Grand Opening Held For New Ernest Ward Middle School
October 7, 2015
An official grand opening and ribbon cutting was held Tuesday for the newly rebuilt Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill.
The modern $20 million facility, funded by the half-cent sales tax, replaced a a campus that was among the oldest in the district.
“Many Ernest Ward students before you have already established that you should study hard, working to prepare yourself for the next big thing that is going to happen in your life,” School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas told the student body and invited guests. “To help you do that, the school district has presented you with a brand new, state of the art middle school.”
“Everybody deserves the opportunity to go to new once in their life,” District 5 school board member Bill Slayton said. “You are in a great facility.”
Architect Mike Marshall told the nearly 500 Ernest Ward students to make good use of the building. He challenged the students to always do their best, and work to get their photo on NorthEscambia.com for a positive accomplishment.
Tiffany Bates from of the office of Congressman Jeff Miller presented a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in honor of the school’s grand opening.
Students moved into the Ernest Ward back in January so classes continue while the old school was demolished.
The oldest buildings at Ernest Ward, including the main classroom wing, were constructed in 1945 to replace a campus ravaged by fire in 1943. That old school had been constructed to replace an Ernest Ward School that first opened in a log cabin in 1896.
Ernest Ward graduate Billy Ward, who later served as a longtime probate judge in Escambia County, was a special guest at Tuesday’s ribbon cutting. He is the nephew of the Ernest Ward for which the school was named.
Ward remembers the day in 1943 that smoke billowed toward the sky from what was then the campus of Ernest Ward on Arthur Brown Road, near the site of the modern day grain elevator. “I rode my bicycle as hard as I could to get over there and see what happened,” he said. “It just burnt to the ground.”
Classes for the remainder of 1943 and 1944 were held in the school gym, located across Arthur Brown Road and untouched by the fire.
“They divided the gym up and we finished school there,” Ward explained, “before they open the new school here (on Highway 97) in 1945. It was nice back then.”
“But this is something else now,” Ward said Tuesday of the new facility. “It has everything the students need.”
Pictured top and upper inset: The grand opening ribbon cutting at Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill on Tuesday. Pictured bottom inset: Ernest Ward graduate and former probate judge Billy Ward. Pictured below: Ernest Ward students, many wearing pink fore breast cancer awareness, listen to the grand opening ceremony. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Names Homecoming Court; Plans Parade, Lunch, Pep Rally
October 7, 2015
It’s homecoming week at Northview High School, culminating Friday with a parade, the naming of class maids and homecoming queen, and football against Liberty County.
The parade will line up on the campus of Bratt Elementary School beginning at noon Friday. The parade will begin at Bratt Elementary at 12:45 p.m. and end with a pep rally in the Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium at Northview High. (The general public should not enter the Bratt Elementary campus.)
A homecoming meal will available Friday from 10 a.m. until from the football concession stand to support the Tommy Weaver Scholarship Fund. The $7 meal will include a BBQ pulled pork sandwich, chips, cookies and drink. To reserve lunch, call (850) 327-6681 ext. 248 or tickets are available in the Northview front office. Checks should be made payable to the NHS FFA Alumni.
Friday night homecoming festivities will begin at 6:00 Friday with presentation of the class maids and queen, with game kickoff set for 7 p.m. The class floats will be presented at halftime, and homecoming week winners will be announced.
Pictured: The 2015 Northview High School Homecoming Court – Morgan Myrick, junior; Brittanie McClemore, junior; Autumn Albritton, junor; Amber Freeman, senior; Celeste North, sophomore; Savanna Roux, senior; Anna Nelson, sophomore; Jadlyn Agerton, senior; Jerni Crabtree, sophomore; Danielle Robinson, senior; Gabrielle Kline, freshman; Madison Sherouse, freshman; and Ashtyn Carnley, freshman. Not pictured: Jessica Amerson, senior. Pictured below: Seniors Amber Freeman, Savannah Roux, Jadlyn Agerton and Danielle Robinson. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate High Graduate Appears On ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’
October 6, 2015
Tate High School graduate Matthew Bailey appeared during ” on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” Monday night. He didn’t bring home the million, but did win $20,000. Bailey is a 2013 honors graduate from Tate High School. Images courtesy @MillionaireTV for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jay Royals Name Homecoming Court, Set Activities
October 6, 2015
It’s homecoming week for the Jay High School Royals.
Named to the homecoming court were: (L-R) Hannah Vaughn, junior; Kennedy Salter, senior; Alaina Smith, senior; Savannah Dubose, senior; Jenna Thornton, senior; Anna-Grace Smith, sophomore; and Maci Holt, freshman.
