Ransom Student To Compete In National Pony Event
August 7, 2017
Local equestrian Lexi Bryant has qualified for the the U.S. Pony Finals coming up this week at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Bryan, 13, will be riding “Surreal”, owned by Morgan Mickel. The Ransom Middle School student qualified at an Elite “A” show that was held at the Escambia County Equestrian Center. Bryant and Surreal will compete against the top ponies and riders in the nation at the event. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
UF/IFAS Extension Offers Right-of-Way, Forests And Invasive Species Workshop
August 4, 2017
UF/IFAS Extension in Escambia, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties will hold a Right-of-Way, Forestry and Invasive Species Workshop on Wednesday, August 9 from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Bear Lake Pavilion, approximately 2.5 miles east of Munson crossroad of Highway 4 and Highway 191 in the Blackwater Forest north of Milton. Cost is $10 per person and includes lunch.
Pesticide license exams will not be given during this workshop, however, this program will prepare students for aspects of the exam. CEUs will be available in the following areas: Core (2), Private Applicator (4), Demo and Research (4), Forestry (4), Natural Areas (4), and Right-of-Way (4).
Topics include: Herbicides, Herbicide Safety, Weed Management Considerations for Forestry, Chemical Side Trim, and Roadside Invaders. To pre-register or to set up an appointment to take a pesticide license exam, contact Bethany Diamond at the Santa Rosa County Extension Office: 850-675-6654.
New Website For West Florida Public Libraries
August 2, 2017
Tuesday, West Florida Public Libraries announced the launch of a newly-designed website.
The revamped site was created to provide a user-friendly experience that makes it easier than ever for citizens, businesses and visitors to access information about the library system from their computer, tablet or mobile phone.
The website was developed using the latest technology and a responsive design, making it compatible with all browsers and mobile devices. Users will also have the option to share information across all major social networking sites.
The site is organized to provide quick and direct access to all of the programs and services the library offers.
Some new features include:
- Upcoming events and new fiction titles available on the homepage
- An easily-fillable form for requesting a meeting room
- Access to searches for the Kids Catalog and the full catalog on the homepag
The site will be continually updated, with new features being added regularly.
Escambia School District, UWF Honor Top Summer Science Students
August 2, 2017
Future environmental health advocates from the Escambia County School District presented their Capstone projects to wrap-up the UWF Environmental Health Scholars 8-week summer program.
“This was our fourth year in this partnership and each year we have the pleasure of working with some amazing local high school students. They make me feel good about our environmental futures,” said Aisha Adkison, Health Science Specialist, in the ECSD Workforce Education Department. “These students dedicated three days a week for eight weeks of their summer vacation to learning more about our world and a vast variety of environmental challenges. They each select a research topic and prepare a Capstone project.”
The program is funded on a subcontract for over $100,000/yr for 5 years through the Gulf Region Health Outreach Program (GRHOP) administered by the Center for Gulf Coast Environmental Health Research, Leadership & Strategic Initiatives, School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, Tulane University. The grant covers training for secondary education teachers from the region, specialized equipment and supplies for those teachers’ classrooms and the summer program for students. Selected students spend three days a week at UWF with public health faculty, Dr. Enid Sisskin and Dr. George Stewart.
Project topics included, the 21st Century War on Science, GMOs, pandemics, climate change, the dangerous cumulative effect of littering, storms’ effect on the ozone layer, anthrax and a look at the U.S./Mexico border challenge from the perspective of its effect on animals. Another student took a hard look at anxiety and tied it to the other topics because, as she pointed out, how can any of us go out and fix any of these other environmental problems if anxiety keeps us trapped inside.
The results were:
1st Place: Madison Kemp, Ernest Ward Middle graduate and a Florida Virtual School student. Her topic was: The Effects of Manmade Climate Change on Global Health.
2nd Place: Tyra Williams, a rising senior in the Health Academy at Pensacola High School. Her topic was: How Facts Became Opinions: The 21st Century War on Science.
