Making History: Molino Park Students Recognized At County History Fair
March 3, 2010
Several Molino Park Elementary School students were recognized during the recent Escambia County History Fair.
“We were so proud of our students,” said Ester Robinson, fourth grade teacher. “All of our 4th grade students participating in the History Fair worked hard on their projects.”
The following Molino Park Elementary School students were recognized:
Elementary Individual Exhibits
- 2nd Place Kyle Lovell (Garrett Morgan Project)
- Honorable Mention: Hunter Rogers (Jackie Robinson Project)
African American Heritage Awards, Individual Elementary
- 1st Place: Kyle Lovell
- 2nd Place: Carson Lowery
- 3rd Place: Hunter Rogers
African American Heritage Awards, Group Elementary
- Sabra Stewart & Devin Abrams (African American Women: Seeds of Greatness Project)
The Holly Benson Women’s History Award
- Elementary: Carson Lowery (Harriet Tubman Project)
Historical Exhibit Awards: Elementary
- 2nd Place: Kyle Lovell
Escambia County Council of PTA/PTSA Awards
- Sabra Stewart
- Devin Abrams
T. T. Wentworth Museum Best in Show Awards
- Kyle Lovell
- Hunter Rogers
Pictured: Molino Park Students participating in the recent Escambia County History Fair were: (front L-R) Devin Abrams and Sabra Stewart; (back L-R) Kyle Lovell, Carson Lowery, Hunter Rogers, and Ali Carter. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Free Computer Classes At The Library
March 2, 2010
Free computer classes will be held during March at the Century Branch Library.
Classes include:
March 24
- 9:15 – 10:30 Google
- 10:45 – 12:00 Facebook
Space is limited; sign up now by calling the Century Branch Library at (850) 256-6217.
Students Of The Month Named
March 2, 2010
Escambia County Students of the Month for February have been named by the Escambia Association for Administrators in Education. The awards are presented monthly to two students from participating schools.
The following students were named from North Escambia area schools:
- Bratt: Kendrell B. Lowery, third grade; Jaylee S. Redmond, kindergarten.
- Jim Allen: Hunter L. Myrick, kindergarten; Kendall E. Newton, kindergarten.
- Molino Park: Reagan G. Daniels, kindergarten; Jaden I. Lewis, kindergarten.
- Ernest Ward: Kelton J. Wooten, seventh grade; Kyle A. Wood, eighth grade.
- Ransom: Britton S. Dunn, eighth grade; Anna M. Del Gallo, eighth grade.
- Northview: Jessica N. Bloodsworth, senior; Seth M. Leonard, senior.
- Tate: Amy E. Sapp, freshman; Tyler D. Emmons, senior.
Pictured top: Seth Leonard and Jessica Bloodsworth, Northview High School’s Students of the Month for February. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Students Awarded At History Fair
March 1, 2010
Several Ernest Ward Middle School students received awards Saturday for their National History Day projects in a district competition in Pensacola. Victoria Wright’s “Barcode” project won a NSDAR Excellence in History Award, and she received Honorable Mention in the county competition. She also received a T.T. Wentworth Museum Best in Show Award given by West Florida Historic Preservation, Inc.
Courtney Solari’s “Cotton Gin” project won third place in the African American Heritage Awards given by the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
Samantha Barrow and Tamara Green’s “Women’s Suffrage” project won a Holly Benson Women’s History Award and they also received $50 each for their win.
“I was very proud of all of our students,” said Ernest Ward geography teacher Laura Chavers.
The top seven projects from a Ernest Ward History Fair headed to the district competition. EWMS students were required to do research into a topic on the theme Innovation in History: Impact and Change. The research was presented in exhibit form, much like the typical science fair. Students complete projects either individually or in teams of two.
Pictured top: Tamara Green (left) and Samantha Barrow – Womens Suffrage. Pictured below: Courtney Solari – The Cotton Gin: Increasing Cotton Production and Slavery. Pictured bottom: Victoria Wright — Barcodes. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
EscaRosa Young Farmers and Ranchers Reach Out To Grocery Shoppers
March 1, 2010
The EscaRosa Young Farmers and Ranchers recently worked over the weekend to educate Pensacola residents about the economic value, diversity, and importance of agriculture in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
The group set up an informational display outside of Apple Market Grocery on Scenic Highway in Pensacola. Store owner David Apple, known for his support of local products, generously allowed the group to continue to spread the message about agriculture.
Over a six hour period, the EscaRosa Young Farmers and Ranchers introduced more than 100 people to our counties’ rich agricultural heritage and focusing on the positives of agriculture. Dorothy Lee, Escambia County Family and Consumer Science agent, developed a “Grocery Shopping List and Tips” to help people stretch their food dollar, while other members of the group tempted passersby with peanuts, “Test your Ag Knowledge game”, “I met a Farmer” stickers, and hosts of other goodies.
