Lights, Cameras, Reading: Byrneville Elementary Students Are Real Stars
February 2, 2009
The students at Byrneville Elementary School received the star treatment Friday as they dressed up for glamour shot photo sessions in preparation for a big Hollywood event Tuesday night.
Hollywood will come to the school as the red carpet will be rolled out, a movie will hit the big screen and parents will learn about making their student a star.
It’s all about reading at Byrneville. At Tuesday’s opening night Hollywood event, the students will watch the movie will kindergarten to second grade parents will learn about a new reading series. Parents of third, fourth and fifth graders will learn more about how to help their child succeed on the upcoming FCAT.
During Friday’s photo shoot, the children dressed up in fancy dresses, coats and jackets, jewelry, sunglasses and more “glam” items. The children will write about their favorite book on a star. Their glamour photo will be added to the star, the stars will be hanging in the hallways (the “walk of fame”) when parents arrive Tuesday night.
All of the events are taking place in conjunction with the school’s book fair that is themed “Reading Makes You a Star”. During the day Tuesday, the students are encouraged to come dressed up like movie stars or in other glamorous fashion.
From 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Byrneville parents can visit the book fair with their child. At 6:00, the students will go to the cafeteria for a movie, and their parents will be split up for the their learning sessions.
You will find pictures of a couple of ducks in the photo gallery…those are Bob and Bess, Byrneville’s conversation ducks. Every morning, they have a new Post-it note on them outside the school office. The children read the sticky notes to learn the latest in the continuing drama of Bob and Bess. It is another tool Byrneville Elementary uses to encourage reading.
Pictured above: Byrneville student Chloe Smith gets treated like a star during a glamour shot photo session Friday morning. Pictured inset: Several young ladies pick out the perfect jewelry for their photo shoot. Pictured below: Jared Jeter poses for his photo shoot. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
January Students Of The Month Named At Area Schools
February 2, 2009
Students of the Month have been named for January at schools across North Escambia by The Escambia Association for Administrators in Education.
Area Students of the Month are:
- Bratt Elementary: Jordyn A. Dionne, kindergarten; Peighton D. Dortch, fourth grade.
- Carver/Century K-8: Destiney P. Bradley, kindergarten; Jayden C. Jackson, kindergarten.
- Jim Allen Elementary: Brandon K. Curtis, first grade; Garrett P. Donalson, first grade.
- Ernest Ward Middle: Danielle S. Suggs, sixth grade; Justin L. Halteman, eighth grade.
- Ransom Middle: Megan T. Light, eighth grade; Nakeem D. Williams, eighth grade.
- Northview High: Clinton E. Davis, 11th grade; Kaitlyn N. Caraway, 11th grade.
Pictured above: January Students of the Month are Northview High School were Clint Davis (L) and Kaitlyn Caraway. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com
Purchase Historic Chicago Obama Newspapers, Benefit Relay For Life
January 28, 2009
You can own a piece of American history and support Relay for Life at the same time. NorthEscambia.com is giving you a chance to purchase Obama Inauguration coverage newspapers from Chicago.
The January 21 newspapers — Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, and USA Today special edition — are being sold at the Country Bumpkin in Century. All proceeds will benefit the NorthEscambia.com American Cancer Society Relay for Life team. The newspapers were purchased in Chicago and flown back to Pensacola in pristine condition.
We are also auctioning off a complete set of Chicago newspapers from January 21 – Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, and USA Today special edition, and The Herald News — in an online auction.
The Chicago Sun-Times features a full front page color photo of Obama raising his right hand with the headline “So Help Me God”. The Chicago Tribune has full page color Inauguration photo and the headline “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and being the work of remaking America”. The USA Today special edition was a limited run paper that is sold out nationwide. It is not the regular daily edition that was available locally. The Herald News has a full page color photo of Obama with the headline “President Barack Obama Face of Change”.
Each paper, except for the rare The Heralds News, is $15 for the first newspaper and $10 for each additional paper. There are limited number of the papers available, so if you want to own this piece of American history, you must be among the first to visit the Country Bumpkin in Century. Chicago is important in Obama’s history because while in Chicago he worked as a civil rights lawyer, activist and was eventually elected to the U.S. Senate prior to launching his campaign from Chicago.
We are auctioning off a complete set including one each of the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, and USA Today special edition, and The Herald News. To bid on the complete set of these historic collectible newspapers, send your name, phone number and the amount of your bid to news@northescambia.com. Bids will be accepted until midnight February 3. We will update the high bid amount daily here on NorthEscambia.com. Shipping is available for an additional charge, otherwise the papers will be claimed in Century at the Country Bumpkin.
