Walton County Schools Update
Superintendent Russell Hughes
Winter has emerged, but Walton County School District shows no sign of cooling down in educational excellence! On the contrary, we have had a phenomenal first half of the school year, indicated by the many happenings throughout the District. Teachers, students, and staff have worked diligently to meet academic rigor. They will soon see the fruit of their labor as they rise to meet the challenge of End of Course (EOC) and semester exams while anxiously awaiting the Christmas Holidays.
As we move forward, there are a few important dates to keep in the forefront of your schedule. Teachers will return to work on January 3, 2022, with students following on January 5, 2022. Although students are off for the holidays, we encourage you to keep them mentally engaged and active to avoid the “winter knowledge slide!” Perhaps you might have them read a favorite holiday story or come together to play a fun family game that encourages higher-order thinking skills.
Out-of-this-world thinking occurred during November as each middle school participated in exploring our solar system. The Emerald Coast Science Planetarium Experience, sponsored through a generous grant from the St. Joe Foundation, was showcased to middle school students across the District. Students entered an inflatable dome to view a show highlighting constellations, the solar system and space exploration. Thank you, St. Joe, for your partnership in the education of Walton County’s students.
The District is proud to recognize Freeport High School’s Morrigan Burnham. Morgan was recently honored by Gov. Ron DeSantis for her PERFECT score on the state Biology end-of-course examination! Congratulations to Morrigan on her recognition and Biology teacher Amy Baker for her work in the classroom!
In athletic excellence, huge applause is due to our High School Football programs. Freeport High School, South Walton High School, and Walton High School created a trifecta for gridiron play.
Each school’s team earned a spot in state playoff competitions. Congratulations to the coaches and players of these teams who represented our county in EPIC fashion!
Superintendent Hughes wants to wish each student, family, employee and community member a happy holiday season! “We look forward to continuing our journey to #1 when we return next year!
Okaloosa County Schools Update
Superintendent Marcus Chambers
In the Spring of 2021, a vision came to fruition. Superintendent Marcus Chambers and Commissioner Mel Ponder partnered together to develop the Okaloosa Youth Leadership Council (YLC) which consists of Juniors and Seniors from each high school in the district.
These students were nominated to be on the council by their principals. The council includes 11 students who meet once a month to discuss topics that are important to them and changes they would like to see not only in the school district but also in the county.
Two school-related topics the YLC came up with are establishing suicide prevention programs in more schools and providing financial literacy courses for high school students.
HOPE Squad is an organization that focuses on peer-to-peer suicide prevention. According to Mr. Chambers, HOPE Squad will be in all secondary schools by the end of this school year with plans to introduce it to primary schools the following school year. This will be possible thanks to the recent grant that United for a Good Cause, the organization that sponsors HOPE Squad in our schools, received from IMPACT 100. Superintendent Chambers expressed his gratitude to United for a Good Cause and IMPACT 100. “Support for the ongoing mental and emotional health of our students is a critical component to ensure their continued academic success. We have significantly increased resources in this area, and HOPE Squad is a valuable component of our efforts.”
There are currently two high schools in the Okaloosa County School District that offer financial literacy courses for students to take. Plans are underway to offer financial literacy in all high schools at the recommendation of this student group. Commissioner Ponder said, “It is such a great honor to have the support from my fellow commissioners to partner with Superintendent Chambers and the Okaloosa County School District with our outstanding Youth Leadership Council. It is so encouraging to bring this amazing group of current and future leaders together in a setting that adds to their leadership, strengthens their bond to work together, and challenges them to submit policy and project ideas to benefit both the District and County alike.”
