EREC Selects Seven Students 2025 Tallahassee Youth Tour
January 14, 2025
Escambia River Electric Cooperative has selected seven area high school students to attend the 2025 Youth Tour in Tallahassee on February 12 and 13.
During their two days in Tallahassee, the students will get an up close and personal look at state government in action.
The students are:
- Olivia Doyle, Northview High School
- Kaylee Oswald, Northview High School
- Major Rowell, Jay High School
- Brea Lyle, Jay High School
- Jayme George, Central School
- Aurora Godwin, Central School
- Gabriella Magdaleno, Central School
After the trip, two of the students, one from Escambia County and one from Santa Rosa County, will be chosen for the annual EREC tour to Washington, DC.
Pictured above: (top row, L-R) Olivia Doyle, Northview High School; Kaylee Oswald, Northview High School; Jayme George, Central School, (second row) Aurora Godwin, Central School; Gabriella Magdaleno, Central School; Brea Lyle, Jay High School; and (bottom) Major Rowell, Jay High School. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ransom Middle School Names Students Of The Month
January 13, 2025
Ransom Middle School recently named their November-December Students of the Month. They are Vida Moreno and Dorian Fuller, both eighth graders. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview High Names Students Of The Month
January 12, 2025
Northview High School recently named their Students of the Month for December. They are Asher Creighton and Evelyn Fernandez-Esparza, pictured with Principal Michael Sherrill. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Pine Meadow Elementary Students Enjoy Week of Roy Hyatt Science Adventures
January 11, 2025
Students at Pine Meadow Elementary School had a week of science adventures with the Roy Hyatt Environmental Center.
Fifth graders participated in the Infinitely “Big! Infinitely Small! Program!” after starting their day crawling into the planetarium and taking off into the infinitely big solar system. While in space they explored the moon, planets, constellations, the sun, and much more. After landing back on Earth the young scientists headed to the microscope room where they studied the flow of energy through an aquatic habitat. They used microscopes to see infinitely small microorganisms eating other microorganisms – a food chain occurring in a drop of water right in front of them. Finally these adventurers had the opportunity to meet Slither, one of the center’s Florida kingsnake animal ambassadors up close and personal.
Ms. Molly and Roy Hyatt’s Eastern screech owl ambassador June Bug visited first graders at Pine Meadow. June Bug taught them all about the characteristics of birds, why birds need feathers, all about camouflage, vertebrates, carnivores, predators, and more. June Bug then introduced the young scientists to raptors, birds of prey, and how they differ from other birds. Finally, June Bug taught these explorers about owls, including their huge eyes that stare straight ahead and give them great night vision, that they can turn their head almost all the way around (270 degrees), also that they have asymmetrical ears helping them have super hearing. June Bug ended her visit by going around and saying hello to each of the students.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Byrneville Elementary Names Students Of The Month
January 11, 2025
Byrneville Elementary School recently named their November Students of the Month.
They are:
- Kindergarten: Remy Levins and Baylor McNeil
- 1st Grade: Tatum Boutwell
- 2nd Grade: Liam Steadham and Liam Price
- 3rd Grade: Rickey Tedder and Suzi Pope
- 4th Grade: Conner Fowler and William Maxwell
- 5th Grade: Harper Brinkman and Tatum Godwin
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Local FFA Members Shine At Sub District Contests
January 8, 2025
Local middle and high school FFA Chapters recently participated in the sub-district FFA contest and meetings.
The primary goal of career and leadership development events is to develop individual responsibilities, foster teamwork and promote communication while recognizing the value of ethical competition and individual achievement. The events included public speech, parliamentary procedure, and safe tractor operations.
Each student that placed first in their contest will compete at districts this month.
