Cantonment Lodge Holds Educator Appreciation Event
April 10, 2024
Cantonment Masonic Lodge #322 recently held an educator appreciation event.
They invited multiple educators from the community to join them for dinner just to say thanks for all that they do for our children and youth, according to organizers. District Deputy Grand Master Juanito Augustin joined the event.
“The brothers are always looking for ways to give back to their community and what better way than to join hands with those reaching the youth daily, tell them thank you, and find more ways to partner together in the future,” Robert Mann said.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview And Beulah Middle FFA Chapters, Tate FFA Advisor Finalists For State Awards
April 9, 2024
Two local FFA chapters and one advisor were announced Monday as finalists for state FFA awards.
Beulah Middle School and Northview High School FFA chapters have been named finalists for the 2024 Chapter Agriculture Advocacy Award. Formerly 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.
Melissa Gibbs of the Tate High School FFA has been named a finalist for the Timothy H. Cribbs Advisor of the Year. The purpose of the FFA Advisor of the Year award is to recognize educators who have made a positive difference in the lives of their students. Individuals nominated must have taught for at least three years and have provided outstanding service to their FFA chapter, agricultural industry, and agricultural education.
State winners will be announced during the 96th annual Florida FFA state Convention in Orlando this June.
Pictured: The recent Fresh from Florida event at Northview High School. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: Bratt Elementary Students View Solar Eclipse
April 9, 2024
Students at Bratt Elementary School had a chance to watch the eclipse Monday peering through clouds for a glimpse.
Escambia County Public Schools canceled all outdoor activities that were not approved by school principals. Students were instructed on safety protocols before viewing in organized activities such as the viewing at Bratt.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jay Native Earns Navy Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist Qualification Aboard USS Russell
April 7, 2024
Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Shook, a native of Jay and 2016 Central High School graduate, recently earned the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist qualification while serving aboard USS Russell.
Shook joined the Navy four years ago. Today Shook serves as an information systems technician.
According to Navy officials, the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist qualification signifies that a sailor has achieved the highest level of expertise in surface ships and in surface warfare.
“Being recognized for my knowledge of my craft is an honor and a great professional achievement for me,” said Shook.
Russell is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer named for Rear Admiral John Henry Russell Sr. and his son, John Henry Russell Jr. John Henry Russell Sr. served during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War and John Henry Russell Jr. was the 16th Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers provide a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface and subsurface environments.
A Navy destroyer is a multi-mission ship that can operate independently or as part of a larger group of ships at sea. The ship is equipped with tomahawk missiles, torpedoes, guns and a phalanx close-in weapons system.
More than 300 sailors serve aboard USS Russell. Their jobs are highly specialized, requiring both dedication and skill. The jobs range from maintaining engines to handling weaponry along with a multitude of other assignments that keep the ship mission-ready at all times, according to Navy officials.
Photo: U.S. Navy for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Schools Career Academy Awards Presented
April 3, 2024
The Escambia County Public Schools Career Academy Awards luncheon was held Tuesday, honoring the recognizing CTE students, teachers and programs.
Winners were:
- High School Career Academy Student of the Year: Carsyn Dortch, Culinary Arts Academy, Northview High School (pictured top)
- High School Career Academy of the Year: Skilled Trades Academy, Northview High School (pictured first below)
- High School Career Academy Scholar: Chase Gray, Game, Simulation and Animation Academy, Tate High School (pictured second below)
- Middle School Career Academy of the Year: Digital Discoveries Academy, Ransom Middle School (pictured bottom)
- High School Career Academy Student Intern of the Year: Michael Kleback, Agriculture Biotechnology Academy, West Florida High School
- High School Career Academy Teacher of the Year: David “Bryan” Dawson, New Media Academy (Digital Video), Pine Forest High School
- Middle School Student of the Year: Adrianna Kearbey, Digital Discoveries Academy, Ferry Pass Middle School
- Middle School Career Academy Teacher of the Year: Shawn Platt, We Build It Better Program, Workman Middle School
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Cheerleaders ‘Egg’ Yards Across North Escambia
March 31, 2024
Kids across North Escambia found eggs hidden in their yards Easter morning with the help of the Tate High School cheerleaders.
Tate Cheer held an “Egg My Yard” fundraiser. For donations that started at $20, the cheerleaders hid pre-filled eggs Saturday night in yards north of Nine Mile Road.
For more photos, click or tap here.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Army JROTC Wins Regional Drill Meet
March 28, 2024
Submitted by Cadet 1LT Jayce Latzer
The Tate Army JROTC Aggie Battalion recently traveled to Chipley to compete in the regional drill meet.
This competition is to determine what teams are allowed to go to the state drill meet in Lakeland on April 6. Out of the 12 teams, 10 of the teams are qualified for state.
