Submitted by David Schmidt.
Paxton High School senior Zach Varnum recently signed a college commitment to continue his basketball career at Coastal Alabama Community College in Bay Minette, Alabama. Zach was a force on the Bobcats varsity basketball team, according to Coach Jeff Bradley during the signing ceremony, scoring a total 1875 points during his varsity career with a record of 99 wins and only 17 losses. He was also named the Northwest Florida Daily News Small School Player of the Year for the third time this year, the first time any player has ever received the prestigious honor three times. Submitted by Kalli McMillan.
SWHS has record-breaking AP Art Submissions
On May 2, 2017 over 350 Walton County 4th graders joined students from Okaloosa County as the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra presented “The Orchestra Moves” as part of the national “Link Up” program in collaboration with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. The program included music from Offenbach’s Can-Can, Strauss’ Blue Danube Waltz, Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, “Toreador” from Bizet’s Carmen, and the first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. The varied program also introduced the student audience to the sections of the orchestra, and provided opportunities for them to sing and play along with the live orchestra in an interactive concert held in the Mainstage Theater at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center.
Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute Link Up national partnerships provide students the opportunity to discover how composers create musical movement using elements such as motif, melodic direction, steps and leaps, dynamics, and orchestration. Exploring a range of orchestral repertoire, students compose, sing, and play on the recorder and/or the violin.
Special thanks to the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and their sponsors for providing this exceptional opportunity for the students of the Walton County School District.
Submitted by Keitha Bledsoe.
CONGRATULATIONS to Tailor Hawkins (top), a senior at Freeport High School and dual enrolled student at Northwest Florida State College; to Jackson Schubert (bottom left), a junior at Freeport Senior High School and to Caleb Parker (bottom right), a junior at Freeport High School. Both Caleb and and Jackson were one of the first from their Automation and Production classes to earn the Certified Production Technician Certification. This certification can be articulated for college credit. Each student is pictured with Ted Missildine, FHS's Automation and Production Instructor. Submitted by Patty Woodard.
Freeport High School AP Students review for AP Exam by creating concepts on their desks. Submitted by Patty Woodard.
ECMS Science Geeks Bubble Over
May 4, 2017
ECMS Science Geeks blasted out of the 2016-2017 school year with a lot of fun.
5th Grade Science Teacher, Ms. Tonia Murray reported the last meeting of the year was filled with bubbles, balloons and a super cake! With special thanks to Mrs. Forsgren (parent of ECMS & BES students), for helping out with all the fun. The Science Geeks were bubbling over with excitement, and if they could have been plugged in to an outlet...they could have powered the school for a month! Submitted by Angela Vance.
Superintendent A. Russell Hughes and the Walton County School Board celebrated the academic team's win at the State Competition in Orlando, FL during the Tuesday, May 2, 2017, School Board meeting. Team members, coaches and families were recognized for this awesome accomplishment. The Walton County School District Academic Team presented their trophy to Superintendent A. Russell Hughes. Congratulations!
Press Release - The Walton County School District Academic Team has won the State Championship in Division 3 of the 32nd Commissioner’s Academic Challenge in Orlando, Florida with 188 points!
In the final competition Saturday morning, April 29, team Members Sean Brown, Malcolm Griffith, Jordan Nichols, Evan Cowie, Kier Teves, and Griffon Murphy were behind 1 point after the 5 point round, and behind 3 points after the 15 point round. They played smart and conservatively and made their way back up to the lead, which they maintained throughout the rest of the competition. As a team, they scored more points than any other team in the final competition on the Team Bonuses.
The Commissioner's Academic Challenge is a highly academic statewide high school tournament inaugurated in 1986. The districts are placed in three divisions based on the fall FTE summary provided by the Florida Department of Education. Each team consists of six members (a maximum of four players during each of the three rounds and two alternates) and a coach. A maximum of six teams may compete in one competition round. This is not a quick response, trivial pursuit contest. Instead, it is a slower-paced tournament in which players are asked questions from the areas of language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, the fine arts, world languages (French and Spanish) physical education, health, and technology. The questions are written by educators from high schools throughout the state.
Two of the WCSD Academic Team coaches that traveled to the event with them, Coach Carla Griffith and Coach Glen Harrison, said it was amazing to see how well they worked together and functioned as a team! Special thanks to ALL the Academic Team coaches throughout the District who have worked with these students from Middle School through High School to help prepare them for this exciting moment!
Additional congratulations goes to Evan Cowie, Walton High School, for being selected for the Team Florida Academic Team! Team Florida consists of six students, one each from the division-winning district and three chosen from the remaining teams. These six students will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship, and will go on to compete in the National Academic Team competition! This is a great honor, and we know Evan will represent WCSD and the State of Florida well in this event!
Submitted by Crystal Appel and Keitha Bledsoe.
FHS Alumna Returns as a Guest Speaker
May 3, 2017
Macayla Llewellyn, both a Troy nursing student and a Freeport High School alumna, informed students at Freeport High School about the documented dangers of tobacco products. Submitted Patty Woodard.