Ransom Middle Innovation Center Renamed For Sandra Goldsby Ames
June 18, 2020
The Ransom Middle School Innovation Center has been officially renamed the “Sandra Goldsby Ames Innovation Center”.
The name change was in honor of Sandra Goldsby Ames who is retiring this year after serving the Escambia County School District for 39 years. She has served as an English teacher, administrative dean, assistant principal and principal. In the past she has also represented Ransom as their Teacher of the Year and ECSD as the Assistant Principal of the Year.
“My Ransom family and friends have been amazing to me,” Ames told the Escambia County School Board. “While I do not think I deserve such an important honor, I am extremely humbled and very appreciative of the love and support that they have shown me throughout my years.”
She is known to embody the values of pride, teamwork, privacy, safety, service, stewardship, and accountability, according a school board resolution. She has supported reading and language arts instruction, as well as encouraged the creative use of the school’s library as it transitioned into an innovation center.
Pictured top: Ransom Middle School Principal Dr. Regina Lipnick (left), Sandra Goldsby Ames and Superintendent Malcolm Thomas. Pictured inset: Ames addresses the Escambia County School Board. Pictured below: Ames will family, friends and coworkers after the school board meeting. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Things We Love: This Little Flower Stand In Bratt. It’s On The Honor System.
June 15, 2020
Flowers can’t solve all problems. But they’re a great start.
There’s a new roadside flower stand in Bratt, and it’s on the honor system.
The rustic stand is located next to a corn field on Highway 4, just east of Pine Barren Road and Northview High School. When we stopped by Friday, there were fresh cut bouquets priced at $10 and $20.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Local Students Selected To Receive Coveted State FFA Degree
June 11, 2020
Fifteen Escambia and Santa Rosa County FFA members have been selected to receive the coveted State FFA Degree.
The State FFA Degree is the highest honor bestowed upon any regular member of the Florida FFA Association. Each applicant will be recognized during the 2020 Florida FFA Celebration.
Local 2020 State FFA Degree recipients are:
Tate High School
- Grant Robert Gill
- Myles Dillan Harrelson
- Raven Hollis
- Olivia Helen Little
- Madison Elizabeth Lucio
- Gabriel Joseph Pfeuffer-Ferguson
- Ronnie Alexander Plenkers
- Hannah Lee Rogers
- Lindsay Lavelle Von Stein
- Zoe Sunshine Williams
West Florida High School
- Connor Ballard
- Tamara Barnes
- Rainy Ellis
Jay High School
- Logan Ryan Cooley
- Travis Stewart Godwin
The 2020 Florida FFA Celebration will be held June 23-26 online only.
Northview High Creates Senior Honors Video For The Class Of 2020
June 9, 2020
Northview High School created a video to honor the 70 members of the Class of 2020 that would have been recognized during the annual Senior Honors Night.
Gaetz Announces Florida’s First District Congressional Art Competition Winners
June 7, 2020
Congressman Matt Gaetz has announced the winners of this year’s Congressional Art Competition. Students from across the First Congressional District of Florida submitted artwork for the competition pertaining to the theme “Scenes of Northwest Florida.”
Each spring, a nationwide high school arts competition is sponsored by members of the U.S. House of Representatives. High school students from across Florida’s First Congressional District submitted their artwork for the competition, and a panel of local art professionals judged the pieces. The first-place winner’s artwork will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol, and the exhibit in Washington will also include artwork from participating districts across the country.
The winners of the 2020 Congressional Art Competition were:
1st Place: Gabriella Lanza, South Walton High School, “Ocean Layer”
2nd Place: Rhianna Cooley, Pensacola Catholic High School, “The Great Sea Witch”
3rd Place: Brooke Rorer, Pace High School, “Dimitri the Pensacola Fisherman”
Runner Up Winners:
1st Runner Up: Mary Claire Brown, South Walton High School, “Sunrise Trees”
2nd Runner Up: Jamie Harrison, Jay High School, “Equestrian Elegance”
3rd Runner Up: Rayne Henry, Gulf Breeze High School, “Thank You For Your Service”
Pictured top: “Ocean Layer” by Gabriella Lanza of South Walton High School, winner of Florida’s First District Congressional Art Competition. Pictured below: “Equestrian Elegance” by Jamie Harrison of Jay High School, second runner-up in the competition. Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Atmore Receives ‘Main Street Alabama’ Designation
June 6, 2020
Atmore has received a “Main Street Alabama” designation.