The Country Bumpkin is located at 7850 North Century Boulevard in Century.
100 percent of the proceeds from the newspaper sale and auction will go to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
Two Local StudentsPerform In All-County Band
January 27, 2009
Two North Escambia students performed Tuesday night in the 2009 All-County Instrumental Gala tonight at Pensacola High School. Taylor Brook, an Ernest Ward Middle School student, played the trumpet in the All-County Middle School Band. And Briana Halteman, a student at Northview High School, plaed the flute in the school district’s All-County High School Band.
Taylor and Briana are the only North Escambia students in the All-County bands.
This is not an honor to be taken lightly. The All-County honors bands perform in the Instrumental Gala that is sponsored by the Florida Band Masters Association. Students are allowed to audition for a seat in the band. The students’ audition is judged by local band directors that sit with their backs to the student so that the students are graded solely by their talent, technique and tone. Each student is required to play a prepared piece of music, five major scales in under two minutes, a chromatic scale and sight-reading – where the students have to play a random piece of music placed in front of them.
Charles Tucker serves as band director for both Northview and Ernest Ward. He worked to prepare both young ladies for their performances tonight.
In September, Taylor received the music and scales that are required to play at the auditions. She practiced and learned the music and in November, before the Christmas Break, Taylor went to Jim C. Baily Middle School for tryouts. More than 20 students auditioned for the trumpet section of the Honors Band, but there were only 16 positions available. After waiting for two days, Taylor received notice that she had passed the auditions and was now a member of the Honors Band.
After the Christmas break, Taylor attended weekly practices at Jim C. Bailey and Ferry Pass Middle Schools. On Monday, she was in an all-day practice with the other students at Ransom Middle School. She practiced for a half day Tuesday, and then returned Tuesday night for the concert.
“I am excited that I made All-County Band since it is my senior year,,” said Briana, who current serves as the Northview Tribal Beat’s Drum Major.
The conductors this year were Robert W. Smith of Troy University, directing the Middle School Honors Band; Don Snowden of Pensacola Junior College, leading the High School Honors Band; and Andra Bohnet of The University of South Alabama, conducting the Honor orchestra
Taylor is the daughter of Matthew and Connie Brook of McDavid. Briana is the daughter of Lyndon and Norma Halteman of McDavid.
Pictured top: Ernest Ward Middle School student Taylor Brook. Pictured bottom: Northview student Briana Halteman.
Amber Holland Crowned Miss Northview High
January 25, 2009
Miss Amber Holland, a senior, was named Miss Northview High School Saturday night. First Runner Up was Sarah Killam, a sophomore. Second Runner Up was Katie Mann, also a sophomore.
With 32 contestants, the pageant came down to a top eight rather than the traditional top five. Top eight members were: Amber Holland, Sarah Killam, Katie Mann, Felicia Settle, Kayla Hall, Samantha Macks, Amanda Sellars, and Magen Weekly.
Other awards included: Miss Congeniality Courtney Merritt, Miss Hospitality Charleigh McPherson, Miss Physical Fitness Amber Holland, and Miss Poise and Appearance Sarah Killam.
The pageant was sponsored by teachers Anna Barry and Megan Carroll.
Miss Amber Holland was crowned Miss Northview High School tonight. First Runner Up was Sarah Killam, and Second Runner Up was Katie Mann. Pictured below: The girls of the Top 8 and other award winners. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
North Escambia Resident Honored As She Turns 102 Years Old
January 25, 2009
North Escambia resident Elmira Gandy Crapps turned 102 Sunday. Sunday was official designated as Elmira Gandy Crapps Day in the Town of Century.
She was born in Butler County, Alabama, near Georgiana in 1907. Theodore Roosevelt was president. A loaf of bread cost four cents. A gallon of milk was 29 cents. A new Ford? That would set you back 600 bucks.
She moved to a farm with her family in the Gandyville community in 1925, and still lives just down the road from that home.
As of last year, she was still driving, mostly to three places: the Piggly Wiggly for groceries, her church and her hairdresser. She’s still an active member of Poplar Dell Baptist Church, and very quick to give the Lord all the credit for her age and her health.
When asked her secret for a long life, she quickly replied that there was no secret. “It’s good living and a love of God. I’ve been blessed by the Lord and walk with Him,” she said. “The Lord always takes care of me.”
When asked about the biggest change in her lifetime, she said “the way people wear, or don’t wear clothes”.
