Mark Your Calendar For Graduations
May 19, 2015
Make your calendars now for graduation. Graduation ceremonies will be held for Escambia County Schools as follows:
Escambia Westgate School — May 28, 9 a.m. at Escambia Westgate
District Extended Program — May 29, 9:30 a.m., J.E. Hall Center, Room 160
Escambia Charter School — May 29, 7 p.m., UWF Conference Center
Northview High School — May 30, 2015, 4:00 p.m., Northview High Gym
Booker T. Washington High School – Jun 1, 2015, 11 a.m. — Pensacola Bay Center
Pensacola High School – June 1, 2:30 p.m. — Pensacola Bay Center
Escambia High School – June 1, 6 p.m. — Pensacola Bay Center
Pine Forest High School – June 2, 11 a.m. — Pensacola Bay Center
West Florida High School — June 2, 2:30 p.m. — Pensacola Bay Center
Tate High School — June 2, 6 p.m. — Pensacola Bay Center
Escambia Health Dept. Urges Steps To Avoid Swimming Related Illnesses
May 19, 2015
The Florida Department of th in Escambia County is observing National Healthy and Safe Swimming Week, May 18-24, by promoting simple steps that everyone can take to reduce the spread of recreational water illnesses.
Every year, thousands of Americans get sick with recreational water illnesses (RWIs), which are caused by germs found in places where people swim. The most common locations for contracting or spreading RWIs are swimming pools, water parks, water play areas, hot tubs, rivers, lakes, and open bodies of water such as bayous, bays, and the Gulf of Mexico. Swallowing even a small amount of contaminated recreational water can make you sick.
RWIs can include ear, respiratory, eye, skin, wound, and gastrointestinal infections. A single swimmer with a diarrhea-causing illness can quickly contaminate the water of a large swimming pool or a water park. RWIs are preventable, but everyone needs to take an active role in protecting themselves and other swimmers.
Take these simple steps to help prevent the spread of germs that cause RWIs:
- Don’t swim when you have diarrhea.
- Don’t swallow pool or recreational water.
- Don’t swim when you have an open wound or broken skin.
- Practice good personal hygiene.
- Shower before entering a pool or other recreational water venue.
- Wash your hands after using the toilet or changing a diaper.
- Check diapers or take children to the restroom every 30-60 minutes and only change diapers in restrooms. Changing diapers pool-side can spread germs in and around the pool.
Following healthy swimming steps will help protect you, your family, and other swimmers from RWIs, according to the health department.
Ribbon Cut On Carver Park Improvements In Cantonment
May 19, 2015
A ribbon cutting was held Monday for improvements at Carver Park in Cantonment.
Improvements to Carver Park include a renovated community resource center, enlarged parking lot, volleyball court and re-striped basketball court. The park will also soon feature a new pavilion for family and local events. The improvements began in 2014 and were funded to Local Option Sale Tax dollars.
Much of the work at Carver Park has been spearheaded by the Cantonment Improvement Association, a group working, as their name implies, to improve the quality of life for all law-abiding citizens of Cantonment, with an emphasis on making sure children and safe and well-prepared.
“Like the Bible says, we are going from the least one to the most, so we want everybody to be involved because our kids need all of us.,” said Josh Womack, Cantonment Improvement Association president. “The more people that’s watching, the less people are going to mess with out kids. That’s the most valuable resource we have…that’s our children.”
“They are working very hard and have put a lot into this,” Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry said at Monday’s event. “The CIC is a group that will have more people show up for a work day than came today for a ribbon cutting and free food.”
For a photo gallery, click here.
Carver Park is located at 208 Webb Street. The play and picnic areas at the park are located under the largest natural oak canopy of any Escambia County park.
Ferry Pass Fire Station Promotes Volunteer Officers
May 19, 2015
The Ferry Pass Station of Escambia Fire Rescue recently met to discuss upcoming changes within the department and several promotions with the volunteer ranks.
Promotions were as follows:
- Lt. Ronnie McLellan promoted to assistant chief.
- Firefighter Mark Clark promoted to captain.
- Lt. Feliciano Santana promoted to captain.
- Firefighter Jared Sigler promoted to lieutenant.
The new office state at the Fire Pass Station of Escambia Fire Rescue has over 75 years combined experience. The volunteers are continuing to work alongside a 24/7 career crew recently placed at the station by the Escambia County Commission.
The Ferry Pass Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and the other fire stations in the county are continuing to accept volunteer firefighter applications. Applications are currently available at any fire stations and will soon be available online.
Pictured are: (top, L-R) Ferry Pass District Chief Kevin Winingar, Assistant Chief Ronnie McLellan, Captain Mark Clark, (below, L-R) Captain Feliciano Santana and Lt. Jared Sigler. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Greater First Baptist Cantonment Celebrates 65 Years
May 18, 2015
The Greater First Baptist Church of Cantonment celebrated their 65th anniversary this weekend with special services on Friday and Sunday. Friday’s special message was from Pastor F. Henderson of Trinity Baptist Church in Pensacola, and Sunday’s message from from Pastor Michael Thompson of the Greater Union Baptist Church in Pensacola. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Showband Names New Leadership Team
May 18, 2015
The Tate High School Showband of the South has named their leadership team for the upcoming 2015-2016 season. They are:
Band Captain
- Tiana Hendricks
Drum Major
- Jacob Norre
- Madison Philley
- Katie Woods
Flute Section Leader
- Madison Rondeau
- Logan Royer
- Jamie Simon
Clarinet Section Leader
- Keionna Odom
- Mallory Parker
Saxophone Section Leader
- Bryce Coots
Trumpet Section Leader
- Ashley Barnett
- Zach Vranich
Trombone Section Leader
- Amber Brock
Baritone Section Leader
- Cody Swilley
Percussion Captain
- Ryan Tanton
Color Guard
- Madison Bowers – Flag Sgt.
