Photo Gallery: Ernest Ward Drama Presents ‘The Bachelor King’

May 19, 2011

The Ernest Ward Middle School drama class performed their spring production The Bachelor King Tuesday night and Wednesday.

In the play, Queen Evian uses her dying words to pass succession to the throne to Yokel, a foolish hillbilly everyone agrees needs a wife to help him run the kingdom. Chaos and hilarity ensues as his staff brings in eligible young ladies to vie for the king’s hand.

For a photo gallery from Wednesday morning’s performance for the Ernest Ward student body, click here.

Cast members in the play were:

Queen Evian -Meagan Ogle
Prince Daft – Jacob Dunsford
Mr. Conroy—Kendral Langford
Hazel – Leann Fillingim
Fredericka Pilfer — Danielle Suggs
Miss Knolls—Katie Born
Lady Greensbrough —Kamryn Brock
Yokel—Trevor Levins
Mrs. Weaver—Abbie Johnson
Mrs. Priscilla  Tradewells Ayers Hollander Morley – Morgan Packer
Jane Claxton—Amber Freeman
Sally Valley — Harmoni Till
Kanisha — Megan Bryan
Miss Agatha Peabody —Liberty Peebles
Simon Towel—Julie Hester
Paula O’Toole—Aaliyah Creamer

Pictured top: Amber Freeman as Jane Claxton and Trevor Levins as Yokel. Pictured inset:  Katie Born as Miss Knolls. Bottom:  Megan Bryan (standing) as Kanisha gets the attention of Leann Fillingim (seated) as Hazel. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Century CI Donates To Pen Air, NorthEscambia Tornado Relief Effort

May 18, 2011

When they heard about a local drive to help tornado victims, the staff at Century Correctional Institution went to work to collect items to help. Tuesday, Century CI delivered their donations to Byrneville Elementary School, one of the drop-off locations for a tornado victim relief drive sponsored by Pen Air Federal Credit Union and NorthEscambia.com.  The donations at Byrneville, Molino Park and Bratt elementary schools, Ernest Ward Middle and Northview High will be transported to north Alabama later this week. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Northview Student, Businesses Honored For Ethics

May 18, 2011

Tuesday, the BBB of Northwest Florida presented its sixth annual Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics, Customer Service Excellence Award and Student Ethics Scholarships for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

The BBB also awarded three, $1,000 Student Ethics Scholarships each to Sarah Malinda Killam from Northview High School, Amber Briana Cotten from Pace High School and Sarah Renee Green from Pace High School. At Tuesday’s awards ceremony, the scholarship winners read their essay on character building, submitted as part of the application process.

The Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics was created to publicly recognize business and charities that insist on exceptionally high standards of behavior dealing with customers, vendors and employees.

This year, your BBB Foundation received several outstanding nominations. Island Realty of Pensacola Beach and the Santa Rosa County Chamber of Commerce both received Honorable Mentions for the Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.

The Torch Award winner for a small business, Medi-Weight Loss Clinics, was recognized for their values-based management. The Torch Award winner for a mid-sized, Sea Gallery Stores, plays an active role in the community and chamber of commerce to promote other businesses in the area.

The recipient of the Torch Award in the charity category goes to Gulf Coast Kid’s House. The non-profit provides child-friendly services, minimize trauma to affected families, and educate the community about child abuse.

The Customer Service Excellence Award honors an individual that goes above and beyond in their customer service activities.

BBB’s Customer Service Excellence Award winner, Gretchen Shields with Granny Nannies, was highly recommended by her both her boss and clients. Amber Wright, BBB Dispute Resolution Specialist, was also recognized with a Customer Service Excellence Award.

Pictured top: Sarah Killam of Northview High School accepts a $1,000 BBB Student Ethics Scholarship Tuesday. Pictured inset: Killam reads here essay on character building, which was required as part of the application process. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Weekend In 360 Photos

May 16, 2011

From two big Relay for Life events, to a Fairy Tale dance recital, to Art Day and FFA honors, our NorthEscambia.com cameras were there this weekend with over 360 photos from across the area.

Click any of the items below to read more and see the photo galleries.

Fairy Tales: Danceworks Students Present Annual Recital

May 15, 2011

Heather Leonard’s Danceworks students presented their annual recital “Fairy Tales” Saturday night at Flomaton High School.

For a photo gallery from the event, click here.

