Northview Mini-Cheerleading Clinic Scheduled
August 25, 2009
The annual Northview Mini-Cheerleading Clinic will be held this Friday, giving girls three-years old through the eighth grade the chance to cheer at halftime of a Northview Chiefs game.
The clinic will be from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. Friday in the school gym. Registration is at 5:00. The clinic is open to children three-years old through the eighth grade. Cost is $15 per person or $20 for siblings. The girls will perform during halftime of the first home football game on September 4. They will receive free admission to the game. For questions, call Anna at Northview at (850) 327-6681.
Larry White Named President Of State Commission Association
August 25, 2009
Escambia County (Ala.) Commissioner Larry White of Flomaton has been elected president of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, the statewide association that represents Alabama’s county governments.
White is active in ACCA having previously held the position of ACCA first vice president, as well as currently serving on the ACCA board of directors and several committees.
“I am very anxious to get to work,” White said. “This year offers many challenges for county government, and I am looking forward to working with our ACCA staff, new board of directors, our members and our affiliates to face them. Budget shortfalls, health care, road and bridge funding are but a few concerns our counties must address this year. We will work hard together to solve our problems. We are committed to continue to provide safe roads and bridges, promote economic development, support our law enforcement agencies, and to provide other vital services of county government.”
ACCA Executive Director Sonny Brasfield said he is confident in White’s capabilities to serve the association’s membership well.
“We have nothing to worry about in the next year. I know that Larry will lead this association with pride and a dedication to improving county government,” Brasfield said. “With his experience on the board of directors, our affiliate groups, our special projects, our insurance programs, and his knowledge of county issues, Larry will continue to be a valuable asset to the people of Alabama.”
The Association of County Commissions of Alabama is a statewide organization representing county governments in Alabama. ACCA promotes improved county government services in Alabama, offers educational programs for county officials and their staff members, administers insurance programs for county governments and employees, offers legal advice, and represents the interests of county government before state and federal organizations and agencies. The activities of the Association are governed by a board of directors composed of three officers, past presidents and representatives elected from 12 Alabama districts.
Three Cantonment Residents Involved In Crash
August 24, 2009
Three Cantonment residents were involved in a two-vehicle crash Monday afternoon.
The accident happened in the 2800 block of Pine Forest Road. The Florida Highway Patrol says Jeffrey Bookout, 52, was southbound on Pine Forest Road in 1997 Dodge pickup pulling a 36-foot travel trailer when he started to turn into his own driveway. That’s when troopers say Michael Craig, 48, tried to to pass the pickup on his 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle. As Bookout turned left, Craig collided with the left front of the pickup, according to the FHP report.
Craig and his motorcycle were knocked about 20 feet into concrete culvert, according to the FHP. He was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola in serious condition.
Bookout and his passenger, Rhonda Brant, 37, were not injured.
Craig was charged with an improper lane change, according to the FHP.
Don’t Forget Paperwork To Send Back To School
August 24, 2009
Every child in Escambia County should have received an assortment of paperwork during the first day of school Monday. School administrators stress the importance of filling out that paperwork and returning it as soon as possible.
“It’s very important that we get all of the paperwork back tomorrow”, Ernest Ward Principal Nancy Gindl-Perry said Monday afternoon. “We gave the folder of a paperwork to the students during the last five minutes of school; so it should all make it home.”
If you have questions about any of the blue cards, white cards or other forms, call your child’s school tomorrow.
One Person Injured In Bratt Highway 4 Wreck Monday Morning
August 24, 2009
One person received minor injuries in an accident in the 4600 block of Highway 4 in Bratt Monday morning.
A Jeep was apparently rear-ended by another vehicle; the driver was transported by ambulance with minor injuries. The accident happened about 8:30 a.m. near the First Baptist Church of Bratt.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire-Rescue, Atmore Ambulance at the Florida Highway Patrol responded to the crash. The accident is under investigation by the FHP.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Becoming One: Teacher Liaison Working To Bring Communities Together
August 24, 2009
The transition of Carver/Century K-8 School into Ernest Ward Middle and Bratt Elementary will go smoothly. Just ask anyone involved with either school in any capacity, and they are sure of it.
Except for Joyce Wright-Evans. She’s double sure.
Wright-Evans is a teacher on special assignment as a community liaison at Bratt and Ernest Ward this year in a position funded by federal stimulus dollars to help ensure that parents and the community are as involved as possible with the two schools. It is all part of the plan to make sure the consolidation of Carver/Century K-8 into Ernest Ward and Bratt goes as smoothly as possible.
“It’s going to be a great year,” Wright-Evans said last week while sitting in the office of Ernest Ward Principal Nancy Gindl-Perry. “I am very proud to be part of the Ernest Ward family.”
“You hear that?” Perry asked. “Part of the Ernest Ward family…that’s what we are here at Ernest Ward…family.”
