Tate Showband Of The South Has A New Director
July 27, 2024
The Tate High School Showband of the South has a new director.
Ronald B. Gray Jr. has been named the director of bands at Tate. Within the Tate Department of Fine Arts, his responsibilities include teaching the wind ensemble, concert band, Showband of the South, and jazz band.
Before his tenure at Tate, Gray served as the director of bands at Pine Forest High School for seven years, where he also held the position of Fine and Performing Arts department chair. At Pine Forest, he taught wind ensemble, instrumental techniques, jazz band, and sound engineering.
Under his leadership and with the support of the administrative faculty, staff, and community, the Pine Forest Super Sound Band became a staple in the community and achieved superior ratings for the first time in over a decade.
Gray also served as an adjunct professor in the College of Education at Florida A&M University, where he taught instrumental methods.
A native of Fort Lauderdale, Gray graduated from Stranahan High School before earning a Bachelor of Science in Music from Florida A&M University. During his time at FAMU, he held positions as a student assistant to the director of bands and university band president. He later obtained a master’s degree in music, with a concentration in brass performance, from the University of South Alabama.
Gray is a proud husband and father who loves fishing and “burning chicken on the grill”.
Pine Meadow’s Cassi McGee Received Florida Outstanding Teacher Leadership Award
July 27, 2024
Escambia County’s teacher of the year, Cassi McGee of Pine Meadow Elementary School has received the 2024 Outstanding Teacher Leadership Award at the Florida Teacher of the Year Gala.
The award is given to a teacher who believes that every student deserves to have a teacher that is better than the best teacher any of us ever had.
McGee has been employed by the district since 2005, when she began as a fifth grade teacher at Scenic Heights Elementary. She stayed in that position until she transferred to Pine Meadow Elementary, where she still teaches today.
McGee’s students have consistently achieved learning gains and met and surpassed state-mandated benchmarks. In 2022-2023, 90% of her students made learning gains in math, with an average rise from a level 2 to 3. She has also been a valuable asset at Pine Meadow as the Math Committee Chair and is active in the Writing and Language Arts committees. Thirteen years ago at Pine Meadow, she started the safety patrol program for fifth-grade students, which is still thriving. She also serves as a coach for Pine Meadow’s award-winning Math and Battle of the Books teams each year.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Highway 168 Bridge Reopened Friday After Repair Completed
July 26, 2024
A North Escambia bridge that abruptly closed July 3 after it it failed a state inspection has reponed.
The Highway 168 bridge over Hobbs Branch, about three-quarters of a mile east of Pine Barren Road near Bratt, was expected to be closed about 90 days for repairs, according to Escambia County officials.
Escambia County said a permanent repair was completed by Gulf Marine Construction, Inc. , the prime contractor who performed the work on the bridge.
The bridge was reopened Friday with the same weight restrictions as before the closure. The weight restriction is 24 tons for a two-axle vehicle, 28 tons for three axles.
The short wood bridge with a concrete deck was built in 1965.
When NorthEscambia.com photographed the bridge July 3, it was obvious that at least one wooden support was extremely deteriorated and almost completely broken in two (pictured below). It was not possible to photograph the same support the afternoon of July 26 due to a higher water level in the branch.
The Pine Barren Road and Bratt Road detour remains in place for Highway 4 as work continues to complete a new bridge. At last report, completion was expected by late July, barring any weather delays.
Pictured above and first photo below: The Highway 168 bridge over Hobbs Branch on July 26. Pictured last three photos below: The same bridge on July 3. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
