IP Donated Butterfly Kits To 631 Classrooms In Escambia And Santa Rosa
May 25, 2022
International Paper, in partnership with Celebrate Planet Earth, provided 631 kindergarten through fourth grade classrooms in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties with free butterfly and sunflower kits, enabling local children to experience the wonder of nature.
Schools received their kits March through May, and students had the opportunity to witness caterpillars undergo metamorphosis over the course of two to three weeks. Once the butterflies emerged, students fed them sugar-water for about a week before experiencing the delight of releasing them into the world. Students also learned how to sprout and grow sunflowers from seed to bloom.
The butterfly and sunflower kits were distributed to 27 schools:
- Bagdad Elementary School
- Bellview Elementary School
- Berryhill Elementary School
- Beulah Elementary School
- Blue Angels Elementary School
- Bratt Elementary School
- Capstone Academy – Milton
- Central School
- Creative Learning Academy
- East Milton Elementary School
- Ensley Elementary School
- Episcopal Day School
- Gulf Breeze Elementary School
- Jim Allen Elementary School
- Kingsfield Elementary School
- Lincoln Park Elementary School
- Lipscomb Elementary School
- Longleaf Elementary School
- McArthur Elementary School
- Molino Park Elementary School
- N. B. Cook Elementary School
- Oriole Beach Elementary School
- Pine Meadow Elementary School
- Pleasant Grove Elementary School
- S.S. Dixon Primary
- W. H. Rhodes Elementary School
- West Navarre Primary
“We are committed to improving the communities along the greater Gulf Coast, and we aim to be responsible stewards of our planet,” said Scott Taylor, Pensacola Mill manager. “We are proud to offer this learning experience to the young students in our surrounding communities and hope it instills in them a respect for our planet.”
Pictured: Students enjoy butterflies at Kingsfield Elementary School (above) and Molino Park Elementary (below). Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lunar Astronaut Candidates Train at NAS Pensacola
May 24, 2022
Seven NASA astronaut candidates are undergoing flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola as part of a two-year training pipeline to prepare them for participation in the Artemis lunar exploration program.
The NASA Astronaut Candidate Basic Aviation Curriculum (ASCAN BAC) is administered by Training Air Wing Six (TW-6), which is responsible for the training and production of the Naval Flight Officers (NFOs) who serve as navigators, sensor operators, Weapons System Officers, and Electronic Warfare Officers inside naval aviation.
“ASCAN training is only conducted every three to four years and is very condensed compared to Student Naval Flight Officer training,” said TW-6 Ground Training Officer Mr. John Boman, who oversees the ASCAN training at NAS Pensacola. “ASCANs are in class up to 12 hours per day, or they are scheduled for two flight events per day.”
The ASCAN BAC is designed for candidates without prior military aviation training. It aims to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to safely aviate, navigate, and communicate in preparation for follow-on training and responsibilities as NASA flight crew.
“Given the mental aptitude of these individuals, our instructors are able to introduce and practice procedures and skill sets at a quicker pace, which allows us to meet NASA specified training timelines. They have been a pleasure to work with, and knowing that TW-6 helps to put them into space is very rewarding,” said Mr. Boman.
The class includes United States candidates Christina Birch, Andre Douglas, Deniz Burnham, Christopher Williams, and Anil Menon, who were chosen from a field of more than 12,000 applicants, as well as international candidates Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammad Al Mulla of the United Arab Emirates.
Upon arrival at NAS Pensacola, the ASCANs underwent a one-week Aviation Physiology and Aircrew Water Survival training conducted by the Naval Survival Training Institute. They then began the 10-week ASCAN BAC, which is divided into two stages, familiarization and instrument navigation.
The familiarization stage is comprised of ground school, four simulator events, and five flight events in the T-6A Texan II turboprop trainer aircraft. The instrument navigation stage is comprised of ground school, six simulator events, and six flight events also flown in the T-6A.
Several of the ASCANs are now completing flight events in the instrument navigation stage.
According to police helicopter pilot Mohammad Al Mulla, Navy Aircrew Water Survival Training was a new challenge despite his 15 years of flight experience.
“It was a really good challenge. I felt like after accomplishing Water Survival I’m more comfortable flying, even offshore. I felt really good after passing. I’m really glad to be here and learning from the Navy,” Al Mulla said.
Dr. Anil Menon, who has served as a flight surgeon for NASA, Space X, and the U.S. Air Force, says he is grateful for the quality of training provided by the Navy.
“I did general aviation and I’ve paid for myself to learn how to fly and learn from instructors, but I’ve never encountered instructors as good as the Navy instructors that I’ve worked with. I’ve just learned that there’s a next level to aviation, so it really opened up a lot of doors for me and I’m grateful for those teachers,” Menon said.
In addition to safe operation of a jet aircraft, ASCANs have four major categories of training including operating and maintaining the International Space Station’s systems, preparing for spacewalks, developing complex robotics skills, and Russian language skills.
Deniz Burnham, who serves as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserves and holds degrees in chemical and mechanical engineering, says as the team nears the end of their training at NAS Pensacola, they look forward to the next challenge.
“We’ll be moving on to the T-38 back in Houston. The T-6 training gave us a good baseline for crew resource management, checklist discipline, procedural recall…this is kind of the foundation to being a value-added team member, and we all look forward to moving on from Pensacola back to Houston,” Burnham said.
