Photos: NHS Band, Dance Team, Cheerleaders
November 18, 2012
For a photo gallery featuring the Northview High band and dance team during Friday night’s playoff win over Cottondale, click here.
For a game action summary, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Seniors Win: Northview Holds Manna Food Drive
November 17, 2012
Northview High School recently participated in the Escambia County School District’s Manna Food Drive.
A competition was held between the grade levels during the week leading up to the Chiefs versus West Florida High School Jaguars football game. Each grade level showed their support for Manna and the Chiefs football team by “Canning the Jags”.
The senior class won the competition by collecting the most cans and non-perishable food item for the drive.
Pictured above: The senior class at Northview High School collected the most items for a Manna Food Drive during a week-long competition. Pictured below: Some of the food collected for Manna. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Resident César González Becomes U.S. Citizen
November 15, 2012
Century resident César González is one of America’s newest citizens. He was one of 83 people to take the citizenship oath recently at the federal courthouse in Pensacola.
César is a native of Colombia, South America, and has been in the United States for nine years. He and his wife, Century Town Clerk Leslie Gonzalez, moved to Century in 2010.
His path to citizenship took seven years. César was already a permanent resident, so the only tangible benefit he received with his citizenship was the right to vote.
Pictured top: New American citizen César González (holding certificate) took the oath of citizenship recently at the federal courthouse in Pensacola. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Inside A Trial By Fire (With Photo Gallery)
November 13, 2012
Completing a 160-hour training course to become a certified volunteer firefighter is nothing like being in a classroom when the final exam becomes a flaming reality.
For a newbie volunteer, being told that you will sit on the floor of an abandoned home as a fire is lit and you will experience a “rollover” can be unnerving. In a rollover, hot gases at the ceiling level begin to ignite and “tongues” of flame begin to lick above your head. It’s a step that often precedes a “flashover” — one of the most feared phenomena among firefighters where hot gases explode into flames at or above 1,000 degrees. A flashover is often the deadly point of no return for anyone in a room — including firefighters.
Saturday morning in Atmore, dozens of firefighters gathered for a “live burn”, where an abandoned house was to be burned to the ground as part of a training exercise. For volunteers from Nokomis and Appleton, it was the final part of their 160-hour certification with the help of the Atmore and Poarch fire departments.
For a photo gallery from the firefighter training, click here.
For a photo gallery of the home burning, click here.
The day started with baseline medical checks of volunteers and last minute safety briefings. Then it was time to suit up and heat things up.
As firefighters put on their breathing apparatus, the fear in one firefighter’s eyes became apparent. Her eyes flashed nervously about the crowd. She had been fighting a bit of claustrophobia throughout the classroom portion of the training. There was no more hiding it from her fellow volunteers. Coupled with the embarrassment, it became even worse. Off the came the breathing mask, as other firefighters tried to assure her that it was all going to be OK.
She was devastated, concerned that perhaps her days in the fire department were over. She was reassured that firefighters do much more than race into burning buildings, and there would be a place for her in the department. Volunteers, she was told, are needed to drive trucks, run pumping equipment, help the injured at car accidents, run medical calls — the list just goes on and on for those willing to volunteer their time.
The volunteer firefighters were divided into three groups for their first live burn experience. Some laughed, joked and posed for pictures in their new, clean gear before going into their first house fire. Others stood quietly, shuffling on their feet and wringing their hands.
They moved inside, and sat shoulder to shoulder on the living room floor of the abandoned wood frame home. In the next room, through open French doors, instructors lit a fire.
Slowly, the fire began to smoke, flames dancing higher and higher in the corner of the room. The new volunteers watched with apprehension as the flames reached the ceiling. Outside the home, old single pane glass windows began to creak and pop from the heat. Smoke began to roll from under the eaves of the room. Even the spiders began evacuate, dropping on the ground around the house.