3rd Place: Tyler Motts, an Environmental Science student from Pine Forest High School, His topic was: The Environmental Impact of the US – Mexico Border.
Statements made during the presentations started with facts, data, graphs and images. But project requirements also directed the students to reach their own conclusions, reflect on what they learned and state their opinions. One student did a great job of summarizing a conclusion shared no matter what the topic, “We need to care. Humans must take a stand, because we are our own worst enemy.”
Pictured: Tyra Williams (left), second place winner, and Madison Kemp, first place winner. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview High Plans Orientation For Thursday
August 2, 2017
From Northview High School:
We will issue class schedules, hall lockers, and textbooks to returning 10th, 11th and 12th grade students on the first day of school. Ninth graders and new students will attend an August 3rd Orientation and will receive everything they need at that time. Please remember that May 24, 2017, as noted on the registration cards, was the last day to request schedule changes. There is a processing procedure which students may utilize to request schedule changes, once school has started. However, since the parent and student approved the schedule at registration time and since the master schedule and teacher assignments have been made based upon these requests, all requests must support both the student’s requested schedule and teacher assignments. Please be advised that schedule changes at this time are extremely rare and are allowed only for registration adjustments or academic requirements based on the FSA end-of- course exam scores. Students will not have the opportunity to request schedule changes during the textbook issuing time. Textbooks will be issued to correspond with the student’s printed schedule. Locker assignments will also be printed on the class schedules, so students should be extremely careful not to leave their printed course schedules unattended.
August 3, 2017
School Offices will be closed from 11:30 A.M. – 12:30 P.M.
1 PM – 2:30 PM 9 th Grade and New Student Orientation
All incoming 9th grade and new students in grades 10, 11, and 12 should report to the theater before 1 p.m., on Thursday, August 3. In the theater, students will have a short introduction and welcome program. Immediately afterwards, the students will be divided into groups to facilitate the processing of schedules and lockers. Orientation will include a brief tour of the Northview campus. Parent Chromebook training will be provided as well. Students with signed Cromebook contracts will be issued Chromebooks to take home after school begins. Students without a signed contract will not be issued a Chromebook but will check one out daily from the media center. The entire process should take approximately 90 minutes, so parents are asked to be prompt in picking up their students at the breezeway after the conclusion of this activity.
Escambia 4-H Members Gain Skills, Earn Money At Regional Tailgate Contest
August 1, 2017
Recently, 4-H members from across Northwest Florida participated in the second annual Northwest Regional 4-H Tailgate Contest.
Grilling competitors took part in one of four categories: beef, pork, poultry (half a chicken or turkey breast), and shrimp. Participants were judged on their grilling abilities, but also on questions from judges on food safety, fire safety, and meat selection.
Regional winners earned $400 in scholarship money for first place, $250 for second place, $100 for third place, and $50 for fourth place. The top two individuals in each protein category earned the opportunity to participate in the State 4-H Tailgate Contest in Gainesville in October.
Five Escambia County 4-H members participated in the regional contest, including Noah Ball – Beef, Aubrie Dillon – Beef, Dillon Conti – Poultry, Raeleigh Woodfin – Pork, and Stewart Woodfin – Pork. All of the Escambia County entrants earned the opportunity to compete after winning the county competition as part of the Escambia County 4-H Tailgate Day Camp.
At the regional contest held at Washington County Ag Center in Chipley, Aubrie Dillon placed fourth in the beef category and Dillon Conti placed third in the poultry category. Dillon plans to continue using his grilling skills to cook for his family.
“I had a lot of fun at the regional 4-H tailgate contests this year. It was actually the first time I ad ever thought about grilling chicken and I think I’ll probably be grilling chicken a lot more now. I want to encourage more 4-H members to participate in the contest and I hope to see many more contestants next year,” Conti said.
