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Student Spotlights – January 2025

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Every month we compile a list of students and schools doing great things across our community.  We have so many talented students in our area.  Greater Pensacola Parents joins with these families and schools to celebrate their achievements!

Aletheia Christian Academy Students “Feed the Need”

Students and staff at Aletheia Christian Academy participated in a mission-minded fundraiser called Feed the Need. Students packed 10,000 meals to be sent to the largest refugee camp in the world in Bangladesh as well as recent hurricane victims in the States and our local community through Manna Food Bank. It was wonderful to see students across grade levels come together and make an impact globally, regionally, and locally. Way to go, Lions!

West Pensacola Elementary Students Collect Socks for Those in Need

West Pensacola Elementary School’s annual Socktober drive has generated 3,500 pairs of socks for those in need. The new socks will be donated to Opening Doors Northwest Florida, an agency that aims to end homelessness in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, for distribution. Socks are among the most requested, yet least donated items, at homeless shelters.

Tate and Beulah FFA Teams Take Top Spots at FFA District Forestry Contest

Area schools took top spots in a recent FFA District Forestry Contest at Falling Waters State Park in Chipley. Tate High School FFA took first and third place among high schools at the event hosted by The Florida Forest Service. Milton High School was in second place.
Tate High FFA team members, led by advisor Melissa Gibbs, were:
Alex Apperson
Estella Perea
Isabella Owens
Lawson Theisen
Lily McArthur
Luke Graham
Parker White
Reagan Hatcher
In the middle school division, the Beulah Academy of Science FFA Team A earned first place under advisor Allie Eubanks. Second place middle school was Pleasant Ridge Christian School from Walton County. The Beulah Middle School FFA Team A finished third.
Beulah Academy of Science FFA Team A members were:
Addyson Creighton
Becca DeCoux
Braxton Williams
Luci Graham

Lipscomb Elementary Book Vending Machine

Community donations fund Lipscomb Elementary School’s new book vending machine. These contributions funded the purchase of the machine and stocking it with books. The vending machine is designed to foster a love for reading. A lucky student from Mrs. Whitfield’s class was randomly chosen to be the first student to get a book from the new vending machine.

Automotive Services Academy at Tate High School Funded by Triumph Oil Spill Grant

Tate High School will re-establish an Automotive Service Academy that will be funded by the Triumph Oil Spill Grant. Triumph funds will be used to renovate and equip the former Auto Body building with modern equipment and hands-on labs for the Automotive Service Academy.
“This Triumph grant provides our students with opportunities to grow in the classroom with hands-one opportunities and allows us to expand the programs we can offer our students here on campus,” Tate Principal Laura Touchstone said. “It gives us the opportunity to give back to the community. Obviously, there is a need in the community for automotive, and by us having that academy, we are preparing our students for the workforce.”
Students will troubleshoot, diagnose, and repair vehicles, as well as provide routine maintenance on a variety of modern automobiles. This project will have a classroom academic component, but the primary learning environment will be the academy’s automotive service shop and will guarantee completion of 225 Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certificates by the end of the 2029-2030 academic year.

Podcastapalooza 2025

Join us at Podcastapalooza 2025—hosted by Escambia County Public Schools on Saturday, February 1, from 10 AM to 1 PM at Booker T. Washington High School.
Podcastapalooza is an one-of-a-kind opportunity for parents, guardians, students, and the wider community to engage with the insightful and inspiring guests from our “Voices United in Education” podcast. The event features a series of interactive exhibits, each from a different podcast episode. You’ll have the chance to learn more about local resources and programs, ranging from free college tuition and tutoring to after-school and workforce educational programs.

Aletheia Christian Academy Upper School Legacy Serve Day

Aletheia Christian Academy Upper School students served others last month during our Legacy Serve Day. Students shifted their focus on ways they can help their community and beyond through a variety of projects. Students packed boxes for Operation Christmas Child, collected canned goods for Manna Food Bank, hosted a bake sale for a student undergoing cancer treatment, beautified the campus, wrote notes of encouragement for people in the community, and more.

NAS Pensacola Hosts STEM Day

NAS Pensacola hosted a STEM day before the 2024 Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show. Over 3,000 Escambia and Santa Rosa county junior high and high school students attended this event. The STEM day offered dozens of immersive displays and learning experiences from different STEM fields. It includes everything from criminal investigations, to cryogenics, and rocket engines.

Montessori School of Pensacola - Exploring Identity Awareness

Montessori School of Pensacola reading program in grades 1-6 begins with Identity Awareness. The 4th graders begin with a focus on ancestry. The students delve into their family customs and traditions, discovering how these aspects contribute to who they are.
As part of this journey, families collaborate at home to research their ancestry. Students then design a family tree, showcasing their findings, which they present to their classmates. This meaningful project encourages a deeper connection to their heritage and fosters a sense of pride in their identity.

Catholic High Christmas Assembly

CHS has a special relationship with two Partners-in-Education Schools, Oakcrest Elementary and the Global Learning Academy. We were once again delighted to have students from each school visit us for the Annual Christmas Assembly. Students from each school prepared and sang several Christmas songs each and then the CHS Choir and Band each performed. At the end of the assembly the students were surprised by a visit from Santa Claus and his elves who handed out goodie bags to our visitors! Another special tradition at CHS if Project St. Nicholas, that involves the collection of Christmas stockings that are put together for EACH child who attends one of our partner schools. The Catholic High family has never disappointed these children in acting as Santa’s helpers. This year faculty and students once again collected stockings filled with small toys, games, coloring books, flash cards, etc. that were delivered to the administration at the schools who oversaw the distribution of the stockings to their students, ensuring that every child received one for Christmas. Students offered the stockings for a blessing during the Mass offered by Fr. Jack Campbell on December 13.