“Main Street works 100% of the time if the community is willing to work,” said Main Street Alabama State Coordinator Mary Helmer. “Atmore impressed upon the selection committee that they had the work ethic to become a successful Main Street program that will bring jobs, dollars, and people back to the district.”
Atmore went thought a five month application process with through partnerships with community organizations, including the demonstration of the city’s commitment and proven track recording including the ongoing renovation of the Strand Theatre.
Main Street Alabama will begin work immediately in Atmore to provide board development, goal setting, work planning, market study with economic development strategies, targeted design assistance, and training related to downtown development.
Main Street Alabama is a private non-profit and state coordinating program of Main Street America. The 40-yea old National Main Street Four Point Approach is a model that focuses work in four areas – organization, design, promotion and economic vitality with strategies unique to the community and based on market-based outcome.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Mid-County Historical Society Presents Two Scholarships
June 3, 2020
The Molino Mid-County Historical Society recently presented two $1,000 scholarships.
The winners were Emma Barlow from Tate High School and Raeleigh Woodfin from Northview High School. Barlow (pictured above) plans to major in pre-med at the University of South Alabama, and Woodfin will major in communications at Troy University.
The scholarship checks were presented by Sarah Jenness, president of the Molino Mid-County Historical Society.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Middle Honors 8th Graders With Fence Photos
June 3, 2020
Ernest Ward Middle School honored their graduating eighth grade class by lining the school fence with banners featuring a photo of each student. The students did not return to school following spring break due to the coronavirus.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by William Reynolds, click to enlarge.
Rare Sea Turtle Lays Eggs On Pensacola Beach
June 3, 2020
Visitors to Pensacola Beach were treated to an exciting sight Tuesday – a rare female Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle crawling ashore to nest and lay her eggs. She was the third turtle to nest on Escambia County Beaches this season, with two loggerhead nests recorded earlier this week.
“She dug a hole about 1.5 to 2 feet deep and when she got down in the hole she laid about 50-100 eggs. She used her flippers to cover the eggs with sand so you can’t see them and then she headed back to the water. She may come back up,” said Brenda Sexton, sea turtle volunteer of approximately 10 years. “Some of them come back up two or three times laying eggs and then they are exhausted and they go back home for two or three years. It’s kinda cool.”
Four species of sea turtles visit Escambia County beaches May through October to lay their eggs. Loggerheads are the most common visitor, however leatherback, green and Kemp’s Ridley nests have also been recorded on county beaches.
Typically, female sea turtles wait for nightfall before crawling ashore to dig their nests. Kemp’s Ridley are the only species that nest during the daylight hours. After 60 days, hatchlings wait for nightfall before emerging all at once, using the light of the moon and stars to find their way to the Gulf of Mexico.
Sea turtles of all sizes face many threats. Excessive artificial lights can disorient both nesting and hatchling turtles, leading them away from the Gulf of Mexico and into danger. Furniture and other personal belongings left on the beach overnight can trap and injure turtles. Plastic pollution and other debris can entangle turtles and cause sickness when accidentally eaten.
Northview High Names Valedictorian, Salutatorian
June 2, 2020
Northview High School has named the valedictorian and salutatorian for the Class of 2020.
Valedictorian is Keaton Brown, and salutatorian is Kayla McKillion.
A graduation ceremony for the Northview High School Class of 2020 will held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24 at the Pensacola Bay Center. Seating will be limited.
Click or tap here for more information on planned graduation ceremonies in Escambia County.