District News

Every month, Mr. A. Russell Hughes, the Superintendent of Walton County Schools will share a video message with an update on the exciting things happening in the Walton County School District, Walton County, Florida. Check back often to stay informed on all the activities, events and accomplishments of teachers and students in the Walton County School District.

This month Superintendent Hughes shares some encouragement for students as we enter the FSA testing period, and challenges students and families to stay diligent as we move through the final 9 weeks of school!

Superintendent Hughes also wishes to remind parents that report cards were released on Tuesday, April 2, 2018!

Here is the link to view the April Video: https://youtu.be/o9wYspReCPQ

Maude Saunders recognizes the importance of their Library Media Center to the academic success of their students!!! We are grateful for our student media helpers who work in the library every single day, filing returned books, helping students find new reading material, keeping the library media center looking great, and many other important tasks.

Submitted by Krissy Spence/Kim Stafford

At the Book Fair!

Finding a "good fit" book to read!!!

Congratulations to Mr. Todd Drake on being recommended by Superintendent A. Russell Hughes and approved by the Walton County School Board on April 3, 2018 as the new principal at Emerald Coast Middle School!

Mr. Drake is originally from Snellville, Georgia. He is a graduate of South Gwinnett High School and brings with him three years of banking experience and 13 years of educational experience. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Augusta University. He has a Master's of Mass Communications in Advertising and a Specialist in Educational Leadership from the University of Georgia. He is certified in the fields of Special Education General Curriculum (P-12), Special Education Content Areas Math, Science, Language Arts and Social Studies (P-8) and Educational Leadership (P-12).

South Walton High School celebrates Library Media Month and National Library Week (April 8- 14, 2018) by recognizing the contributions of their library and media specialist, Deanna Forester, and the impact library media services has on student achievement and development!

Submitted by Kim Stafford

5th grade at WDE is pursuing student engagement with a Math EGGstravaganza! The kids looked for eggs filled with math challenges. Once they completed the challenge, they reported to their teacher to see if it was correct! All correct answers were rewarded with a treat.

Picture 1: Students are excited to get started and find eggs.

Picture 2: McKenzie Beck solving her first math problem during the Math EGGstravaganza.

Submitted by Jessica Dawkins

Special Thanks to the members of the DeFuniak Springs Woman’s Club for their generous gift of funds for the purchase of an Alto Xylophone for the Maude Saunders Elementary School Music program!
The Woman's Club is the oldest civic organization in the historic town of DeFuniak Springs. It was established in 1915. The purpose is to help the town and residents with a special focus on the needs of women and children. Music teacher Cathy Drake stated that over 580 students will be impacted by the addition of the Alto Xylophone to the schools Orff Instrumental Ensemble.
WCSD is grateful for this contribution by the DeFuniak Springs Woman’s Club!

Pictured (Left to Right) Cathy Drake, Carol Doxey, Marcia Moore and Joan Sangl
Submitted by Keitha Bledsoe

Congratulations to the PHS Students of the Month for March (pictured L to R): (High School) Savannah Spann, (Elementary) Danelle Holder, and (Middle School) Anney-Kate Araneo. Way to go, ladies!

Submitted by Kalli McMillan

Are you ready to plant your garden? On Saturday, April 14th, Florida Farmers Market will be having a plant sale. The Florida Farmers Market has teamed up with the Paxton Agriculture students to pot tomatoes and create a watering table for them. These students have learned a lot and are doing a great job of taking care of the plants. Come out on Saturday, from 10 AM to 3 PM, to purchase some of their plants for your garden.

Date: 4/14/18

Time: 10am-3pm

Location: Florida Farmers Market in Paxton, FL

Who: Community Members to buy from Ag Department

Plants grown by all middle school classes

Tomatoes, Peppers, Egg Plant, Squash, Zucchinni, and more

$1 per plant or $5 for 6

All proceeds go back into the Agriculture Department here at Paxton School.

Submitted by Nate Moore

During the April 3, 2018 Walton County School Board Meeting, School Board Member Kim Kirby and Superintendent Russell Hughes presented certificates to several Walton County teachers for being recognized by the Commissioner of Education, Pam Stewart, as some of the highest impact teachers in the state of Florida. After analyzing student performance on statewide standardized assessments, it was found that these teachers had a significant positive impact on student learning growth.

A big congratulations and thank you to these teachers for their hard work in and out of the classroom. Once again, proof that Walton County is the best school district anywhere.

Pictured from left to right are: Kim Kirby, WCSD School Board member; Conor Voreis - Freeport High School; Nicole Ludwig - Freeport Elementary School; Pamela Lathinghouse - Maude Saunders Elementary School; Nina Thornton, Sandy Love, Diana Gillis - Walton Middle School; Michael Farrar - Freeport Middle School; Susan Rockman, Angela Ellison, Kimberly Davenport, Jessica Cook - Paxton School; Superintendent A. Russell Hughes. Not pictured are Jessica Daniel - West DeFuniak Elementary School; Randa Dewees - Mossy Head Elementary School; and Stacey Knapp - Freeport Elementary School

Submitted by Keitha Bledsoe

Photo: (L-R) Beth Roberts, Meredith Spence, MH Carr, Lindsey Harp

GREAT things are happening at Bay! The Bay Boosters Parent Organization has purchased over $10,000 of hands-on STEM robots and coding programs for ALL GRADE LEVELS at Bay Elementary School. According to Principal Meredith Spence, "in 2016 we took our first step in moving towards more integrated STEM learning opportunities into our school day with the purchase of hands-on STEM Kits for each classroom and grade level. It was amazing to see our Kindergarten students problem-solving with math and science to build a bridge for the Three Little Billy Goats to cross." Since 2016, the school has continued to grow it's STEM program with the addition of a Family STEM Night and quarterly STEM projects in all grade levels.

"Thanks to our wonderful community and Bay Boosters, we are able to take another step by providing coding and robots in every grade level this spring," said Mrs. Spence who has been the Principal at Bay since 2015. "STEM provides students the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and application of knowledge. It is an exciting time at Bay."

Submitted by Meredith Spence

Superintendent A. Russell Hughes' Monthly Update for April 2018

April 5, 2018

Maude Saunders celebrates National Library Media Month!

April 5, 2018

Superintendent Hughes Announces New Principal at Emerald Coast Middle School!

April 4, 2018

South Walton High School Recognizes Library Media Contributions!

April 4, 2018

EGGciting Things are Happening at WDE!

April 4, 2018

DeFuniak Springs Woman’s Club Makes Donation to MSE Music Program!

April 4, 2018

Paxton Congratulates March Students of the Month!

April 4, 2018

Paxton Agriculture Students Team up with Florida Farmer's Market - APRIL 14, 2018

April 3, 2018

Walton County School District Recognizes High Impact Teachers!

April 3, 2018

Bay Elementary School Focuses on STEM

April 3, 2018