Ransom Middle Shoe Drive Far Exceeds Goal To Help Train Service Dogs For Veterans
February 23, 2019
Ransom Middle School more than tripled their goal in a recent shoe drive.
They had set a goal to collect 100 pairs of shoes to benefit Healing Paws for Warriors, a group that rescues shelter dogs and trains them to become service dogs for veterans.
But the shoes just kept walking in. Pair after pair after pair.
When the counting was done, the 35 students that started Kicks for a Cause had collected 366 pairs of shoes.
Kicks for a Cause is a shoe drive created by librarian Crystal Roberts and her student book club members for Acts of Kindness Week. Healing Paws will receive $10 for every 25 pairs of donated shoes, helping the organization with the $5,000 cost to train a service dog.
The donated shoes will also be used to help needy people in 24 Third World countries.
The students held a small event Friday morning to announce their results and to thank students and the community for the donations, and to thank WEAR 3 and NorthEscambia.com for supporting the shoe drive with media coverage.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
A Very Special Mardi Gras Parade (With Photo Gallery)
February 23, 2019
A very special Mardi Gras parade was held Friday morning for the special needs students of Escambia Westgate School.
With plenty of beads, Moon Pies, stuffed animals and smiles, the parade rolled through the school parking lot for students that might not otherwise be able to attend a regular Mardi Gras parade.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate High School Names Students Of The Month
February 21, 2019
Tate High School has named their Students of the Month for January. They are Carter Pitts and Jordan Baker-Williams. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Celebrates National FFA Week With Breakfast
February 20, 2019
FFA members at Northview High School are celebrating National FFA Week with a variety of events.
Tuesday morning, the FFA officers and members prepared a homestyle breakfast for teachers, staff and invited guests that support the FFA program. Northview’s FFA program has been recognized as one of the top chapters in both the state and the nation.
For more photos, click to enlarge.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview, Tate FFA Horse And Livestock Teams Compete
February 19, 2019
The horse judging and livestock teams from the Northview High FFA and Tate High FFA competed recently for a chance to advance to the state finals.
Northview’s horse judging team placed 12th out of 58 teams during the state preliminaries at the Florida State Fair in Tampa and will advance to the state finals in Gainesville in April. Team members are Olivia Porter, Autumn Williams, Destiny Cleckler and Brooke Doolittle.
Northview’s livestock team placed 40th out of 79 teams. Team members are Raeleigh Woodfin, Kelley Merchant, Stewart Woodfin and Amber Gilman.
Competing for Tate’s livestock judging teams were Kylar Smith, Keaton Fuqua, Laura Alexander, Raven Hollis, Lindsay Von Stein and coach Melissa Gibbs.
Tate’s horse judging team also took part. Team members are Jessica Conti, Hannah Thorne, Emily Freeman, Katherine Cavanaugh and coach Erin Lawall.
Pictured top: Northview’s horse judge team. Pictured below: Tate horse judging team. Pictured bottom: Tate’s livestock team. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jim Allen Elementary Names Students Of The Month
February 19, 2019
Jim Allen Elementary School has named Kinzy Cutler and Cade Weaver as Students of the Month. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Students Place In Regional Science Fair
February 16, 2019
Two Ernest Ward Middle School students placed in the 2019 West Panhandle Regional Science and Engineering Fair at the University of West Florida.
They were:
Kelsey Boykin- Chemistry
1st place Overall Junior Division
Dr. B.H. Daughdrill, Special Award ($50 cash and certificate)
Dr. John P. Riehm Memorial Special Award, ($50 cash and certificate)
Society for Science & the Public-Broadcom Foundation Special Award (Certificate, letter of invite to register for 2019 Broadcom Masters national competition, t-shirt)
State Fair Finalists – representing EWMS at Lakeland FL. , March 26-March 29
Boykin’s project “Rainbow of pHacts” compared the pH level of beverages such as cola, milk and apple jucice to determine which was the lowest (most acidic).
Judson Lee – Engineering and Material Sciences
3rd place overal, Junior Division
Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, Special Award ($25 gift card & Certificate)
REMG Aviation, Special Award, ($25 gift card & Certificate)
Lee’s project “Which Shape of Parachute is the Best?”. He hypothesized that a rectangular parachute would descend slower than other shapes. He discovered that a round parachute actually had the slowest descent velocity.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Beulah Elementary School Students Write Letters Of Support To Navy Recruits
February 10, 2019
Beulah Elementary School participated in a writing project to promote individual student support focused on creating happiness and motivation within U.S. Navy recruits beginning basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois.
The writing project was established in January 2018 after being proposed by a Beulah student as an idea for an assignment. Other Beulah students eagerly supported the idea and wanted to help by providing emotional support to the recruits, while also learning the formalities of writing letters.
The writing project was administered by one of Beulah’s teachers, Krystal Gibson, to her fifth grade class. The assignment consisted of the student sharing information about themselves, transitioning into words of support for those who serve their country, followed by questions about the recruits’ life and goals. Each letter closed with at least two jokes to make the recruits smile and boost morale.
Capt. Kertreck Brooks, commanding officer of the Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center (NETPDC), accompanied by Command Master Chief Gregory Prichard, paid a visit to the class.
“My visit is motivated by my devotion to helping Navy recruits adapt to the sudden life changes they’ll experience in boot camp,” said Brooks, who previously served as the executive officer of Recruit Training Command from February 2013 to June 2015. “It’s important for me to express my appreciation to the students for their participation and thoughtfulness towards the Navy recruits.”
As a former executive officer, Brooks was able to provide details to the class about recruit life. He explained that recruits begin each day at 6 a.m. with continuous training lasting until 10 p.m. He also shared how exhausting Navy recruit training is physically and mentally, especially with the lack of emotional support from friends and family.