Results were as follows:
-Tate Male Color Guard-1st
CMD c/MAJ Yasurek, J
-Tate Female Unarmed PLT-1st
CMD c/2Lt Elnahrawy, J
-Tate Male Armed PLT-1st
CMD c/CPT Stegall, B
-Tate Female Armed PLT-1st
CMD c/CSM Allgyer, O
-Individual Exhibition-1st
CMD c/SSG Wells, T
-Tate Unarmed Squad Male-2nd
CMD c/SFC Colston, Z
-Tate Unarmed Squad Female-2nd
CMD-c/SGT Wiggins K
-Tate Unarmed PLT-Male-2nd
CMD-c/LTC Sappington K
-Tate Armed Squad Female-2nd
CMD c/1LT Williams, K
-Dual Exhibition-2nd
c/1LT Stringer, B and c/SFC Colston, Z
-Tate Female Color Guard-3rd
CMD c/1SG Vickers, D
-Tate Armed Squad Male-3rd
CMD c/CPT Davis, B
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bratt Elementary Students Donate Supplies, Goodies To Escambia Animal Shelter
March 25, 2024
Students at Bratt Elementary School collected a lot of supplies and goodies for the dogs and cats at the Escambia County Animal Shelter. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Auburn Eagle ‘Spirit’, Other Raptors Visit Ernest Ward Middle (With Photo Gallery)
March 23, 2024
Friday morning, bald eagle Spirit visited Ernest Ward Middle School — home of the Golden Eagle mascot.
Spirit was the pre-game flight eagle at Jordan-Hare Stadium at Auburn University for nearly 20 years.
When Spirit arrived at the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Southeastern Raptor Center in the late 1990s, no one knew she would one day come to represent the Auburn spirit alongside the university’s official golden eagles known as War Eagles.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click or tap here.
Spirit was brought to Auburn after being discovered in Florida with an injured wing and beak. Due to her permanent beak damage, she was treated and found to be non-releasable. She soon began training for pregame festivities during home football games and made her first Jordan-Hare Stadium flight September 28, 2002.
She inspired Auburn fans during pregame festivities at 45 Auburn Tigers football games and is the only bald eagle to have flown as part of this nationally known Auburn tradition.
In 2021, Spirit is celebrating her 25th birthday and, since the median life expectancy for bald eagles in captivity is 16.5 years, raptor center staff and veterinarians decided it would be best to retire Spirit from stadium flights.
Now in retirement, Spirit is part of education presentations by Auburn’s Southeastern Raptor Center. Somewhat contrary to her imposing appearance, Spirit with her six-foot wingspan weighs in at only about seven pounds, and most of that is feathers, not body weight.
The raptor center’s mission is to rehabilitate and release injured and orphaned raptors, educate the public about these magnificent birds of prey and research raptor-related issues. The center, a division of the College of Veterinary Medicine, is given permission by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to house, care for and showcase non-releasable birds of prey in its educational mission.
Spirit was the star of the show Friday morning at the Raptor Center visited Ernest Ward Middle in program sponsored by United Bank. Students were able to see several other species of raptors, including a screech owl, barn owl, American kestrel hawk, a vulture and a small one-eyed red tailed hawk named Stump (who was found along the roadside looking like a stump after an apparent injury).
EMWS students had chance to ask question to learn more, including the secret of how exactly a bald eagle is trained to return to a handler in a crowded Jordan-Hare Stadium. Turns out it’s all about positive reinforcement — a tasty food treat is the motivating factor for returning to a leather circle. A touchdown on the leather circle is celebrated with food.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Graduate Recognized As ‘Warfighter of the Day’ Aboard USS George Washington
March 19, 2024
Airman Evan Straight, a Tate High School graduate, was recognized as Warfighter of the Day aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, USS George Washington.
Warfighter of the Day is a command program where the ship’s captain personally recognizes an exemplary sailor for their accomplishments. Straight was selected by leadership for this honor. His motivation is always inspiring to his peers and represents the “Spirit of Freedom,” the ship’s nickname.
Straight, a 2022 graduate of Tate High School, joined the Navy over a year ago.
“I am proud of the hard work I’ve done to be able to get qualified in my job,” said Straight. “One day, I’d like to be a great role model for my kids.”
Aircraft carriers, such as USS George Washington, project power and presence worldwide by serving as the cornerstone of a Carrier Strike Group and launching and landing various types of aircraft.
George Washington is undergoing a refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipyard. RCOH is a multi-year project performed during a carrier’s 50-year service life that includes refueling the ship’s two nuclear reactors, as well as significant repairs, upgrades and modernization.
USS George Washington is named after the first president of the United States.
The ship’s motto is “First in War, First in Peace.”
Pictured: Airman Evan Straight, right, receives his Warfighter of the Day certificate from Capt. Brent Gaut, commanding officer of USS George Washington (CVN 73). US Navy Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.