With hundreds of children in the two schools — an expected 547 just at Ernest Ward — a big part of Wright-Evans’ job will be helping parents and the community feel like part of that family at EWMS and Bratt Elementary.
“I think she has the right temperament, and she has the right personality. She’s very energetic, and that passion for children is going to show,” Escambia School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said of Wright-Evans. “She is going to be a good thing for everyone involved with either school.”
Jeff Garthwaite, former principal of Carver/Century K-8 School and now stimulus funds coordinator for the school district, agreed.
“She will be there to help plan community activities like open house, and she will be there to smooth out any bumps in the road that might happen,” Garthwaite said. “She will troubleshoot any problems, and she will act as an advocate for children and parents with the school.”
“Parents can contact me about anything involving the schools,” she said. “We work together as a team.”
Wright-Evans will also be reaching out to community groups and businesses, looking for their involvement with Bratt and Ernest Ward.
“It’s all about the kids,” Wright-Evans said. “It is about each one of them. The kids come first.”
Wright-Evans will maintain an office at Ernest Ward and travel frequently to Bratt. To contact her about any issue or more information on how to become involved with the two schools, email jwright-evans@escambia.k12.fl.us or call Ernest Ward Middle at 327-4283 or Bratt Elementary at 327-6137.
Pictured: Joyce Wright-Evans in the hallway at Ernest Ward Middle School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Cheat Sheet: Quick Back To School Facts You Need To Know
August 24, 2009
Here’s a last minute cheat sheet on things you need to know on this first day of school:
School Start Times Are Different
Elementary schools in Escambia County have a morning start time of 7:45 and an afternoon dismissal time of 2:00. The earliest students can be dropped off at the elementary schools — including Bratt, Molino Park, Byrneville and Jim Allen — is 7:20.
At Ernest Ward Middle School, the morning start time will be 9:05 and the afternoon dismissal will be 3:45. The earliest students can be dropped off will be 8:55. The other middle schools in the county, including Ransom, will have a 9:20 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. school day.
At Northview High School, the school day will run 8:45 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. The earliest students will be allowed on campus will be 8:30. The other high schools in the county will run 8:30 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.
Buses Run At Different Times Too
Since school starts at a different time this year, buses will run at different times too. Questions about your child’s bus? Call your child’s school.
Breakfast and Lunch Cost The Same
One thing remains the same this year — breakfast and lunch prices:
- Elementary Breakfast: $1, full; $0.30, reduced; $1.80, adult.
- Elementary Lunch: $2, full; $0.40, reduced; $3, adult.
- Middle/High Breakfast: $1.50, full; $0.30, reduced; $1.80, adult.
- Middle/High Lunch: $2.50, full; $0.40, reduced; $3, adult.
Students that qualified for free and reduced price meals last year must complete an application again this year. Look for an application to be sent home with your child during the first week.
You Can Pay For Meals Online
You can prepay for your child’s breakfast and lunch at mealpayplus.com. You’ll need their student number. That will be sent home with your child, or you can call your school to get it. You can use any major credit card or a check. It’s the cost of the number of meals you choose plus a small service charge per student. But there’s no sending money to school and hoping it arrives or is spent for lunch.
The Breakfast And Lunch Menu
Here is the breakfast and lunch menu for elementary students for the first two days of school:
The elementary menu for breakfast on the first day of school will be Pop Tart, cheese wedge and mixed fruit. The lunch menu will be chili fiesta stix, pepperoni pizza, peaches, corn and a cookie. Day two, Tuesday, will have breakfast pizza and pears in the morning. For lunch on the second day, the menu includes corn dog, chicken Alfredo, fresh fruit, pineapple, garden salad and french bread.
Featured specials in middle and high school for Monday include popcorn chicken potato bowl, chicken Caesar salad or chili fiesta stix. Tuesday’s menu includes chicken fettuccine Alfredo, Cobb salad or pizza.
The Rules And The Dress Code
Each student will receive a copy of the Escambia County Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook during the first few days of school. Take a moment to look at; it can save one of those unwanted calls from the principal.
The school day dress code for students in grades 6-12 now applies to every activity after school too, even ball games. Leave the short shorts and baggy pants at home.
If you are just dying to read the handbook before it comes home with your child, click here for middle and high school or click here for elementary.
Communications
Communications is a two way street. Make sure you have your child’s school phone number in your cell phone in case you need it one day.
Make sure your child’s school has correct phone numbers for you, both your landline and cell phones. There will be forms sent home the first few days of school asking for the information, and you can send a note to your child’s teacher anytime.
Speaking of the teacher, ask him or her for their extension number at school, and trade email addresses with them. That way you have easy access to your child’s teacher(s).
And don’t fall for the cell phone temptation. Students of any age can have their cell phone at school, but it must be turned off between the first and last bell. Vibrate is not off.
Checkout List
Make sure you have an updated list of people allowed to check your child out of school. You don’t want to send grandma to school to checkout the kids for her to be told no. The names will go on that blue card the school sends home during the first week.