The schedule of events for the week includes:
- Lion’s Roar – Thursday, 9:30 a.m., auditorium. Queen will be crowned at this event.
- Pep Rally – Thursday, 1 p.m., Merle V. North Stadium.
- Parade – Friday, 2 p.m., Downtown Jay
- Pre-Game Festivities – Friday, 6 p.m., stadium
- Game – Friday, 7 p.m., Theme: “Wipe Out the Hornets!”
- Dance – Saturday, 8-11 p.m., Jay Community Center
- Powder Puff Football Game – Monday, October 12, 7 p.m., stadium
Photo courtesy Junia Fischer, Photos by Fischer for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Park Community Helpers Day (With Photo Gallery)
October 6, 2015
Molino Park Elementary School held a “Community Helpers Day” recently for students to learn about some of people that are hard at work, often behind the scenes, in the Molino area.
The event includes personnel and equipment from Escambia County EMS, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, the Pensacola Police Department, the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, LifeFlight, and J. Miller Construction Company.
Pictured top: Escambia County Deputy Jason Land and his K-9 Edo answer questions during Community Helpers Day at Molino Park Elementary. Pictured: An Escambia Fire Rescue firefighter from Molino’s Station 18 answers questions and give a truck tour. Photos by Kayla Bedell for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bonus Photos: NHS Band, Dance Team, NJROTC, Cheerleaders
October 5, 2015
For a game action photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge
Thousands Attend Jay Peanut Festival (With Photo Gallery)
October 4, 2015
The annual Jay Peanut Festival attracted thousands to the Gabbert Farm Saturday.
For more than 20 years, The Jay Peanut Festival at the Gabbert Farm has been a fall tradition on the Gulf Coast, showcasing the history, agriculture, food and fun of Santa Rosa County. What started as a chance for local kids and farmers to show off their best of the season has become an annual event covering 15 acres and drawing about 70,000 people to the Gabbert farm over two days.
The event included tours of the 1930s Farm Museum, food booths, dozens of arts and crafts vendors, pony rides, games and fun. The Jay Peanut Festival was also a chance to try all varieties of peanuts – boiled, green, fried, candied and more.
Admission is free from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on the finale day of the festival on Sunday. The Gabbert farm is located at 3604 Pine Level Road.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Michele Gibbs, click to enlarge.
UWF Pre-Vet Society Volunteers At Panhandle Equine Rescue
October 4, 2015
The University of West Florida Pre-Vet Society volunteered at Panhandle Equine Rescue in Cantonment Saturday morning. The students spent the morning working on grooming and barn chores.
The only horse rescue in Escambia County, Panhandle Equine Rescue was founded by a small group of concerned citizens with a mission to rescue, rehabilitate and provide adoption services for abused, neglected and abandoned equines. PER is authorized by the court system to investigate equine cruelty in Escambia County.
For more information on Panhandle Equine Rescue and how to donate to the organization contact Diane Lowery at rlowery@panhandle.rr.com or visit www.panhandleequinerescue.org to print a foster application.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Breast Cancer Walk Held In Cantonment
October 4, 2015
The Second Annual Community Breast Cancer Walk was held Saturday morning at the Carver Park on Webb Street in Cantonment. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
UF Celebrates 50 Years Of Gatorade
October 3, 2015
The research question posed to University of Florida professor J. Robert Cade, M.D., and his research fellows in 1965 was a simple one: Why were so many Gator football players getting sick in the unrelenting Florida heat?
“That question changed our lives,” Cade would later tell reporters, because the answer led him and his team to develop an innovative product that forever changed athletic performance, launched a new industry, helped people suffering from dehydration and sparked a legacy of innovation that persists at UF today — Gatorade.
This year marks 50 years since Cade and his team — Dana Shires, M.D.; Jim Free, M.D.; and Alejandro de Quesada, M.D. — concocted the mixture of water, electrolytes and lemon juice that ultimately became UF’s most famous invention.
At the time Gatorade was invented, the researchers’ goal was simply to develop something to help the Gator football team stay hydrated in the heat.
“Several football players were in the emergency room because of heat stroke,” said de Quesada, who noted that Gatorade was a side project for the team, which at the time was more focused on the bourgeoning use of hemodialysis and kidney transplantation. “The concept at the time was that if you were engaged in strenuous exercise, you could not drink water because it caused vomiting. The idea was if you create a solution and give it to the players, they would be hydrated much faster.
