Nation’s Only Middle School Electrical Academy Opens At Ernest Ward
October 22, 2010
A grand opening was held Thursday night for the new IBEW Electrical Academy at Ernest Ward Middle School. The academy, which began in August, is the first such program in the nation at the middle school level.
According to Lesa Morgan, director of Workforce Education for the Escambia County School District, the academy will teach not only traditional electrical systems, but also alternative energy such as solar power.
“We have Florida’s future energy talent right here,” Morgan said of the EWMS students.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
“What they are learning now can one day be used in the workforce,” Escambia Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said. He called the program “a model that you can take anywhere in the country.”
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers worked with the school district to create the Electrical Academy. Middle school career academies are small, personalized learning communities within a school in which select students and teachers participate during a two or three-year span. A career academy involves teachers from different subjects working together as an interdisciplinary team.
“I think it is going to give them a lot of opportunities; it’s going to get him interested in the electrical field, which is a very good field to get into when he gets out of high school,” Alex Amerson said of the education his nephew is receiving in the academy.
In the EWMS Electrical Academy, the students are being introduced to electrical systems, learning the theories of electricity constructing projects. Students in the program said they are captivated by the projects that give them real, hand-on experience in the program.
“It’s real fun; we get to do a lot of projects,” said Christopher Brown. “We’ve been able to wire lab boards, and later on in the year we will be able to wire a house,” added student Abbie Johnson.
During the grand opening program Thursday night, students demonstrated their lab boards — wired 120-volt circuits with operating outlets, three-way switches and light bulbs.
“One youngster told me that he was now ready to go rewire his house. I told him to wait a little while longer,” Thomas quipped.
There are about 90 students in the Ernest Ward Middle School Electrical Academy. By 2012, the current Construction Academy at Northview High School is expected to be expanded to include an electrical academy.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured top: Escambia County School Board member Gerald Boone uses his cell phone to photograph sparks from a Telsa coil on display during the grand opening of the Ernest Ward Middle School Electrical Academy Thursday night in Walnut Hill. Pictured inset: There are about 90 students in the academy. Pictured below: EWMS Electrical Academy students demonstrate “lab boards” with functioning 120-volt electrical wiring. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
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Escambia School District Pushes For ‘Yes’ On Amendment 8
October 22, 2010
With less than two weeks to go before the November 2 general election, the Escambia County School District is trying to convince voters to support Amendment 8 that would give school district with flexibility in managing class sizes.
“The strict requirements of the class size amendments will create obstacles for parents, teachers, principals and leaders in Escambia County Schools every year unless Floridians vote for Amendment 8,” said Escambia County Superintendent Malcolm Thomas at a Thursday morning press conference at Pensacola High School. “By supporting Amendment 8, voters can provide our schools with flexibility while still maintaining small class sizes.”
Enrollment in Escambia County schools has decreased by 3,200 students since 2003, but district official said the county has added 489 teachers during the period in an effort to meet the class size requirements that would be relaxed under Amendment 8. The district has used co-teachers, canceled certain classes, and placed elective subject area teachers in core classes.
Joining Escambia County Schools Superintendent Malcolm Thomas at Thursday’s press conference was Susan Story, CEO of Gulf Power and a member of the Florida Board of Education.
“Amendment 8 keeps classroom sizes small and gives schools more flexibility to make sure students are not turned away from courses because a class is full,” Story said. “Just like businesses need more flexibility in today’s global markets, our schools must have more flexibility to prepare students for the workforce. The bottom line is Amendment 8 is good for students.”
In 2002, voters passed a constitutional amendment that capped individual classrooms at 18 students in kindergarten through third grade, 22 in fourth through eighth grade, and 25 in high school. The limits have been phased in since the amendment was passed, with the hard numerical caps going into effect this year.
Amendment 8 on the November 2 ballot would repeal those hard class size caps, allowing class size caps to be calculated at a school-wide average, rather than on a per-classroom basis.
