, as well as the community that supported the event and purchased tickets in advance. The car wash, which also included tractors, was organized by EWMS Coach Jeremy Greenwell to purchase needed equipment and supplies for the upcoming season.
Pictured: Ernest Ward Middle held a fundraising car wash Saturday at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Molino. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Class Of 2012 Holds Baccalaureate Service (With Photo Gallery And Video)
May 28, 2012
The Northview High School Class of 2012 held their Baccalaureate service Sunday afternoon at the First Baptist Church of Bratt.
“Pray to withstand the temptations of life,” senior Savannah Singleton told her class members. “No matter what we do in life, we need to keep God in focus.”
Bro. Tim Hawsey of the First Baptist Church of Bratt echoed the need for the seniors to stay focused on the right things in life, including the Bible.
“The Bible is the most important book,” Hawsey said. “He wants you to know it, he wants you to apply it to your life.” Hawsey also offered words of encouragement for the future for the graduating seniors.
“God has a dream for you; God’s dream may no be the same dream you have for yourself,” Hawsey said. “There’s no greater calling that serving God wherever you are.”
For more photos from the Baccalaureate service, click here.
For a video of the Senior Ensemble performance of “White Flag”, click here.
Music for the service was provided by the Northview Senior Ensemble, including Austin Albritton, Taylor Dukes, Tyler Hester, Caleb Leonard, Blake Luker, Lauren McCall, Charleigh McPherson, Melissa Moretz, Abby Odom, Alex Payne, Darwin Robin, Savannah Singleton, Charla Stark, Mallory Turner and Elizabeth Wright.
Graduation for the Northview High School Class of 2012 will be at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 2 at the school.
Pictured top: Abby Odom (center) sings a solo during a Senior Ensemble performance of ” I Stand Amazed”, surround by (L-R) Taylor Dukes, Lauren McCall, Charleigh McPherson and Lisa Mortez. Pictured inset: Senior Savannah Singleton reads her favorite scripture to her classmates. Pictured below: A hundred people attended the service at the First Baptist Church of Bratt. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Recipes: Flavorful, Festive and Fun Memorial Day
May 28, 2012
Memorial Day is often synonymous with a backyard barbecue to kick start the summer. As you celebrate this holiday weekend, have a delicious, grill-inspired meal ready in 45 minutes or less with these fun, flavorful recipe ideas.
With mouthwatering grilled beef, high-quality ingredients like canned tomatoes and bold bursts of flavor from lime juice, chimichurri and barbecue sauces, your Memorial Day menu is sure to be a memorable hit.
Get your grill sizzling with recipes like Lime-Marinated Flank Steak with Stuffed Poblano Peppers and Chimichurri Steak Wraps. And don’t forget a refreshing salad to complete your grilling holiday menu. Spicy Barley and Black Bean Salad is a fast option with a flavorful twist – perfect for your Memorial Day table.
(Scroll down to see all three recipes)
Ingredients
- 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Ro*Tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
- 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 beef flank steak (about 1-1/2 pounds)
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 can (15 ounces) reduced-sodium or regular black beans, drained and rinsed
- 6 medium poblano chili peppers (about 4 inches long)
Toppings
- Toasted shelled pepitas (pumpkin seeds), crumbled queso frescos and lime wedges (optional)
Preparation
- Drain tomatoes, reserving juice for marinade. Set aside diced tomatoes with green chiles.
- Combine reserved tomato juice, 1/2 cup cilantro, lime juice and olive oil in medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate 1/3 cup marinade for rice. Place beef steak and remaining marinade in food-safe plastic bag; turn steak to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning occasionally.
- Combine rice, reserved 1/3 cup marinade, diced tomatoes, black beans and remaining 1/4 cup cilantro in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Set aside.
- Cut slit lengthwise down 1 side of each poblano pepper to create pocket, leaving stem and tip intact. Make another small crosswise cut just below the stem to form T-shaped opening. Remove and discard seeds and membranes, being careful to keep peppers intact. Spoon rice mixture evenly into peppers. Wrap each tightly in aluminum foil to seal.
- Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Place steak in center grid over medium, ash-covered coals; arrange peppers around steak. Grill steak, covered, 11 to 16 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill 16 to 21 minutes) for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally. Grill peppers, covered, 25 to 30 minutes (20 to 25 minutes on gas grill) or until peppers are tender and filling is heated through, turning occasionally.
- Carve steak across grain into thin slices. Remove peppers from foil. Serve peppers with steaks and toppings as desired.
Serves
Makes 6 servings
Total Time:
45 to 50 minutes
Marinate Time:
6 hours to overnight
Ingredients
Chimichurri Sauce
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Steak Wraps
- 4 medium whole wheat tortillas (8 to 10-inch diameter)
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 large red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 12 ounces grilled beef steak, cut into slices
Preparation
- Place parsley and garlic in food processor or blender container. Cover; process until finely chopped. Add oil, vinegar and salt; process just until blended.
- Spread each tortilla evenly with Chimichurri Sauce, leaving 1/4-inch border around edge. Top with equal amounts spinach, bell pepper slices and beef slices on top two-thirds of tortilla. Fold bottom of tortilla up over filling. Fold right and left sides to center overlapping edges; secure with wooden picks; if desired.
Serves
Makes 4 servings
Total Time:
15 to 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup quick cook barley, uncooked
- 1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 can (15 ounces each) whole black beans, drained, rinsed
- 2 cans (10 ounces each) Ro*Tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions, white and green parts
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
Preparation
- Cook barley according to package directions; drain if necessary. Place barley in large bowl.
- Add corn, garlic salt and pepper; toss to combine. Add black beans, drained tomatoes and onions.
- Sprinkle with cheese just before serving.
Serves
Makes 4 servings (1-1/2 cups each)
Total Time:
25 minutes
Ernest Ward Holds Spring Band And Chorus Concert
May 27, 2012
The annual Ernest Ward Middle School Band and Chorus Spring Concert was held last week at the Walnut Hill Community Center. Attendees enjoyed musical selections from each group along with a spaghetti supper. Submitted photos by Matt Brook for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Is Your Church Having VBS?
May 27, 2012
Now is the time to submit your Vacation Bible School announcements to NorthEscambia.com so that we can include them on our events page and let everyone know.
Email your VBS event details to: news@northescambia.com
Please try to submit your information as far in advance as possible.
Escambia Marine’s Latest Mission: Selling Baby Gates
May 27, 2012
An Escambia County Marine knew he wanted an online business but did not know what product he would sell until his wife became pregnant. Venturing into the business of selling baby gates was the last thing on his mind until 30-year old Staff Sergeant Larry Griffin discovered that he was going to become a father.
Baby gates is quite an unusual business for someone who is considered the “The Few, The Proud”.
“It’s amazing how soft even the toughest men can get when you bring a child in this world,” SSgt Griffin said.
Griffin, a Texas native now stationed in Pensacola, enlisted into the United States Marine Corps in 2000 as an F/A-18 avionics technician. He’s been all over the world to include a tour in Iraq in support of the Global War on Terror, and several trips to the Western Pacific. Griffin said he dedicated and very loyal to the Marine Corps but realized that he won’t be in the Corp forever. His settled on the ultimate goal after the Corps to work for himself and become a business owner.
“I’ve always wanted to own my own business,” he said. “I don’t want to work hard for earned income. I would rather work hard for passive income.”
After marrying his wife in 2009, Griffin began educating himself on business and entrepreneurship in preparation for life outside of the Corps. He read books and watched videos until one day he came across an opportunity to put his plan into action. He suddenly became a student for a company that was going to teach him everything he needed to know about internet marketing. This is when he decided he was going to build a website around a product and run an online store. He had no idea what he was going to sell, nor was he prepared for the news he was about to receive.
After learning that his wife was pregnant with their first child, SSgt Griffin felt a sense of urgency to find something to sell on his future online store. It had to be something in demand, yet something easy to market.