“We came up with a solution that could be absorbed quickly. It was very simple.”
With the permission of then-UF coach Ray Graves, the researchers tested the beverage on the Gators’ “B” team. Although the taste took some time to be perfected, the results of the fledgling sports drink were promising and seemed to help the team on the field. By 1966, the Gators had an 8-2 regular season record and had won the Orange Bowl for the first time, and many thought Gatorade played a role in that success. The Florida Times-Union famously wrote “One Lil’ Swig of That Kickapoo Juice and Biff, Bam, Sock — It’s Gators, 8-2.”
Today, Gatorade, now owned by PepsiCo, is the official sports drink of the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and more. Within UF, the invention of Gatorade has cultivated another lasting legacy — a culture of innovation. The example set by Gatorade’s inventors has influenced generations of Gator researchers to be persistent in their pursuit of discovery and to aim big.
“What Bob Cade did for the university was make everyone else realize that someone working quietly on something interesting and relevant to them could make a difference,” said Nikolaus Gravenstein, M.D., the Jerome H. Modell, M.D., professor of anesthesiology in the UF College of Medicine. “You could be in any discipline and make a difference.
“It is one of our reasons our UF Office of Technology and Licensing is the size it is, because there are so many people who say ‘I can do that, too.’”
Mark Segal, M.D., Ph.D., the J. Robert Cade professor of medicine and division chief of nephrology, hypertension and renal transplantation in the College of Medicine, said Cade’s work has influenced many in his division.
“I truly believe this division is innovative, and that innovation has its origins with Dr. Cade,” Segal said. “He never accepted the status quo. We shouldn’t accept the status quo, either.”
Royalties from Gatorade also have funded more than $250 million in research projects across the university and notably within the College of Medicine, where Cade was a faculty member in the department of medicine division of nephrology, hypertension and renal transplantation until his death in 2007.
In 2014, UF Health researcher Michael Lauzardo, M.D., received $200,000 from the Gatorade Trust to open a tuberculosis lab in Gressier, Haiti. Haiti has the worst rate of tuberculosis infection in the western hemisphere. At the lab, UF researchers are performing rapid diagnostic tests to more quickly diagnose patients, training Haitian lab technicians to perform these tests and conducting research to answer crucial questions related to the transmission of the disease and why some strains have become resistant to well-known treatments.
“We want to move research forward and address how to best provide drug-resistant TB therapy in a difficult environment, how to best get specimens to a lab, and how to get people who live in remote areas complicated lifesaving therapy. This is an area where Haiti can be a leader,” said Lauzardo, director of the Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center, chief of the UF division of infectious diseases and global medicine and a member of the Emerging Pathogens Institute. “Gatorade’s funding has helped us do something novel and unique and efficient that moves research forward.”
Gatorade royalties have funded many pilot projects throughout UF, helping researchers get their work off the ground or establish labs. One such project that has come to full fruition is the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, which received a $30,000 grant from Gatorade to assist with its opening in 1974. Although the grant was small, the seed funding has paid off in big ways. Researchers at the Whitney Lab, located by the Atlantic Ocean in St. Augustine, Florida, specialize in understanding marine creatures to benefit human health.
For example, in 2014, Whitney researcher Leonid Moroz, Ph.D., became the first scientist to conduct genome sequencing of fragile marine creatures, such as rare comb jellies, in real time while aboard a ship. Because of their delicate bodies, these creatures cannot be safely shipped to the lab, so the researchers brought the lab to them. The research could lead to better understanding of the mechanisms at work in these creatures and could lead to new drug discoveries.
Gatorade’s influence also has spawned numerous discoveries at UF benefiting sports medicine. Gravenstein and his team developed air-cooled football pads to combat heat illness in athletes. The technology is now used in the NFL. Other UF researchers such as Jay Clugston, M.D., in the College of Medicine, are studying ways to prevent and reduce concussions in athletes.
“(Gatorade) infected people with the spirit of discovery,” Gravenstein said. “I am convinced the best is yet to come.”
For de Quesada, looking back on the invention he, Cade, Shires and Free devised five decades ago, what makes him the most proud is Gatorade’s use off the field, helping children recover from dehydration caused by vomiting and diarrhea.
“Babies, used to die because of severe diarrhea and vomiting. There was little they could do. With the use of Gatorade, that problem was solved,” he said. “We never claimed that Gatorade is a medication. But it can be used to hydrate people who need hydration for medical reasons. That is one of the great satisfactions I have, is how many lives it has saved.”