Get Your John Hancock Ready
Check the book bags. There will be lots of papers to fill out and sign during the first week. Make sure they are returned to school.
Fall Break And Holidays
If you are planning ahead for Fall Break, don’t expect it to be a long one this year. The school district has taken the normal Thursday and Friday Thanksgiving break and tossed Wednesday in for a three day Fall Break. It will be November 25-27. The first holiday of the year will be Monday, September 7 for Labor Day.
Last Day Of School
Ready for next summer again? The last day of school will be 180 days of school away – Friday, June 4, 2010.
Century To Discuss Increased Water, Sewer Rates
August 24, 2009
The Town of Century will hold a special meeting Tuesday morning to hear the results of a rate study that recommends water and sewer rate increases for most customers and new fees for future customers.
The typical residential water bill for a customer using 3,000 gallons per month would increase from $12.45 to $15.95 if the town followed the recommendations in the study from the Florida Rural Water Association. The new $15.95 minimum charge would include 3,000 gallons; the current minimum water bill is $9 for 1,500 gallons.
Commercial customers would see their minimum jump from $9 for 1,500 gallons to $19.95 for 3,000 gallons.
Both commercial and residential customers would see an increase per 1,000 gallons over the 3,000 minimum to $2.78 to $3.16 per 1,000 gallons. The current additional charge per 1,000 gallons is $2.27. Institutions and churches would pay the residential rate.
Sewage rates would also increase if the water association proposal were to be approved by the town.
The current sewage rate is $13 for the first 6,000 gallons and $3.50 per additional $1,000 gallons for residential and commercial customers. For the first 3,000 gallons, the recommended rate is $12 for residential customers and $25.50 for commercial customers. Each additional 1,000 gallons of sewage would cost $3.
Under the rate proposal, a family using 8,000 gallons of water per month would see their water bill increase from $23.75 to $30.13, and they would see their sewage bill increase from $20 to $27. The total monthly increase for that family would be $13.38, or $160.56 per year.
A business using an average of 8,000 gallons per month would see their water bill jump from $23.75 to $34.13 and a sewage increase from $20 to $40.50. The total annual increase would be $370.56.
The Florida Rural Water Association Proposal recommends that the town also charge a “capacity” fee for new hookups, in addition to the $125 water connection fee and $1,000 sewage impact fee currently charged. The study does not offer a specific recommendation on the amount of the new fee.
The Town of Century has not increased water or sewage rates since 1995. The water association recommends that the town make yearly rate increases based upon the consumer price index.
Before considering the recommended rate increases, the town will meet with a representative of the Florida Rural Water Association at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Century City Hall.
Flomaton Grad Killed in Alabama Wreck
August 24, 2009
A Flomaton High School graduate was killed last week in a Dadeville, Ala., wreck.
Nicole (Gatwood) Ordis, 29, of Camp Hill, Ala., was the driver of a 2002 Mercury that collided with a 2002 Chevrolet on Alabama Highway 49 near Dadeville at 2:53 p.m. last Monday. Ordis was pronounced dead at the scene. Her one-year old son was seriously injured and transported by ambulance to East Alabama Medical Center and then airlifted to Birmingham’s UAB Hospital. He has since been released from UAB.
Originally from Brewton, Ordis was a 1997 graduate of Flomaton High School. She was a teacher at an Orlando, Fla., school until losing her job due to budget cutbacks. She and her husband Gene recently moved to family property in Camp Hill, located near Lake Martin northeast of Montgomery.
Family members say that Ordis was on her way to cash her unemployment check with the accident occurred. Her husband had recently found a job at a Alabama hospital, but the couple had no medical or life insurance, according to family members.
Pictured above: Nicole Ordis in an undated photograph from the Seminole County (Fla.) Public Schools.
2009 ACT Scores Released; Northview Shows Improvement
August 23, 2009
Florida’s class of 2009 scored worse on the ACT college entrance exam than seniors last year, while Northview High School showed a full half point increase.
Across Florida, scores released Wednesday showed the class of 2009 had an average 19.5 on the college entrance exam, .03 points less than last year’s average. The national average was 21.2. Only students in Kentucky, Mississippi and the District of Colombia scored lower than the 62 percent of Florida’s graduates — 105,297 students — that took the test.
Just over half of 106 seniors at Northview High School took the 2009 ACT during their high school careers; the 56 students had an average composite score of 19.4. The top composite score in Escambia County was 20.4 at West Florida Tech and Washington High Schools. Tate High had a composite score of 20.2. Northview scored better than Pine Forest High (18.2) and almost as well as Escambia (19.5).
Northview’s 19.4 composite score for the class of 2009 was an improvement over the 18.9 composite earned by the class of 2008.
The 2009 composite score at Jay High School was 19.6, the lowest composite of any regular high school in Santa Rosa County. The 2008 composite at Jay was 20.0.