One of the descriptive points Brooks emphasized was the procedure that takes place when the new recruit arrives at the Great Lakes recruit training facility.
“Upon arrival, all recruits are allowed to make one final phone call home to their family, then all of their personal belongings, including their cell phones are boxed up and mailed home,” said Brooks. “The only form of communication left is through mail, which makes Mail Call a special event for recruits.”
Brooks went on to tell the students how their letters would now become a welcomed addition to that special event and add greatly to the emotional support of the recruits. The students were then invited to read their letters to the class, followed by a question and answer session.
Photo courtesy Julian Huff/U.S. Navy for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: February Tips
February 9, 2019
Here are gardening tips for the month of February from your local Extension Service:
Flowers
- Re-fertilize cool season flowerbeds, using a liquid or granular form of fertilizer. Be careful not to apply excessive amounts and keep granules away from the base of stems.
- Prepare flowerbeds for spring planting by adding and incorporating soil amendments like mushroom compost, manure or homemade compost. Till or spade the bed to incorporate the amendments with the existing soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Allow the prepared bed to lie undisturbed for 3 to 4 weeks before planting. This provides time for some important biological activity to take place, and new plants are less likely to suffer from stem and root rots as a result. Have a soil test done. Sometimes lime is needed. However, a lime application should be made only if the need is revealed by the test.
- Replenish mulch in flowerbeds.
- Prune rose bushes.
Trees and Shrubs
- February is possible the best month for rejuvenation of old, overgrown shrubs. When pruned now, plants have an entire growing season to recover.
- Prune summer flowering deciduous shrubs such as Althea and Hibiscus. Since they flower on current season’s growth, flowering can actually be enhanced by proper pruning
- Do NOT prune the spring flowering shrubs yet. Azaleas, Spiraeas and Forsythia flower during early spring because buds were formed last summer and fall. Pruning in February would therefore remove most of the flower buds.
- Cold damaged trees and shrubs should NOT be pruned until new growth appears. You want to preserve as much healthy plant material as possible.
- Replenish mulch in shrub beds
- Finish planting ornamental and fruit trees.
Fruits and Nuts
- Fertilize established pecan trees. Use a “special pecan fertilizer” that contains zinc. Use 2 lbs. for every year of age of the tree up to a maximum of 55 lbs. Broadcast the fertilizer evenly beneath the tree.
- Fertilize established peach, plum, pear, persimmon, apple and fig. Apply about 1 ½ lbs of a 10-10-10 (or similar) fertilizer for each year of age of the tree until a maximum of 10 to 15 lbs. per tree is reached.
- Blueberries are very sensitive to nitrogen and can be killed easily, particularly when they are young. Fertilize only if your goal is to increase yield or berry size. An annual application of 2 ounces of a special “azalea/camellia” or “special blueberry” type fertilizer per plant in February is ample fertilizer on 2-year-old plants.
- Prune muscadine grapes between mid-February to mid-March. A standard method is to allow 2 to 4 node spurs spaced every 6 inches of cordon. You may notice that pruning cuts bleed, but there is no evidence that this is injurious to the vine.
- Grapes (bunch and muscadine) should be fertilized at the rate of 1 ½ lbs of 10-10-10 for each year of age with a maximum of 5 lbs per plant applied in late February.
- Last call for planting fruit trees! Most fruit trees such as pecans, plums, persimmons, figs, peaches and nectarines are shipped bare roots and should be planted during the dormant season.
- Apply a spray containing horticultural oils emulsion to dormant fruit trees and ornamental shrubs. Follow label directions carefully.
Vegetable Garden
- Several winter vegetables can still be successfully grown by starting them this month. Plant beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive/escarole, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard, parsley, English peas, radish and turnips.
- Plant Irish potatoes. Purchase certified seed potatoes rather than using the grocery store kinds. Use 2-ounce seed pieces with eyes and plant them 3 to 4 inches deep.
- Prepare spring vegetable and herb beds for planting by adding and incorporating soil amendments like mushroom compost, manure or homemade compost. Wait 3 to 4 weeks before planting.
Lawns
- Hold off on fertilizing the lawn. It is still too early for an application of nitrogen containing product. Cold temperatures and lack of plant response would likely result in wasted fertilizer. However, your winter weeds would benefit greatly.
Escambia Fire Rescue Smoke Detector Program Credited For Saving Life In House Fire
February 9, 2019
It’s a story that could play out anywhere in Escambia County.
Sometimes things have a way of coming together, even in the worst of circumstances.
When Escambia County Fire Rescue installed a smoke detector in a home on Herron Villon Lane a year ago, they had no way of knowing that it would help save a man’s life.
A fire broke out overnight in the residence, with flames ultimately consuming the home and making it a total loss. The elderly resident was asleep in his bed, but thankfully the smoke detector installed by ECFR last year woke him. Between being asleep at the time of the fire and having significant mobility issues, he said there’s no way he would have escaped without it.
ECFR crews arrived on scene to find the resident partially outside of the home. They were able to move him to a safe location, where he was then transported by Escambia County EMS to Baptist Hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, Escambia County Emergency Communications Supervisor Shenae Maxwell was having trouble sleeping and decided to step outside. She saw the glow of the fire, called 911, drove to the location and provided the address and information to dispatchers. Since Maxwell is used to taking 911 calls, she was able to provide valuable information from the scene for her colleagues on the other end of the line.
Fire crews were able to bring the fire under control less than an hour after arriving on scene.
If you live in Escambia County and do not have a working smoke detector, call (850) 595-HERO (4376) for a free one. City of Pensacola residents can call (850) 436-5200 for smoke detector installation assistance.