Flomaton Celebrates Fall, Hurricanes
October 22, 2010
Characters of all sorts roamed the streets of downtown Flomaton Thursday night during the town’s annual Fall Festival. The event also included a big homecoming pep rally for the Flomaton Hurricanes.
The Fall Festival began a weekend of activities as part of the 2010 Flomaton Great Homecoming. Events continue with a homecoming parade and homecoming football game on Friday and a full day of activities on Friday. Click here for more information.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cleaning Up: Take Pride In Jay Day
October 22, 2010
Residents of Jay will volunteer Saturday morning to clean up the town.
“Take Pride in Jay” day will begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Bray-Hendricks Park Pavilion. Residents are asked to dress comfortably and come prepared to work.
Projects will include weeding the “old section” of the town’s cemetery, sprucing up several spots around town, pickup trash and litter, planting shade trees at the park playground, cleaning up vacant lots and more.
For more information,contact Jane Hayes at (850) 675-0406 or email hayesjane@bellsouth.net.
Northview Volleyball Results
October 22, 2010
Crestview defeated Northview Thursday in high school volleyball.
Varsity
Crestview defeated Northview 14-25, 21-25, 15-25.
Northview (7-16, 5-3) Varsity Stats:
Shawna Montgomery — Kills-6, Blocks-4, Aces-3, Assists-1 Digs-2
Ashley Digmon — Assists-3, Aces-1, Digs -4, Kills-1
Kara Hardin – Digs-3, Aces-1
Junior Varsity
Crestview defeated Northview 13-25, 13-25.
Northview (8-9) Junior Varsity Stats:
Madison Arrington — Digs –3, Assists-2
Lana Clayton — Kills-2, Aces-1, Digs-1
Former Alabama Rep. Skippy White Passes Away
October 21, 2010
Former Alabama Alabama State Representative Frank Paul “Skippy” White passed away overnight.
White, a resident of Pollard, served in the Alabama Legislature from 1982 to 2006 representing House District 66 located in western Escambia County and in a portion of Baldwin County, Alabama.
During his 24-year legislative tenure, White founded the Legislative Law Enforcement Medal of Honor, which annually honors the brave men and women of law enforcement, and worked to improve the Alabama highway system through many years of service on the Joint Transportation Committee. He also worked to sponsored and helped to enact local legislation creating the Escambia County Oil and Gas Trust Fund.
White was a firefighter for the City of Pensacola for 12 years and a council member for the Town of Pollard for seven years before running for the legislature. He was also active with farming and forestry management, the Methodist Church and other local civic and charitable organizations.
“Representative White has been a tremendous advocate for all of south Alabama for over three decades,” Congressman Joe Bonner said on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives upon White’s retirement. “White worked tirelessly on behalf of south Alabama.”
“Skippy will be remembered for his generous spirit, keen sense of humor, and the long view of governing by statesmanship, which characterized his entire career,” the Alabama Legislature said in a joint congratulatory resolution in 2007 after White’s final term.
For funeral service information, click here for the complete obituary.
Firefighter Dies In Wreck Chasing Kids That Were Rolling Yards
October 21, 2010
A 34-year old Flomaton man was killed in a single vehicle accident Wednesday night near Flomaton after he reportedly gave chase to a group of high school students rolling a yard with toilet paper.
James Luther McRae, 34, lost control of his 2003 Chevrolet pickup truck about 7:50 p.m. in a curve on Stanley Road near Magnolia Church, about 15 miles northwest of Flomaton. Alabama State Troopers said McRae, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from his truck as it rolled over. McRae, a career firefighter with the Poarch Creek Fire Department, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities said McRae was chasing a group of high school students that were rolling a house. Officials said the teens were from Flomaton High School, which is celebrating homecoming this week. They believe McRae thought the teens were trying to break into a house. He called 911 as he gave chase, trying to get a tag number for deputies.
Authorities have determined that McRae was chasing four teens when he lost control of his truck, which was pulling a trailer. At least three of them –all under 18 — have been interviewed by the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office.