Middle School Parliamentary Procedure:
- 1st Place – Beulah Middle
- 2nd Place – Beulah Academy
Middle School Opening and Closing Ceremonies:
- 1st Place – Jay Middle
- 2nd Place – Beulah Middle
- 3rd Place – Central Middle
Middle School Extemporaneous Speech:
- 1st Place – Beulah Middle (Mia Wickham)
Middle School Prepared Public Speech:
- 1st Place – Beulah Middle (Caleb Pitts)
- 2nd Place – Central (Sydney Vinson)
Creed Speaking:
- 1st Place – Tate (Luke Graham)
- 2nd Place – Jay (Kenley Smith)
- 3rd Place – Beulah Middle (Briniyah Stallworth)
High School Parliamentary Procedure:
- 1st Place – Northview
- 2nd Place – Milton
Safe Tractor Operations:
- 1st Place – Northview (Braden Glick)
- 2nd Place – Jay (Tanner Wolfe)
- 3rd Place – Tate (Aiden Hollingsworth)
High School Prepared Public Speech:
- 1st Place – West Florida (Bella Trivison)
- 2nd Place – Tate (Maegan Coleman)
- 3rd Place – Florida Virtual (Izzy Jenkins)
High School Extemporaneous Public Speech:
- 1st Place – West Florida (Suzie Baker)
- 2nd Place – Tate (Blakely Campbell)
- 3rd Place – Northview (Olivia Hall)
Newly elected Sub-district 1 Officers:
- Chair: Olivia Hall (Northview)
- Co-Chair: Bella Trivison (West Florida)
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECFR Makes Terminally Ill Cantonment Teen Honorary Firefighter
January 4, 2025
Dalton Harvey of Cantonment has loved firefighters and anything related to firefighting since he was baby. But he will never be able to become firefighter due to a terminal illness.
And it was a dream come true for Dalton Friday afternoon as firefighters from Escambia County Fire Rescue and Cantonment’s Engine 4 and ECFR Deputy Fire Chief Paul Williams stopped by his house, naming him an honorary firefighters and presenting him with his very own helmet and firefighter patches.
Dalton, 19, has Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy.
“His prognosis has been late teens early 20’s,” Dalton’s mother Tammy Harvey said. “He loves Florida, surrounded by friends and family, and he especially loves the warm weather because his body doesn’t tolerate the cold well.
“He likes the beach and girl watching,” she quipped.
VITAS Hospice partnered with ECFR to make Dalton’s dreams come true.
Escambia firefighters not only arrived at his house, they gave him a special look at the fire engine and their gear.
“To get something like this for him is beyond amazing,” Tammy Harvey said.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
After 578 Days, Longest Resident Ever At Animal Shelter Goes Home
January 2, 2025
The longest resident ever at the Escambia County animal shelter found a home just in time for the holidays.
Daisy spent 578 at the shelter.
She was adopted in time to spend her best Christmas ever with her new family.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Meet The New Year’s Baby At Pensacola’s Ascension Sacred Heart
January 2, 2025
Ascension Sacred Heart in Pensacola welcome their New Year’s Baby early Wednesday morning.
Everly was one of at least seven babies born at the hospital on New Year’s Day.
Everly was born to Maegan Mapoles and Brian Allen of Pensacola at 12:09 a.m.
Maegan went into labor on New Year’s Eve, which just happens to be her birthday.
The Bald Eagle Is Now The Official U.S. Bird Of The U.S; And Yes, They Do Live In North Escambia
December 30, 2024
The bald eagle is now officially the national bird of the United States after President Joe Biden signed law bestowing the honor on the national bird. And they do live in North Escambia.
The bald eagle has been a national emblem and used on the great seal since 1782. But it was never officially made the national bird. The bald eagle was removed from the USFWS endangered species list and the FWC imperiled species list in 2007 and 2008, respectively. The bald eagle continues to be protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Florida has one of the densest concentrations of nesting bald eagles in the lower 48 states, with an estimated 1,500 nesting pairs, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. FWC has monitored the population of nesting bald eagles in Florida since 1972.
FWC’s documentation does not show any eagle nests in northern Escambia County. However, eagles are frequently spotted here, especially around Walnut Hill (pictured first below). Just over a decade ago, a one-year old rehabilitated bald eagle was released back into the wild near Walnut Hill by the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida (pictured second below).
Earlier this year, the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Southeastern Raptor Center brought bald eagle Spirit to Ernest Ward Middle School — home of the Eagles mascot (pictured top, inset and bottom). Spirit was the pre-game flight eagle at Jordan-Hare Stadium at Auburn University for nearly 20 years.
For more NorthEscambia.com eagle photos, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