The Artemis program aims to put the next man, first woman, and first person of color on the moon in 2024 and to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon by the end of the decade. These accomplishments will in turn prepare humanity for the next step of solar exploration: sending humans to Mars.
story by Ensign Lyndsay Ballew
Pictured: NASA astronaut candidates Christina Birch, Andre Douglas, Deniz Burnham, Christopher Williams, Anil Menon, Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammad Al Mulla stand beside a T6-A Texan II at Naval Air Station Pensacola. The astronaut candidates began Basic Aviation Curriculum at Training Air Wing Six in late March as part of a two-year training pipeline in preparation for serving the Artemis space exploration program. Photo by Ensign Lyndsay Ballew for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ransom Middle School Names Students Of The Month
May 23, 2022
Ransom Middle School recently named their Students of the Month for April. They are Dorian Burt and Jazlyn Beddell. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECSO Deputies Stand Watch Over Fallen Officers At Washington Memorial
May 22, 2022
Last weekend, Lieutenant Frazier, Deputy Gaydon, Deputy Carpenter, and Deputy Voght represented the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office by standing watch for fallen officers at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC.
The event marked the beginning of National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. National Police Week is a collaborative effort of many organizations dedicated to honoring America’s law enforcement community.
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Northview High Names Students Of The Month
May 22, 2022
Northview High School recently named their Students of the Month for April. They are senior Hannah Hassebrock and junior Clay Allen. They are pictured with Principal Michael Sherill. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate High School Names Students Of The Month
May 21, 2022
Tate High School recently named their March Students of the Month. They are Julie Young and Jackson Shelnut. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
This Little Light Of Mine: Tri-City Children’s Choir Holds First Concert (With Gallery)
May 20, 2022
The sun filtered warmly through the stained glass windows at Century First United Methodist Church Thursday evening.
Smiles beamed from the faces of the crowd packed into the wooden pews as music filled the church.
“This little light of mine. I’m going to let it shine.”
It was the first concert by the new Tri-City Children’s Choir, a regional initiative of the Pensacola Children’s Chorus for young singers in grades 2-6 who reside in the Century, Flomaton, Jay and surrounding areas. They have practiced under the direction of Holley Driver, a Century-based music teacher, since March.
“They have done outstanding,” Driver said. “They have always exceeded my expectations, and so I am just terrifically thrilled.”
For a photo gallery, click here.
The choir was a tuition-based program that cost $5-15 weekly. Families could choose the weekly amount that worked best for their household finances, and scholarships were also available.
An ensemble from the Pensacola Children’s Chorus opened the concert with a performance that included Prayer for Ukraine: Bozhe Velykyi. The Tri-City Children’s Choir performed How Can I Keep From Singing, To Music and This Little Light of Mine.
Driver said the choir will open enrollment again in the fall, giving an opportunity for area youth to shine.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Jim Allen Elementary Names Students Of The Month
May 20, 2022
Jim Allen Elementary School recently named Students of the Month. They are Paisley Black and Jaxon Southern. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Music Suite At Ransom Middle Named For Late Band Director Janie Newbold Walker
May 19, 2022
The music suite at Ransom Middle School has been named the “Janie Newbold Walker Music Suite”.
She was honored this week by the Escambia County School Board, with a board resolution accepted by her husband Chris Walker, son Andrew Walker and mother Kathy Newbold on behalf of her family.
Walker passed away in May 2021 at the age of 47 after complications from surgery.
Walker started her teaching career in the fall of 1997 when she became the band director at UMS Wright Preparatory School in Mobile. While living in Mobile, she played in the Mobile Pops Orchestra.
In the fall of 1999, Walker moved back to Pensacola and became the band director at Ransom Middle School. During her time at Ransom, her symphonic and jazz bands received consistent superior ratings at District Music Performance Assessments, and she had 18 students selected for participation in Florida all state bands. She also served as guest conductor for Middle School Honor Bands in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. She was selected as the Ransom Middle School Teacher of the Year for the 2020-2021 school year.
She was born March 26, 1974, in Pensacola and attended Cordova Park Elementary, Workman Middle School, and Washington High School. Walker and her family were active members of First Baptist Church in Pensacola where she was baptized and married and she served as a Children’s Camp Counselor. She also played the trumpet in the church orchestra.
Following graduation from high school in 1992 with honors, she attended the University of Alabama where she received a Bachelor of Music Education in 1997. While at Alabama she was a member of the Million Dollar Band, Jazz Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Quota Brass Quintet and Mu Phi Epsilon. Walker and her future husband, Chris Walker, met at Alabama and they were both members of the Million Dollar Band.
Several of Walker’s former students are in teaching positions at middle school and high school band programs in the Florida Panhandle, and several former students are professional musicians.
Walker began her career with the Escambia County School District in 1999. She service in multiple capacities including Ransom Middle School band director and music department chair, lead middle school band director for the Escambia County Fine Arts Department, and guest conductor for middle school honor bands in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.
She was posthumously awarded the Oliver Hobbs Award by the Florida Bandmasters Association. which recognizes FBA members who have consistently done an exceptional job year after year in the position of band director.
Northview Alumnus Graduates From Marion Military Institute As A Second Lieutenant
May 16, 2022
Northview High School alumnus Colby Morris graduated this past weekend from Marion Military Institute and was pinned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Morris was in the NJROTC at Northview, and NHS instructor Chief Jeffrey Simpkins took part in the ceremony. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