McRae is survived by his wife of just a few months.
The incident is still under investigation by Alabama State Troopers and the rolling incident is still under investigation by other local law enforcement.
Pictured top: The site of a wreck that killed James Luther McRae, 34, Wednesday night outside Flomaton. Pictured inset: Toilet paper hangs from trees near McRae’s home. Images courtesy WEAR TV 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Verizon Wireless Service Returns After 5 Days Of Dropped Calls
October 21, 2010
After five days of dropped calls, Verizon wireless customers in the North Escambia area should now be able to make and receive calls on their cell phones as usual.
“In Davisville, the calls are dropping or not connecting,” one NorthEscambia.com reader posted on our Facebook page. “It took 19 tries to complete a five minute conversation on Monday evening from Walnut Hill,” another reader posted.
The service disruptions in North Escambia were the result of Verizon’s purchase of Alltel Communications and the integration of Verizon and Alltel equipment, according to Gretchen LeJeune, a media relations manager for Verizon Wireless.
The $28 billion deal closed in September 2009, but the equipment changes in the local Mobile-Pensacola Verizon market are being completed this month.
“The problems were the result of a database error that impacted the towers in your area,” LeJeune said. The database upgrade problem created customer problems in North Escambia beginning Friday and lasting through midday Wednesday.
She said none of the Verizon towers in the area were actually down during the period, but they were not properly processing calls.
Hundreds of NorthEscambia.com readers contacted us by email or on our Facebook page expressing their frustrations with the company. “They told me it was just me and my phone,” one reader wrote. “They said I was the only one having any problems.”
NorthEscambia.com experienced the same difficulties in making and receiving calls during the period on our multiple Verizon phones. We were told by multiple customer service representatives in regards to our account that there was no known issue in the North Escambia area. In fact, when we first contacted LeJeune Wednesday morning, she said Verizon was unaware of any problem.
“According to our system, everything is working perfectly,” she said Wednesday morning. But by Wednesday afternoon, LeJuene said the database problem had been isolated and corrected after our phone call.
“It’s a huge undertaking integrating the two networks,” she said. “Mistakes happen, and we are sorry for any inconvenience. Verizon Wireless still has the most reliable network.”
Pictured above: A Verizon Blackberry displays “Call Was Lost” while attempting to dial Verizon’s customer service number Tuesday. Verizon’s Walnut Hill tower can be seen in the background. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
NorthEscambia.com Named One Of The Coast’s Best Local Websites
October 21, 2010
NorthEscambia.com has been named one of the best local websites in the 10th annual Pensacola Independent newspaper’s Best of the Coast issue.
2010 was the second year running that NorthEscambia.com was honored in the Best of the Coast issue. Last year, NorthEscambia.com was named the Gulf Coast’s “Best Local Blog” (a specific category that did not exist this year).
We join other media winners Best TV Station WEAR, Best Radio Station Cat Country 98.7, Best TV Personality Mollye Barrows and Best Radio DJ Mark the Shark of TK101.
The extensive “best of” lists are a who’s who of Pensacola, Escambia County and the rest of the coast as chosen by a vote of the Pensacola Independent’s readers.
Read “Best of the Coast 2010″ from the Pensacola Independent News by clicking here.
Editor’s note: NorthEscambia.com is on the “Complete Winners List” at the link above. And, by the way, we are big fan of the “Restaurants” list. Mmmm.
Adopt-A-Spot Program To Keep Escambia River Landing Clean
October 21, 2010
Members of the Northwest Florida Tree Hound Club are working to establish an Adopt-A-Spot program Fischers Landing along the Escambia River in Century.
Much like the Adopt-A-Highway program, volunteers in the Adopt-A-Spot program will work to keep sections of the landing and river banks clean of litter. According to club president Jim Huie, about 15 member of the group live in Century and will regularly work in the cleanup effort.
“We just want to give something back,” Huie told the Century Town Council.
“We don’t have anything to lose on this,” McCall said, as he applauded the group’s efforts.