- Katie Dupre – Flag Sgt.
- Celina Dyess – Co-Captain
- Breanna Langley – Co-Captain
- Katy Luebke – Captain
Quartermaster
- Ryan Cawby
- Jacob Hall
Seniors
- Cody Cash
- Stephen Cleary
- Destanie Comalander
- Anthony Cox
- Emily DeRise
- Eric Esselburn
- Tristan Hacker
- Kaelyn Houghton
- Kelsea Jacobson
- Ethan Jensen
- Kaylee Johnson
- Toye Johnson
- Bryan LeDuc
- Ian McCool
- Ashia McMillon
- Eric Milligan
- Taiya Mondie
- Satchel Sexton
- Tyler Smith
- Jared Sorensen
- Will Talley
- Nick Touchstone
- Madison Tourney
- Patrick Wellborn
- Tristan Workman
Hester, Russell Named EREC Scholarship Winners
May 18, 2015
Escambia River Electric Cooperative has announced two local seniors as winners of the 2015 Herman D. Johnson Scholarship Awards.
The Escambia County winner was Julie Hester, and the Santa Rosa County winner was Emily Russell.
Julie Hester is the daughter of Jeff and Mechelle Hester and she is a senior at Northview High School. Julie has been a majorette at Northview for four years and majorette captain for two years. She is a member of the concert band, Northview Theatre, Battle of the Books, Beta Club and FCA. Julie has also been on the Atmore Academic All-Stars for three years. She teaches baton lessons and is an active volunteer in her community with basketball, bible school and elementary schools. She is an active member of First Baptist Church of Bratt. Julie plans to major in clinical psychology in college.
Emily Russell is the daughter of Toby and Julie Russell and is a senior at Jay High School. Emily is president of her senior class and is a member, holding officer positions, of the Student Government Association, Senior Beta and the National Honor Society. She is a member of the National Art Honor Society, Spanish Club, Christian World Order, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Art Club. She has lettered in volleyball and basketball since 8th grade and in tennis since the 9th grade. She enjoys volunteering in the community and is an active member of Berrydale Baptist Church. Emily plans to major in occupational therapy in college.
Each of these students will receive $1,000 for each of four years providing they continue to meet the scholarship criteria. The scholarships will be presented at the respective schools’ awards programs.
Pictured top: Julie Hester (left) and Emily Russell (right). Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Danceworks Photo Gallery
May 18, 2015
Heather Leonard’s Danceworks 20th annual recital was held Saturday night at Northview High School.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
The Parts Of Dying No One Talks About – Esquire Magazine Features Northview Graduate
May 17, 2015
It’s not often that a local resident is featured in major national publication. The May edition of Esquire magazine features an article about Nicole Rolin Teague, Northview High School graduate.
Nicole Rolin, a native of Poarch, was a member of Northview’s first graduating class in 1996. She went on to marry Matthew Teague, and they resided in Fairhope. At the young age of 34, as the mother of two beautiful children, she received the devastating news that she she cancer. Not just cancer. But cancer everywhere in her abdomen. Everywhere.
Hundreds, thousands of us followed her battle in person, through friends, or through the internet. There were the moments of improvement, those glimmers of hope, that we saw. But in between those moments of perceived improvement and her death at age 36, were the parts where the cancer reared its ugly head, the parts of dying that no one talks about.
Matthew penned a lengthy essay for Esquire magazine about what watching his loved one dying was really like. It was not “she slipped away peacefully in her sleep”. It was not “she felt no pain”. It was not pretty.
“We don’t tell each other the truth about dying, as a people. Not real dying. Real dying, regular and mundane dying, is so hard and so ugly that it becomes the worst thing of all: It’s grotesque. It’s undignified. No one ever told me the truth about it, not once,” Matthew wrote in Esquire.
We preface the link to the Esquire article by saying this…
The article is long. You’ll want to allow time to sit, read and digest. You’ll want a fresh box of Kleenex. It will be nauseatingly painful to read; it will tear at the core of your being.
If you knew Nicole, you may not want to read it. If you didn’t know Nicole, you still may not want to read it. It is, as Matthew wrote, “the parts of dying that no one talks about”.
It is painful, it is vile, it is brutal, it is raw, it is without dignity, it is offensive, it is unbearable. It will alter your very soul.
You have been warned. Cancer sucks.
Matthew Teague’s article in the May 2015 Esquire magazine about the life stolen from his wife, 1995 Northview High graduate Nicole Rolin Teague: How My Friend Saved Me When Death Took the Mother of My Children.
Perry Receives UWF Award For Historical Writing
May 17, 2015
Tate High graduate Austin Perry has received the University of West Florida’s Carolyn A. Knefely Award for Excellence in Writing.
Perry studied history at UWF from January 2011 until graduating in May 2015. During that time, he also studied Arabic as a part of UWF’s foreign language program.
His focus in the history department was Western European history with a strong emphasis on English history and the history of the Church from the late 1300’s through the Reformation.
Perry received the Carolyn Knefely Award for his paper “Catherine of Siena: The Politics of Mysticism” that he completed as a part of Dr. Marie Therese Champagne’s Medieval Women course. His research focused on the depiction of St. Catherine of Siena by comparing her own writings with those of her biographer, Raymond of Capua, in addition to exploring the political nature of his biography.
Perry’s other historical interests include Anglo-Saxon society during the Norman Conquest, Western Christianity from the Great Schism through the early Protestant Reformation, and modern British society and subcultures. Perry plans to teach history at the high school level and eventually return for graduate school.