She never had children, but has “a ton” of nieces and nephews. Her father, John Oxford Gandy lived to the age of 108. In 1973, the Florida Legislature named Gandyville after him. He, by the way, had a first cousin that also lived to be 108.
Saturday afternoon, friends and relatives gathered at Popular Dell Baptist to honor Mrs. Crapps. Century Mayor Freddy McCall presented her with an official proclamation in honor of her birthday, and the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society presented her with a certificate and a copies of a few documents in their collection related to her family.
The only person at Saturday’s celebration that did not seem to think that birthday number 102 was such a big deal was Mrs. Crapps herself.
“Everybody has birthdays,” she said.
Pictured above: 102-year old Elmira Gandy Crapps receives a proclamation in her honor from Century Mayor Freddie McCall Saturday afternoon at Poplar Dell Baptist Church. Pictured inset: North Escambia resident Elmira Gandy Crapps turned 102 Sunday. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Reading First Program, Two North Escambia Schools Honored
January 21, 2009
The Reading First program in Escambia County has been recognized as being in the top 25% in the state of Florida. The Reading First program in North Escambia includes students at Bratt Elementary and Carver/Century K-8 School.
The schools and the 14 Reading First coaches in the district were honored Tuesday night by the Escambia County School Board.
Reading First grants assist schools to implement proven methods of reading instruction in kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms.
The reading coach at Carver/Century K-8 is Lee Cassady, and the reading coach at Bratt Elementary is Tammy Calloway. Molino Park and Byrneville elementary schools are not part of the Reading First program.
Pictured top: Lee Cassady (left), Reading First coach at Carver/Century K-8 and Tammy Calloway (right), Reading First Coach at Bratt Elementary, hard at work in their offices. Pictured above left: Bratt Principal Sheryl Pomeroy accepts the Reading First award on behalf of Bratt. Pictured below: Lee Cassady (white sweater) is congratulated by District 5 School Board member Bill Slayton Tuesday night. Submitted and NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Remembering A Dream And Looking To The Future
January 20, 2009
As people across the area gathered to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, the message in Century was one of both remembrance and hope.
“It is a blessing to see his dream become a reality,” Bishop Johnny Cunningham, pastor of the Beloved AFM Church of God in Selma, Ala., told those gathered to remember Dr. King in Century.
Cunningham (pictured left), a Century native, said that the community should strive to use their talents to serve before death.
“Dr. King had the dream, but we have to run with the dream,” the pastor said, adding that Dr. King’s words were for people any race, not just black Americans. “Don’t go to the cemetery with what God has deposited in you. Don’t die with the talent laying dormant inside of you.”
“What God has placed inside of you is not just for you; it is for somebody else,” he added.
Cunningham told the gathering sponsored by the Century-Flomaton Improvement Association that there is great importance in guiding young people to succeed.
“Some people have not realized that they can live above and beyond their circumstances,” the pastor said. “We can see what a great, great responsibility we have to push this generation forward…There must be something down inside of us that says ‘I can make a change’.”
“He paved the way for a lot of us,” Century Mayor Freddie McCall said of Dr. King’s legacy. King also, the mayor said, paved the way for Barack Obama to be the first black man elected president.
“We need to get behind our new president, Mr. Obama,” McCall said. “The Bible teaches us that we should honor our leaders.”
The day’s events celebrating Dr. King in Century included the presentation of award winners in Century-Flomaton Improvement Association essay contest.
First place in the essay contest went to Charles Houston, 17. Second place was awarded to Ernest Ward Middle School student Natalie Suggs, 13. Third place was given to Kassandra Lett, 17, a junior at Northview High School. Carver/Century student Azeen Grissett, 13, received an honorable mention for his essay “What Dr. King Means to Me”.
Click here for a complete photo gallery from the commemorative ceremony.
Pictured top: Participants in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration join hands while singing “We Shall Overcome”. Pictured below: Essay contest winners: Azeen Grissett, honorable mention; Kassandra Lett, third place; Natasha Suggs, second place; and Charles Houston, first place. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Parade Honors King
January 20, 2009
The annual Century-Flomaton Improvement Association Martin Luther King Jr. Parade rolled through Century Monday morning.
The parade, honoring the late Dr. King, included about a dozen vehicles and wound through the streets of the town.
The parade ended at the Century Community Center on Highway 4 where a community service in honor of Dr. King was held.
In nearby Atmore, the Concerned Citizens of Atmore held their annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade Monday morning. Dozens of units were decorated to honor the slain civil rights leader.