Thick smoke began to layer down toward the firefighters. Slowly, the rollover began. Tongues of fire began to appear in the smoke, licking along the ceiling above their heads as the fire was quickly brought under control to prevent a flashover.
Three groups took part in the experience. As the last group exited the burning house, the volunteer that had experienced the bout with claustrophobia exited and pulled off her face mask to the applause of her firefighter family. She had beaten the fear, and beaten the trial by fire.
For a photo gallery from the firefighter training, click here.
For a photo gallery of the home burning, click here.
Pictured top and bottom inset: Firefighter trainees inside a burning home in Atmore. Pictured top inset: The home on Carver Avenue was burnt to the ground as part of the exercise. Pictured below: Firefighters train on hose usage. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: Honoring Veterans With A Parade
November 13, 2012
Veterans Day obeisances were held across the area Monday, including a parade attended by thousands in Pensacola that ended at the Veterans Memorial Park and the Wall South.
For a photo gallery from the Pensacola Veterans Day Parade, click here.
Pictured top: The Tate High School Army JROTC marches in Pensacola’s Veterans Day Parade Monday morning. Pictured inset: The parade ended at the Wall South. Photos by Cheryl Casey Photography for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: NHS Band, Dance Team, NJROTC; West Florida Band
November 12, 2012
For a photo gallery featuring the Northview High band, dance team and NJROTC, and the West Florida High band, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Correctional, Forest Service Hold Trail Ride For Special Olympics
November 12, 2012
Century Correctional Institute and the Florida’s Forestry Service partnered for a recent trail ride to benefit Florida Special Olympics.
Riders with about 65 horses and five wagons with teams turned out for the first annual trail ride, which was followed by an auction. The event raised a total of $2,350 for Special Olympics. Organizers said a bigger and better event is being planned for next year.
Donations for the event included: one free shoulder mount from Cooper Taxidermy in Pace, a rifle scope from Mike’s Gun Shop in Jay, gift certificates from Circle J Western Wear in Chumuckla and Penton’s Farm Supply, halters and harnesses from Cantonment Feed, and handheld radios from S&K Communications in Century.’
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: Northview Senior Night
November 11, 2012
Northview High School honored senior members of the football team, cheerleaders, dance team and NJROTC during Senior Night.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured top: Northview senior football player Chad Smith along with his mother Tammy Smith and brother Cody Smith during Senior Night activities. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Photos: Northview, West Florida Cheerleaders, Mini Dance Team
November 11, 2012
For a photo gallery with the Northview and West Florida cheerleaders and Northview’s special mini Dance team, click here.
For cheerleader and mini dance team photos, click here.
(Band photos will be published Monday)
For a game summary and action photo, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
First Baptist Bratt Is Operation Christmas Child Central
November 11, 2012
Volunteers will be busy for the next week at the First Baptist Church of Bratt during “National Collection Week” for Operation Christmas Child. For the 18th year, the simple, gift-filled shoe boxes will bring Christmas joy and evangelistic materials to children in over 130 countries across the world.
National Collection Week for OCC is November 12-19, 2012. The First Baptist Church of Bratt will be the official OCC Relay Center for the north end of Escambia County, Florida, and Escambia County, Alabama, again this year.
“This is not about the FBC of Bratt”, says Student Pastor and Relay Center Coordinator Tim Hawsey. “Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational non-profit organization that has mission’s opportunities all over the world. This is about being a blessing and bringing God’s love and hope to children in poverty around the world that would not receive it otherwise. We have gone through the intense process of been approved as a church to be a Relay Center to collect the boxes from individuals, families, and churches of our area, document and pack them into special cartons and take them to the next level for Samaritan’s Purse, and we are blessed to do it.”
Collection hours at the First Baptist Church of Bratt will from 9 a.m. until noon each day through November 19.
Operation Christmas Child boxes should be packed in a specific manner. For more information, call Hawsey at the First Baptist Church of Bratt at (850) 327-6529, visit www.samaritanspurse.org/occ, or call (800) 353-5949.