Aletheia Christian Academy Students Participate in Pioneer Activities

Aletheia Christian Academy second grade students learned that a good book takes you places. Students enjoyed reading “Little House in the Big Woods,” and celebrated with a week of pioneer activities. They had fun with household chores such as washing clothes, churning butter, and making candles! They also ate delicious chili, cornbread, and cookies. But the fun didn’t stop there! They also made old fashioned toys, did some tin pie stamping, stuck cloves in apples, and ran in a sack race. Whew, what a week of fun!

St. Paul Catholic School Thanksgiving Service Project

St. Paul Catholic School Student Council coordinated a Thanksgiving Food Service Project that will provide 30 baskets filled with food and a $25 gift card that were distributed through the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Additional funds raised and donated food items will be used by St. Vincent de Paul for their ongoing local work caring for the poor and vulnerable in our community. Thank you to the St. Paul Catholic School community for supporting this service!

ECPS Principal and Assistant Principal of the Year Announced

Today, we are thrilled to honor our newest ECPS Principal and Assistant Principal of the Year.
We started the day off at Montclair Elementary School, where we surprised Principal Elizabeth Greenberg, our ECPS Principal of the Year, as she was delivering the morning announcements. Her presentation was broadcast live to every classroom. After that her students and staff lined the hallways and presented her with bouquets of flowers and hand-made cards.
We then made our way to Pine Forest High School where we feted Emily King, our ECPS Assistant Principal of the Year. Not to be outdone, PFHS assembled their drumline, cheerleaders, dance line, and several staff and family members in the Innovation Center for a moving presentation to Mrs. King.
We are so fortunate to have these amazing leaders, whose impact helps to create brighter outcomes for our students, their families, and this community.

Longleaf Elementary Receives Grant

Longleaf Elementary School received a grant from the Foundation for Excellence to purchase a book vending machine with the goal of rewarding students through reading. The ribbon cutting ceremony took place on Monday, November 18th, with Erin Ramos, one of the foundation members, on site to experience the first students who got to choose a free book to keep. The students that participated in the ribbon cutting were all the students who met their Quarter 1 Accelerated Reader goal in points and percentage correct. Also present were the Principal & Assistant Principal, Troy Brown and Chentel Hoskins.
Students who meet their goals for Quarters 2-4 as well as Semester 1 and 2 OR receive 25 AR points will also get to choose a book to keep in the future.

O.J. Semmes Students Receive Shoes from Bealls

Soles for Souls, an outreach of Derrick Brooks Charities and Bealls Department Stores, visited O.J. Semmes Elementary School this morning and gifted EVERY student with a brand new pair of shoes.
Words can not express our gratitude for this annual gesture of caring and generosity. We are blessed to have a strong community united with us in providing better outcomes for our students, their families, and this community.

CYSL CHAMPS - St. Paul Sweep!

Both St. Paul tackle football teams, 5th/6th Grade and 7th/8th Grade, took home the CYSL championship trophies for the 2024 season! Support from coaches, cheerleaders and awesome fans along with the hard work players put in all season long culminated in victory for both teams! Go Spartans!

St. Paul Catholic School Theater Students Present Christmas Play

St. Paul middle school musical and technical theater elective students performed “An Out of the Box Christmas” on December 5th! Musical theater students worked hard all semester to learn their lines, songs, and created their own choreography. Technical theater students painted the set, sewed the Hobby Horses for the Cowboy Wisemen, and learned how to run our microphones and music system. Also, thanks to a grant from the Catholic Foundation of Northwest Florida, SPCS premiered a brand new lighting system!

CLA Teacher Developing Smithsonian Science Curriculum

Creative Learning Academy science teacher Jen Reichwage has been selected to serve on a panel of global teachers as a Field Tester for the Smithsonian Science Education Center’s upcoming curriculum, Access and Accessibility. The Smithsonian Science Education Center is committed to producing research-based, engaging, educational materials for global youth. The field-testing process invites educators from around the world to test the material in their own learning communities and give us feedback. This feedback ensures that the final product accurately reflects the needs and goals of a global educational community. Smithsonian Science for Global Goals is a set of freely available community research guides that engage youth ages 8-17 to understand the science that underlies the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and take sustainable actions in their own communities. The UN’s list of 17 SDGs are 1. No poverty 2. Zero hunger 3. Good health and well-being 4. Quality Education 5. Gender equality 6. Clean water and sanitation 7. Affordable and clean energy 8. Decent work and economic growth 9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure 10. Reduced inequalities 11. Sustainable cities and economies 12. Responsible consumption and production 13. Climate action 14. Life below water 15. Life on land 16. Peace, justice and strong institutions and 17. Partnership for the goals.
This is an incredible opportunity for Mrs. Reichwage to help shape an innovative and cutting-edge science curriculum that promotes inclusive and accessible learning experiences for all students. Once published, this new curriculum will feature an approach to learning focused on real-work problems, encouraging young learners to become action-takers in their own communities. This approach will help students to understand the world’s most pressing issues better and arrive at locally sustainable solutions. Because of this opportunity for Jen, Creative Learning Academy students will serve as developers and field testers for the curriculum, engaging their ideas and enthusiasm, and taking the lead on creating a better world.

CHS Helps to Feed the Community

The Pensacola Catholic High School Student Council, moderated by English Teacher Julie Remke, once again spearheaded the Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive working closely with all faculty members and students. Over 33,000 non-perishable food items and $4,500 in donations were collected from November 4 – November 21 by students, with the assistance of their parents, faculty, and staff. Items collected were given to the St. Vincent DePaul food pantry for distribution within the community to those most in need. We are always so grateful to students and parents for helping to support this special project that supports families in our community and lives out the Catholic High Core Values of Selfless Love & Commitment to Service!

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