Pictured top: Aubrie Dillon relaxes while cooking her steak recipe. Pictured below: Dillon Conti prepares his chicken for the grill, and Noah Ball checks the internal temperature of his steak. Pictured bottom: Raeleigh Woodfin prepares to grill her pork chops and Stewart Woodfin with his pork chops. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Grad Modin Graduates From Basic Military Training
July 31, 2017
U.S. Air Force Airman Seth Modin graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training also earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Modin is the son of Jennifer Modin of Cantonment.
He is a 2015 graduate of Tate High School, Cantonment.
Registration Event Scheduled For Danceworks Classes
July 30, 2017
Registration is underway for Heather Leonard’s Danceworks, and a registration event will be held Monday.
The registration will be from 5 until 7 p.m. on Monday at the Byrneville Community Center.
Ballet, tap, pointe, hip hop and jazz classes will be taught by Heather Leonard beginning the week of August 14 for girls ages 3 and up. Classes for ages 3-8 will be based on age, while classes for dancers age 9 and over will be based upon level. Leonard has taught dance to hundreds of girls from North Escambia and surrounding areas.
For the class schedule, click here. For a registration form, click here. For further information or questions email hldanceworks@gmail.com.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: Spots On Your Crape Myrtles Can Be A Problem
July 29, 2017
by UF/IFAS Extension Service
As the heat and humidity increases in Northwest Florida, expect to see some diseases appear in the landscape. One problem that is popping up on crape myrtles is Cercospora leaf spot. While not a deadly problem, it can greatly detract from the beauty of crape myrtles.
The initial symptom on crape myrtles is the appearance of tan to dark brown spots randomly scattered on yellow to red discolored leaves. The spots develop first on the lower leaves and progress upward in the canopy. Spots will continue to develop from mid-summer through fall. The color change is due to the production of a toxin by the fungal pathogen.
Infected leaves will drop prematurely and serve as a source to spread the pathogen causing further disease development. As the summer progresses, many infected trees will have dropped all but the newest leaves.
Older varieties of crape myrtles are more susceptible to this disease than newer varieties. The crape myrtle varieties most tolerant to Cercospora leaf spot are Natchez, Muskogee, Basham’s Party Pink, Sioux and Tonto.
Long term, this disease is not detrimental to a tree, although it will slow down growth on younger plants. Plants growing in conditions that are not ideal will be more affected by the leaf spot disease.
The best control is selecting a planting site with good air circulation so that the foliage will dry quickly. Thinning interior branches will also promote air flow.
The use of fungicides to control this disease has not been very effective because they would have to be applied repeatedly on a regular basis throughout the growing season. If used, fungicide applications should be started in early summer when the spots are first noticed and continued at one to two week intervals when the weather is warm and wet. Consult your local Extension office for fungicide recommendations.
As always, be sure to read and follow all label directions. Fungicides can be classified by how they work on the fungus or how they work on the plant. Products that work in a similar way on fungi have the same mode of action (also referred to as chemical family or class).
Contact fungicides are sprayed onto plants and act as a protective barrier from pathogen infection. They prevent infections from occurring when applied before symptoms are visible, but infections that have already occurred will continue to develop.
Systemic fungicides move into the plant, but movement inside the plant is limited. The vast majority of fungicides only move upward in the plant vasculature, but not down. Some fungicides only move locally into the plant part treated. Some systemic products exhibit curative action, which means the disease is stopped during its development. For managing fungicide resistance, products with different modes of action should be used in rotations.
Since this disease will result in early defoliation or the loss of leaves, it is critical to practice good sanitation. Raking and destroying fallen leaves should be a routine practice in order to prevent the spread of the disease.
Northview JV Cheerleaders Earn All American Status
July 27, 2017
Northview High School’s junior varsity cheerleading squad recently participated in a home cheer camp. Abigail Nelson (pictured left) and Emily Stabler, both upcoming freshmen, tried out and were chosen as All American Cheerleaders. They will have the opportunity to participate in the Thanksgiving Parade at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.