“I was spending a ton of time trying to figure out the perfect product to sell. Finally, after my wife got pregnant, it just hit me… baby gates,” SSgt Griffin said. “I was looking for something in relatively high demand. People are always going to have children and be concerned about their safety, so I figured my focus would be providing baby gates to parents.”
With no prior experience with building a website, SSgt Griffin began to put the training to work. Ultimately, after hard work and dedication, he created the BabyGatesGalore website.
“My website offers a much larger variety than the average department store, at equally competitive prices. It carries only the highest quality, trusted names in baby gates,” he said.
A limited time discount is currently being offered on his BabyGatesGalore.com website by entering the text “family discount” at checkout, he said.
Featured Recipe: Bold Burger Stars During Grilling Season
May 27, 2012
Today’s featured recipe from food writer Janet Tharpe is a bold burger with kicked up toppings.
Birth: Wyatt Dewayne Johnson
May 27, 2012
Halee’s Story: Tate Junior Battling Rare Cancer
May 25, 2012
About a month ago, Tate High School junior Halee Boyd was on top of the world….recently named next year’s Beta Club president, involved with the Interact Club and looking forward to graduation just a year away.
But now, she likely won’t be at graduation with her friends at Tate next year, as she battles Alevola Rhabdomyosarcoma , ARMS for short, a rare cancer of the muscles that are attached to the bones. There are only a few hundred new cases per year in the U.S.
Today, as Tate’s seniors celebrate with their annual senior breakfast and preparations for graduation, Halee is facing a blood transfusion at Shands Children’s Hospital at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
“A month ago we were in my living room watching ‘How I Met Your Mother’ on Netflix and tonight we are waiting for a blood transfusion,” Halee’s mother Mardi Boyd said Thursday night. “No matter how I try, I just can’t seem to wrap my mind around that.”
In April, Halee started having severe headaches, followed by blurry and double vision. Within 10 days her right eye was swollen, and the Boyds headed to a hospital emergency room. On April 29, they learned she had a tumor.
“It is still hard to hear myself say that she has cancer, the words catch in my throat and tears well up in my eyes and my heart stops. It’s not that it’s affected my life so much; it’s that from April 29, 2012, her life changed so drastically in a hallway in an emergency department,” Mardi said.
Besides facing and battling the cancer, the big change for Halee, 17, has been not being in school at Tate.
“I miss being in my classes and my teachers and being surrounded by my Tate family, being social and going to events,” Halee said from Shands Children’s Hospital. “I love my school and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“I miss my friends, being able to see them every day and talking to them. I miss going out with them, but most of all I miss them being normal because now that I have cancer everything feels different.”
The rare cancer calls for extensive treatments. She will have eight solid weeks of combined radiation and chemo at Shands in Gainesville. After her initial treatments at Shands, she will head home to Pensacola for a couple of weeks for “smaller” treatments before heading back to Gainesville for more aggressive treatments.
“I think it is just surreal,” Mardi said, three and half weeks into the treatment regime. “It all seems like a bad dream, I just get up each day and get through it and lean on my faith in God. I have been through some things in life that were bad, but those all made me strong enough to face this. Halee is incredibly strong and we are able to feed off of that.”
Faith has also played a role in the family’s strength.
“The only one who saw this coming was God. While I know He has all the answers, waiting for those to be given to us is another challenge in itself,” Mardi said.
Halee is ready to be back with her Tate family.
“I miss my friends, being able to see them every day and talking to them. I miss going out with them, but most of all I miss them being normal because now that I have cancer everything feels different,” Halee said. “I look forward to going back to school and being able to do normal things that I’m not allowed to do like going to the movies and to the mall, but mostly just going back to school. I’m in my element at school, that’s my joy, I was getting straight A’s and it’s the thing I enjoy the most.”
Halee does not currently have health insurance. Donations are also being accepted for Halee through the family’s church, Heritage Baptist Church, 3065 Highway 297A, Cantonment, (850) 478-3316.
Pictured: Tate High School junior Halee Boyd. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.