The Danceworks students are instructed weekly at the Byrneville Community Center by teachers Heather Leonard and Chelsea Golson, who coordinated each of Saturday night’s dances.

The program included:

  • Monster — Jalyn Bodiford, Morgan Digmon, Anna Fischer, Leah Fischer, Chelsea Golson, Karrie Gibson, Sarah Killam, Chloe Leonard, Jessica Lowery, Shelby Nielson
  • A Whole New World — Ella Wade Caraway, Carsyn Dortch, Maddiemae Driskell, Madalyn Grimes, Ava Gurganus, Berklee Hall, Daisy Davis-Johnson, Meredith Johnston, Reiley Morgan, Maggie Scott
  • Kingdom Dance, Choregraphy Heather Leonard — Anna Belle Barberree, Lana Harris, Allison Johnson, Olivia Porter, Delaney Reynolds
  • The Little Mermaid — Lola Capps, Marina Franklin, Emma Gilmore, Kaleigh Macks, Lillie McCall, Mary Rice, Gracie Stockstill, Aubrey Stuckey, Aleigh Thornton, Abby Weber
  • Escape from the Dragon — Bama Coburn, Jamison Janes, Ansleigh Maholovich, Kenna Redmond, Bailey VanPelt
  • Charlotte’s Web — Taylor Kearley, Elizabeth Sanders
  • Do You Believe in Magic — Anna Belle Barberree, Lana Harris, Allison Johnson, Olivia Porter
  • Hero — Chelsea Golson, Heather Leonard
  • You’ve Got a Friend in Me — Lola Capps, Marina Franklin, Emma Gilmore, Kaleigh Macks, Lillie McCall, Mary Rice, Gracie Stockstill, Aubrey Stuckey, Aleigh Thornton, Abby Weber
  • Something That I Want — Bama Coburn, Jamison Janes, Ansleigh Maholovich, Kenna Redmond, Bailey VanPelt
  • Ever Ever After — Anna Belle Barberree, Lana Harris, Allison Johnson, Olivia Porter
  • Ready — Jalyn Bodiford, Morgan Digmon, Anna Fischer, Leah Fischer, Karrie Gibson, Sarah Killam, Chloe Leonard, Jessica Lowery, Shelby Nielson

For a photo gallery from the event, click here.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Northview FFA Celebrates Annual Banquet

May 15, 2011

The Northview High School FFA held their 16th annual banquet  Friday night.

The event includes a somber ceremony for graduating seniors…they slowly remove their signature blue FFA jackets and hang them up for the last time on a coat rack. One at a time, the three graduating senior officers participated in the ceremony.  Allyson Bullard, Stephanie Solari and Allie Vidak removed their signature FFA blue jackets one by one, placing them on the coat rack.

For a photo gallery from the event, click here.

The night also included many awards for Northview and Ernest Ward Middle school FFA members and supporters.

Among those honored for their support of the FFA program were Henry Thompson, Eli Miller, Lou Vickery, Rikki Vidak and Jennifer Castor. The five were named honorary members of the Northview FFA.

Five companies were recognized as being Blue Jacket Jamboree Banner Sponsors — PIONEER-A Dupont Company, Escambia County Farm Bureau, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, NorthEscambia.com and the Pensacola Interstate Fair.

Some of the other awards presented included:

  • Blue/Gold Award: Brandon Chambless, Tyler Hester, Dillian Crutchfield
  • Outstanding Freshman/Star Greenhand: Courtney Solari
  • Outstanding Sophomore: Jessica Baldwin
  • Outstanding Junior: Lydia Weaver
  • Outstanding Seniors: Stephanie Solari and Allie Vidak
  • Leadership/All Officers: Lydia Weaver, Allie Vidak, Stephanie Solari, Allyson Bullard, Courtney Solari, Jessica Baldwin, Devin Bell
  • Dekalb Award: Stephanie Solari
  • High Point Award: Lydia Weaver

The new Northview FFA officers named for the 2011-2012 school year were: Lydia Weaver, president; Jessica Baldwin, vice president; Brandon Chambless, second vice president; Courtney Solari, secretary; Brittany Thompson, treasurer; Jeremy Stacey, reporter; and Dillan Crutchfield, sentinel.

For a photo gallery from the event, click here.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Ensley Graduates From FSU

May 15, 2011

Lauren Elizabeth Ensley, a 2007 graduate of Tate High School, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida State University in Tallahassee.