A parade was also held in Flomaton to honor Dr. King on the national holiday in his honor.
Pictured above and below: Photos from the Century-Flomaton Improvement Association Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade Monday morning as it traveled through Century. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Switch To Digital TV Less Than A Month Away; 3,152 DTV Coupons Went To North Escambia
January 18, 2009
The upcoming switch to digital television is less than a month away. In North Escambia, 3,152 free $40 coupons for converter boxes to prepare for the February 17 switch have been ordered.
If you do not have a digital ready television and have not installed a digital converter box, your TV will stop working on February 17 if you do not have cable or satellite. The government was handing out $40 coupons to anyone that asks to help purchase the converter box, but they are gone for now. The best you can do now is get on a waiting list for a coupon.
In Century’s 32535 zip code, 1,146 coupons had been requested as of last week. That’s up from 974 total coupons requested by the second week of December.
In the McDavid/Walnut Hill 32568 zip, 966 coupons had been requested as of last week. That up from 862 coupons that had been requested by the second week of December.
A total of 1,040 coupons had been requested in the Molino 32577 zip by the end of last week. There had been 899 requested by the second week of December.
While those watching satellite or cable television, or those with digital tuner TV will not be required to connect a converter box in order to continue watching their favorite broadcast stations, a converter box would be required in order to watch TV when the satellite or cable system was not working.If you do have cable or satellite television, having a DTV converter box may open up programs that you are unable to watch on local stations. WKRG channel 5 is currently running classic television programs . Channel 15, WPMI, is running a weather station “WeatherPlus” on station 15-2. If you like public television, a converter box will get you not only the normal public TV stations 23 and 42, but also five additional public TV stations on the subchannels for WSRE and WEIQ. (Each digital station may have more than one channel. For instance, WSRE 23 on a normal analog TV become three stations…23-1, 23-2 and 23-3… with different programming on a digital box).
In order to get on the waiting list for a $40 converter box coupon from the government, visit dtv2009.org or call 1-888-DTV-2009. The boxes sell at retail from about $40 to $70.
Here is more information from the dtv2009 web site:
On February 17, 2009, all full-powered television stations will begin broadcasting only in digital, as required by law. To assist U.S. households with this historic transition, the National Telecommunication and Information Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, created the TV Converter Box Coupon Program to help Americans continue receiving over-the-air television after February 17, 2009.
Why is television going from analog broadcasting to digital?
The Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 requires broadcasters to broadcast only in digital after February 17, 2009. Digital television promises to provide a clearer picture and more programming options and will free up some of the nation’s airwaves for use by emergency responders.
What is the significance of the February 17, 2009 digital TV transition date?
If households receive television programs over-the-air using “rabbit ears” or a rooftop antenna, they must take action to continue using their analog TVs after February 17, 2009. Consumers have three options, which include 1) buying a converter box that will plug into their current analog TV, 2) buying a TV with a digital tuner or 3) connecting their analog TV to cable, satellite or other pay service.
How can the public obtain a $40 coupon toward purchasing an eligible converter box?
From now through March 31, 2009, all U.S. households are able to request, on a first-come, first-served basis, up to two, $40 coupons to help pay for the cost of a certified converter box. Converter boxes are expected to cost between $40 and $70, however, it is a one-time cost with no monthly service charges. Coupons will expire 90 days after they are mailed and cannot be replaced.
For more information about the TV Converter Box Coupon Program, or to apply for coupons, visit www.DTV2009.gov or call toll free 1-888-388-2009 (1-888-DTV-2009). The hearing impaired may call the TTY number 1-877-530-2634 for information in English, and for information in Spanish, consumers can call TTY number 1-866-495-1161. Consumers can also request and submit a coupon application by mailing PO Box 2000, Portland, OR 97208 or by faxing 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-877-388-4632).
Where can the public buy a coupon-eligible converter?
Coupon-eligible converter boxes are only available at certified stores and online retailers where televisions and other consumer electronics are sold, as well as by mail-order. When the coupon is mailed to you, it will include an insert with a list of nearby, participating retailers. You can also go online at www.DTV2009.gov, enter your zip code, and locate participating retailers on a map.
What can the public do to plan for the transition?
Now is the time to identify whether any TV in your home is analog and receives over-the-air programming through “rabbit ears” or a rooftop antenna. Television viewers with these sets that are not connected to a pay TV service will need to take action before February 17, 2009, to ensure their TV sets continue to work. It is important to know your options and make sure your family, friends and neighbors are aware of whether they need to take action before the transition date. The important thing is that no one is left in the dark on February 17, 2009.