EscaRosa Young Farmers and Ranchers display was in partnership with UF IFAS Escambia County Extension and Escambia County Natural Resource Conservation Division, and it was made possible by the generous donations of the Escambia County Farm Bureau and Farm Credit of Northwest Florida.
Pictured top: (L-R) Jacob Gilmore, Young Farmers and Ranchers member from Gizmo Angus Farm; Debbie Williams, Escambia County Natural Resource and Conservation Division; Abbie Rolph Young Farmers and Ranchers chairwoman; and Dorothy Lee, UF IFAS Escambia County Family and Consumer Science agent. Pictured below: Tab Jernigan, Andrea Byars, and an agricultural enthusiast pose for the camera. Pictured bottom: Abbie Rolph, Debbie Williams, Cheyenne Gibbs, and Jacob Gilmore smile for the camera during a brief lull from visitors. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
International Gospel, Patriotic Recording Artist To Appear In Walnut Hill
February 28, 2010
International recording artist Jim Worthing will be in concert next Sunday at Annie Jones Methodist Church in Walnut Hill.
In his 29th year of professional singing, Pennsylvania native Worthing is an accomplished songwriter in gospel and patriotic music.
In addition to producing and recording five solo CD’s, Worthing sang with two national award-winning groups, Re-Creation and The Cumberland Boys. While he was with Re-Creation, the group was awarded the prestigious George Washington Medal of Honor by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.
While with the Cumberland Boys, Opryland’s gospel quartet, he shared in the Horizon Award, Christian Country Group of the Year Award, and seven nominations for the Music City News/TNN Christian Artist of the Year Award. The Cumberland Boys recorded 11 albums and scored 10 gospel top 80 hits with Worthing singing lead. He has appeared in 48 states, Canada, Bahamas and Switzerland.
He has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry, Prime Time Country, Nashville Now, Crook and Chase, the Trinity Broadcasting Network, the Canadian television, and Paul Heil’s nationally syndicated radio show, The Gospel Greats.
Worthing was also featured as the special guest vocalist of the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the United States Army Reserve held in Washington, DC, CPAC 2007-2009, Presidential Banquet, the 2003 Miss Kentucky Pageant, and produced and hosted a Gospel Cruise for “The General Jackson Showboat” in Nashville.
A three octave range, a voice alive with the dynamics of faith and experience, a clear and winsome testimony, and a deep-seated commitment to the Christian message make a Jim Worthing concert inspiring, challenging, and uniquely unforgettable.
The public is cordially invited to attend. A free-will offering for Worthing’s ministry will be received at the concert.
The concert takes place at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 7 at the Annie Jones Methodist Church in Walnut Hill. The church is located “under” the water tower on Arthur Brown Road near Highway 97.
For more information, call Leslie at (850) 565-7128.
Turning Brown: How To Help Your Palm Recover From The Cold
February 28, 2010
Many varieties of palms across the North Escambia area are brown and sometimes even dead in appearance following our extremely cold weather. Drs. Monica Elliott and Tim Broschat from the University of Florida provide the following tips on how to cope with damaged palms.
Patience is essential with cold-damaged palms! If the palm leaf has any green tissue remaining, the leaf should not be removed until later in the year. Leaving damaged leaves on the palm during the remainder of the winter may actually help the palm survive future cold events. Once the palm has produced substantial new growth (2 to 3 new leaves), damaged leaf tissue can then be removed.
All new leaves of a palm develop from the apical meristem or bud located in the crown of the plant. It is the bud that really needs to be protected. Leaf bases naturally provide insulating protection to the bud. This natural protection is one reason not to over trim palms at any time of the year.
As warmer weather returns, primary or secondary plant pathogens often attack stressed plants through the cold damaged tissue. Copper fungicides are recommended as an attempt (not a guarantee) to protect the bud and developing leaves from diseases that may attack damaged leaf tissue. There is no research to confirm if this is effective or not. The recommendation is based on what has been observed regarding cold damage to palms and knowledge of fungicides. In most situations, it is the base of the spear leaf not yet emerged from the whorl of leaf bases that is damaged first, leading to a spear rot, which may then lead to a bud rot. Thus, the goal of a copper fungicide is to prevent this spear rot from developing into a bud rot that kills the bud, and thus the palm.
Copper fungicides are recommended over all other group of fungicides because they have broad activity against both bacteria and fungi. No other fungicides have this broad spectrum of activity. You must have complete coverage of the target tissue to be effective – in this case, the base of the spear leaf and the bud. This is more difficult to accomplish in some palm species than others, particularly those with crown shafts, because the leaf bases tightly surround the emerging spear leaf, preventing movement of a fungicide into the bud region.
If the spear leaf does rot and can be easily pulled from the bud, it should be removed immediately, followed by a copper fungicide spray or drench of the bud region, which is now exposed.
The normal recommendation is to apply the copper fungicides no more than twice because of the possibility of copper phytotoxicity. If it is believed that more chemical protection of the bud is needed after the copper fungicides have been applied, a broad-spectrum contact fungicide may be beneficial.