Ensley earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in psychology and criminology. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Psi Chi, and Phi Eta Sigma. She was a resident assistant while attending Florida State University and also completed an internship with Children’s Home Society of Florida.

Ensley will continue her education this fall at the University of Tennessee, where she will earn her Master’s Degree in social work.

She is the daughter of Lawrence and Karen Ensley of Cantonment.

Courtesy for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Relay For Life Events Held At Tate, Century (With Photo Galleries)

May 14, 2011

There were two Relay for Life events in North Escambia this weekend.

The Relay for Life of Greater Escambia (formerly called the North Pensacola Relay for Life) was held at Tate High School. Nearly 50 teams and about 1,500 people took part in the annual event which has raised over $500,000 for cancer research in less than 10 years.

Teams in the event were from across the Molino, Cantonment, Gonzalez, Cottage Hill, Ensley and surrounding areas.

For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the Greater Escambia Relay for Life at Tate High School, click here.

The Century Relay for Life moved indoors due to the threat of rain. Teams lined the basketball court in the old Century High School gymnasium to support the America Cancer Society.

For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the Century Relay for Life, click here.

Pictured top: The Greater Escambia Relay for Life gets underway Friday night at Tate High School. Pictured inset: Members of the Jim Allen Elementary team cheer for survivors. Pictured below: A cancer survivor, right, takes her victory lap in style on motorcycle. NorthEscambia.com photos, lick to enlarge.

Photo Gallery: Molino Park Celebrates The Arts

May 14, 2011

Molino Park Elementary School held its annual Arts Day on Friday, with the students spending the day immersed in a variety of arts.

The students enjoyed a wide range of arts, from pottery to photography to cake decorating. They had the opportunity to get “hands on” with many activities. The day ended with the “Molino Park Arts Day Roundup”, a live concert series in the school cafeteria. Artists appearing in the concert  had local ties to Molino Park.

For a photo gallery from the event, click here.

Pictured top: A student checks out a dragster during the annual Arts Day at Molino Park Elementary School. Pictured inset: Photographer Candy McGahan explains her work to students. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Google Street View Car In North Escambia (With Photo Gallery)

May 12, 2011

The Google Street View car was spotted in Walnut Hill and Molino Wednesday. And no, that’s not a camera on top. It’s actually 15 cameras and lasers on top, mapping and photographing our communities.

Google Maps with Street View, as well as Google Earth, allows users to explore places through 360-degree street level imagery. Most of the roadways in North Escambia already appear on Street View, but the lower quality images are being updated with new realistic high definition photos.

For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery of the car and its equipment, click here.

NorthEscambia.com caught up with the Google Street View car at the intersection of Arthur Brown and Pine Forest roads in Walnut Hill Wednesday afternoon. The driver, who is from Pensacola, would not allow us to photograph the inside of the vehicle. But it’s remarkably simple in appearance compared to the outside of the colorful vehicle.

The back seats have been removed or folded down, making room for a ladder to reach the camera mounted above the car. There is one small computer  (the original Street View SUV had a rack of computers in 2007) and a hard drive to store the data. There’s one touchscreen computer monitor mounted next to the driver. During our visit, the monitor was displaying a Google map with the driver’s route planned out along with a “record” and “pause” button.

But the real magic is in the red ball mounted above the car. The latest, fifth generation, car’s red ball has 15 lenses taking 360 degrees of photos. It has motion sensors to track its position and three laser sensors to determine distances within the Street View imagery. The laser sensors call also be used to create 3D maps of the surroundings.

GPS sensors, along with sensors that measure speed and direction are used to make sure the images are placed in the right place on the Google Maps and in Google Earth. The sensors even provide enough information to tilt and align the images with hilly terrain.

Google uses cutting-edge face and license plate blurring technology to make sure that people and vehicles captured in the images can’t be identified.

There’s no word when the new images from North Escambia will be available on Google Street View.

For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery of the car and its equipment, click here.

Pictures top: The Google Street View car Wednesday afternoon on Arthur Brown Road at Pine Forest Road in Walnut Hill. Pictured inset: The red ball contains 15 cameras for photographing a 360 degree view. The three boxes below the cameras are laser mapping sensors. Pictured below: A closeup of the camera systems. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.

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