From Okaloosa County Superintendent Marcus Chambers
As we enter the second month of the 2021-2022 Okaloosa County School District school year, our employees are busy ensuring that every student receives a world-class education in a safe environment. We are focused on the mental health of our students as it is impossible to ignore that everyone in our community is currently facing major challenges. I am proud to be a part of team OCSD as I know every teacher, staff member, administrator, bus driver, parent and community member is here to make sure that every child has what they need to be successful in life. Thank you all for taking the initiative to do what it takes to make a difference in the lives of our students!

For many students, school is more than an education; it is a safe place to connect with friends, obtain healthy meals, and grow into an empowered individual that will positively impact their families, communities and the world. We have several opportunities including Kids C.O.D.E. and other Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, organizations like HOPE Squad, a group that focuses on suicide prevention and will be active in every school in Okaloosa County soon, and State Championship athletic and music programs that students can participate in.

Parents, thank you for trusting us with your child’s education every day. Your child is our priority and every decision made is based on their safety and education. Your partnership during these difficult times has been invaluable as you have stepped into new roles you didn’t have prior to this pandemic. We could not do this without you!

Without our community, the Okaloosa County School District would not be the A+ School District that it is. The relationships that we have and are building with individuals and businesses is so important as we strengthen the education and opportunities we provide our students, especially during these difficult times. Thank you to those of you who have invested in our students and schools.

Every stakeholder in this district is a member of team OCSD and without the entire community, we would not be the district that we are, setting a positive example for other districts across the nation. We live in the best community!

Walton County Superintendent A. Russell Hughes Update
This year began in EPIC fashion, a reflection of Superintendent Russell Hughes’ theme ‘EPIC 4wRd. – Recalibrated, Refocused, Ready and Rocking!’ “Preparing to engage children, building teacher capacity to maintain rigorous instruction while providing social-emotional support for students is at the forefront of every decision. Intentional thought goes into every detail, so our children come to school excited, ready to learn in a safe environment,” Superintendent Hughes says.

Teachers and district leaders participated in Capturing Kids Hearts, a K-12 SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) training that equips professionals to implement transformational processes focused on emotional wellbeing, relationship-driven campus culture, and student connectedness.

Teachers and school leaders learned strategies that contribute to improved school culture and climate.

Walton County School District is committed to creating safe and welcoming learning environments where students are connected and eager to learn.

Part of creating safe and welcoming environments includes maintaining a vigilant approach to children’s health. District Mitigation Strategies for the protection against COVID-19 are still in place and mimic the state implemented design:
• If a person is sick, they should stay home. (students, teachers, staff, and visitors)
• Face covering is optional for all, including the bus.
• Hand Sanitizer is available at various areas inside the school.
• Social distance from others as much as possible.
• Signs are displayed to remind those in schools about social distance and the use of hand sanitizer/washing of hands and face covering.
• Daily cleaning and disinfecting school facilities/buses occupied by students
• Adequate mitigation supplies on hand at the schools/facilities (hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, masks, etc.)
• COVID-19 vaccination is optional for all students and employees.
• COVID-19 contact tracing occurring in all schools/facilities (2021-2022 WCSD Decision Tree for employees and students)

The protocols above have kept outbreaks at schools to a minimum. Currently, the number of Walton County School District students identified as having the COVID virus is 3.1%, and an exceptional 97% have been COVID-free. Although we would love to have a 0% contraction rate, our present percentages are due to the collaboration and cooperation of teachers, principals, staff, and community members. We encourage every family to remain diligent and vigilant as we get through this uncomfortably challenging time.

By Kenneth Books

In 1971, the Vietnam War was in full swing, as were the protests against it. The 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave voting rights to 18-year-olds. Disney World opened in Orlando.

And young Lannie Corbin was hired as city clerk at his home town of Niceville.

Today, Lannie, 79, is city manager. With 50 years of experience, he is the longest-serving city manager in Florida.

In 1971, Lannie was working for General Electric Credit Corp. in Jacksonville. Later, he was promoted to full-time manager in Fort Myers and Naples. But his heart belonged to Niceville.

“I came home one day and told my father, ‘If you hear of something in Niceville, let me know about it, because I want to move back,” he said. Shortly thereafter, City Clerk George Key became sick with cancer and resigned. For the next several years, Lannie was both city clerk and city manager.

“That was good, because I got to see the administrative and financial sides,” he said.

The last 50 years have been rife with accomplishments. Lannie is proudest of the creation of a city complex on Partin Street.