You will not know if the palm has survived the cold until new growth emerges, which may be 4 to 7 months later. Hence, the need for patience! The new growth may be severely malformed or damaged, but the emergence of any living leaf tissue is a sign the palm is alive. Subsequence leaves will gradually improve in quality, but it may take as long as a year before normal leaves emerge.
Escambia Farm Bureau Marks Annual Food Check-Out Week
February 27, 2010
The Escambia County Farm Bureau recently celebrated Food Check-Out Week, the week into the new year where the average household will have earned enough to pay for its food for a year.
The average cost of food in America remains affordable overall. According to the most recent information from the Agriculture Department’s (USDA’s) Economic Research Service, American families and individuals spend, on average, less than 10 percent of their disposable personal income for food.
With the continuing economic squeeze, many Americans are concerned that the cost of a healthy diet is out of reach. However, according to an Agriculture Department study, the cost of eating healthy has not changed as much as less-healthy alternatives. But eating healthy food within a budget does require smart shopping.
Farm Bureau’s Food Check-Out Week is devoted to helping teach Americans how to stretch their grocery dollars with healthy, nutritious food. America’s farmers and ranchers are committed to producing safe, healthy and abundant food. And they share a common concern with consumers when it comes to putting nutritious meals on a table while sticking to a tight budget. U.S. consumers still spent under 10 per cent of their disposable income on food according to the latest USDA data. Consumers in other countries spend much more: France- 14 percent; Japan-15 percent; China-35 percent; Philippines-37 percent and Indonesia- 46 percent.
A recent USDA report favorably supports the economics of healthier eating. Recent food price data show that prices for unprepared, readily available fresh fruit and vegetables have remained stable relative to dessert and snack foods, such as chips, ice cream and cola. Therefore, as defined by foods in the study, the price of a “healthier” diet has not changed compared to an “unhealthy” diet.
Farm Bureau’s Food Check-Out Week is aimed at helping American consumers learn how to shop effectively to put nutritious meals on the table with fewer dollars.
“Learning to use your grocery dollars wisely ensures that nutrition isn’t neglected,” according Dorothy Cunningham of Escambia Farm Bureau Women’s Committee. “Fruits and vegetables – along with whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish, beans, eggs and nuts – are an important part of a healthy diet. Buying fresh produce when it is in season and costs less, while buying frozen fruits and vegetables when they are not in season, is a smart way to stretch that dollar.”
Here are some tips that consumers can follow to help stretch their food dollars :
Plan ahead before going to the grocery store. Make a list of the foods you want to serve during the next week. Check your newspaper for grocery store ads and coupons. Stick to your list. Do not go to the cookie or snack aisle if you don’t “ need” to. Shop the perimeter of the store. Produce, dairy products and meat are generally found on those outside walls. A tip for keeping produce fresh longer is to store it in a perforated plastic bag. This stops condensation and shriveling. Make holes in a plastic bag with a paper punch, knife or another sharp object about six inches apart all over the bag. When you get home, immediately store any fresh or frozen products especially meat.
For more specific information on nutrition , meal planning and food preparation, contact a registered dietitian.
‘Golden Cow Dung Award’ Presented To Ernest Ward Teacher
February 27, 2010
Ernest Ward Middle School Family & Consumer Science teacher Kathy Ellis received the second annual “Golden Cow Dung Award” by members of the Ernest Ward FFA. The award featured a large piece of cow dung, painted a golden color.
(Cow dung, in case you did not know, is what you are probably thinking it is. It’s that natural byproduct that cows drop in the field.)
Ellis received the award from the school’s FFA members as a “thank you” for supporting FFA.
Friday wrapped up National FFA Week at Ernest Ward. “Lead Out Loud” was the theme of National FFA Week this year as more than half a million members around the nation participated in National FFA Week activities at the local and state levels.
EWMS FFA sponsor Cynthia Wilson said the group wanted to thank Ellis for her continued support of the organization. She also said she wanted to thank the area farmers and other member of the agricultural community that support the FFA.
Pictured above: (L-R) Anna Donald, FFA vice-president; Jerah Parker, sentinal; Kathy Ellis, winner of the “Golden Cow Dung Award”; Courtney Solari, president; Courtney Jones, secretary; Layne Purvis, chaplain; Jeremy Stacey, reporter; Cindy Wilson, advisor. Pictured below: Ellis with her golden award. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Who Has Northview’s Dirtiest Truck?
February 26, 2010
There’s dirty, and then there’s really dirty. And really dirty barely begins to describe several of the pickup trucks at Northview High School Thursday.
As part of FFA week activities at the school, the group held a school-wide “Dirty Truck Contest”. The Dirtiest Truck Award went to Gavin Hinote.
An entry fee was charged, with all proceeds going toward the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life.
For more dirty truck photos, click here.
Pictured top: A dirty truck. Pictured below: (L-R) Allie Vidak, Dirty Truck winner Gavin Hinote, Brandon Chambless and Ryan Busbee. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