“Niceville City Hall was across the street where Dairy Queen is,” he said. “It was a small building with a jail, police and fire company. There was no library or fire station.”

When revenue sharing was born, Lannie saw his chance to build something memorable.
“The city council wanted to see Niceville grow,” he said. “So, we started buying land.”
A restaurant known as Darcy’s was a gathering place, a place to talk with others, hear scuttlebutt and pick brains. “I started asking about Turkey Creek,” Lannie said. “As a kid, I used to swim there.”

At the time, a bank sat on the Turkey Creek location, but it began sinking, because the builder failed to put pilings under the building. So, the bank offered to sell the property to Niceville for $100,000 ($574,081.48 in today’s economy). Then it was time to start applying for grants.

When the grants started rolling in, construction began on the property and the city built a beautiful boardwalk, which today is a popular place for folks to walk through the pristine woodlands surrounding the city.

“We built it in-house,” Lannie said. “It turned out to be a home run.” Later, another grant financed construction of a northern portion of the boardwalk.

But the growth was not finished. Lannie still wanted to create a one-stop site for city functions. So, the city bought the property on which City Hall now stands from Valparaiso Realty and quickly built the city police facility and a firehouse. Later, one of the best libraries on the Panhandle was added.

A softball complex was also built which is home to some of the best softball tournaments in the South. For the men, “The Wounded Warrior Classic” is held on Memorial Day weekend and The Mullet Classic is held on the July 4th weekend. Both tournaments attract teams from throughout the southeast and have been annual events for more than 40 years. There are also numerous Youth Fast Pitch softball and baseball tournaments held throughout the summer.

A visit to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio gave Lannie and others the idea of building a large water tank, which was placed in the center of the softball fields and stands as a city landmark. Under the tank are concession stands, offices and an observation area.
An out-of-business skating rink was converted to a 121,000-square-foot community center.
It wasn’t all successes for Lannie, though.

“Bluewater Bay wanted to annex into the city in the late 1980s,” he said. “Twice, the city council voted for the annexation. Then, the third time, one council member who had supported the move changed his vote to a no. At the time, I thought it was a big disappointment. Politics were more involved then than they are now.”

But, he said, “We didn’t just sit back and feel sorry for ourselves. We just kept growing.”
Lannie’s wife, Judy is a fourth-grade teacher at Plew Elementary, teaching in the same room as his daughter, Christy. Another daughter, Kathy, is a systems analyst.

Lannie has no immediate plans to sit back and enjoy retirement.

“My wife and I recently bought a new home,” he said, “and we’re going to move in soon. I’m not much of a traveler. My plans are to work here as long as my health is good. I might go another year.”

And there are still projects to consider.

“John Sims Parkway is getting more and more congested,” he said. “I’d like to find a relief valve for that.”

And, he said, “I want to make Niceville a totally walkable city. We’re putting aside $500,000 a year for sidewalks. It’s a good target to hit.”

Bay Life’s “Hometown Heroes” are sponsored by Northwest Florida State College. To read about more Hometown Hero graduates or for more information, call 850.837.8880 or visit nwfsc.edu.

On October 19th, 2020, Betty Joyce Thomas, one of the four founders of Rocky Bayou Christian School, passed away. Many students expressed respect and appreciation for her influence on their lives. One former student penned, “To some who crossed her path, Joyce Thomas was just an English teacher who left critical marks penned in red ink upon quizzes and essays that were not quite up to par. Yet to students who heeded her instruction and responded to her red ink by correcting their ways, they were destined to possess a greater appreciation for who she was and were much more likely to notice the valuable fingerprint she left on their lives.” – Bobby Grete

One valuable fingerprint she left behind was her respect for the written word. She often led her students on literary adventures through the writings of Mark Twain, Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, J.R. Tolkien and L.M. Montgomery. Most knew her for her love of Shakespeare, but there were a select few who had the privilege of listening to her read the Chronicles of Narnia, a favorite series of novels. A group of former students and friends rallied together to donate a classroom set in her honor to the Saxon Library at Rocky Bayou Christian School to begin the AY 2021-22 school year. May her love of good literature live on as students read these wonderful books.

The history of Rocky Bayou Christian school began in 1973 when God revealed to Harold and Joyce Thomas and Bob and Katherine Grete that they were to establish a Christian school in Northwest Florida that would teach that parents are responsible for the education of their children, and that God commands Christian parents to provide their children with an education based upon biblical principles. (rbcs.org)