Student Spotlights – October 2026

Each year, Aletheia Christian Academy high school students head to the Blackwater River for a day of adventure and fellowship. Students spend the day canoeing down the river, enjoying free time along the shore, and making memories together. The day wraps up with lunch and an encouraging message—a great opportunity for students to enjoy the outdoors while connecting with their classmates and growing together.

Aletheia Christian Academy students in 6th grade ELA are put their creativity to work as they wrote, produced, and acted out commercials inspired by the book Frindle. Once their commercials were complete, students performed them for their classmates. From magic lunchboxes to educational video games, students came up with some incredibly creative products while practicing writing, collaboration, and presentation skills.

Students (and an adorable mascot) from Tate High School’s Veterinary Science Academy visited the School Board workshop in September. In addition to supplying an overload of canine cuteness, the students shared insight on learning opportunities in and out of the classroom setting, such as volunteering in local veterinary clinics, gaining hands-on experience in the veterinary field, and experiences in FFA. The future of our area’s veterinary industry is undoubtedly bright.

Aletheia Christian Academy Upper School students in grades 7–12 get the opportunity each quarter to step outside the traditional classroom and explore something new through Activity Period. Course offerings change throughout the year and give students the chance to pursue interests, develop new skills, and simply have some fun! This quarter, students could choose from options such as Literary Cooking, Debate, Outdoor Games, Digital Art, SLU, Girls’ Bible Study, and more.
In Literary Cooking, students brought Greek mythology to life by reading the story of Persephone and then creating their own Greek yogurt cups topped with pomegranate and other fresh fruits. A delicious way to connect literature and culture.

Jules Welch is one of three students from the Pensacola State College Charter Academy who recently attended the prestigious Florida Boys State program. According to the Florida American Legion, Florida Boys State is a selective, one-week summer leadership program hosted in Tallahassee where rising high school seniors learn about government by running simulated local, county, and state offices. Below, Jules shares his perspective on the challenges, opportunities, and lasting impact of his Boys State experience:
My week-long experience at Florida Boys State was intense and eye-opening, even though the first 24 hours made me regret going. Running on barely two to three hours of sleep and then being thrown straight into a brutal 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM schedule, I was completely exhausted. We were rarely ever in our dorms except for sleep–something we didn’t get much of , constantly on the move from one session to the next.
The real turning point for me came when I started connecting with the other delegates. Realizing that everyone else was pushing through the same exhaustion made it easy to break the ice. The social and networking aspect ended up being amazing–I made friends with people from completely different backgrounds from all over Florida, which completely shifted my mindset about being there.
Serving as an elected Representative in the Florida Boys State House of Representatives was a major lesson in real-world politics. The one of the hard parts for me was just trying to get my bill onto the House floor, simply because delegates had submitted over 500 different bills. I had to learn on the fly how to advocate for my policy, build support, and stand out in a crowd of ambitious leaders.
Beyond the House floor, we spent hours absorbing wisdom from experienced figures in state government. Hearing directly from leaders like the Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the Chair of the Florida Democratic Party (who also served as Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture), and active State Legislators gave me a firsthand look at how public policy actually functions.
Pushing through that initial wall of sleep deprivation during the week to advocate for my bills and build a statewide network made this one of the best experiences I have ever had. I walked away with confidence under pressure, a deeper understanding of government, and friendships across Florida.

The Escambia County School Board recently honored students who received 2026 Northwest Florida Construction Career Days scholarships. The high school juniors and seniors participated in the event last February alongside students from every high school in Escambia County.Eleven students have been awarded $2,000 each, and 28 students will receive $500 each, totaling $36,000:
$2,000 Recipients
 Addison Giger — Northview
 Alexandra Bentley — Tate
 Caleb Levins — Northview
 Caleb Thomas — Tate
 Easten Odom — Northview
 Ethan Travis — Tate
 Ezekiel Farley — West Florida
 Gabrielle Osten — Escambia
 Jessie Joyner — Northview
 Jonas Houston — Northview
 Kaiden Hall — Northview
$500 Recipients
 Brielle Garcia — Northview
 Caleb Hurd — Tate
 Cooper Hall-Bridges — Pensacola
 Daniel Romero — Tate
 Decatur Evil-Hunter — West Florida
 Emma Bowman — Northview
 Emma Holder — Northview
 Estela Peralta — Northview
 Grayson Walker — Tate
 Ian Stinnett — Tate
 Isaac Gomez — Tate
 Jack Boutwell — Northview
 Jackson Schrock — Tate
 Jackson Simmons — Northview
 Jaeden Vuong — West Florida
 James Connors — Northview
 Jaxson Stella — Tate
 Kayden Samelson — Northview
 Keith ONeill — Tate
 Lily Driver — West Florida
 Lucas Jones — Tate
 Lucas Mota — West Florida
 Maurice Dixon — Northview
 Micah Deburkarte — Escambia
 Michael Brazwell — Northview
 Tripp Daughtry — Tate
 Tyson Tang — Washington
 Vincent Fox — West Florida

This summer, I was honored to be selected to attend the Young Scholars Program at Florida State University. This was an unforgettable experience for me. The Young Scholars Program (YSP) is a six-week residential science and mathematics summer program for 40 Florida high school students with significant potential for careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. During this Program I made great connections with 39 peers, from throughout Florida,while simultaneously doing research and basic courses such as an Introductory Quantum Computing course where I learned about topics such as quantum entanglement and had the opportunity to teleport a qubit. Additionally, I took a Modern Physics course where we did experiments that measured gamma rays, and discussed dark matter, particle physics, and various other fascinating topics. We also had the opportunity to take a Linear Algebra course along with a Discrete Math course. At the end of the program, we presented our research at a symposium. My research focused around using LiDAR data and a logistic regression algorithm to predict mold growth. While I entered this program with the flawed notion that I was only going to be focused on research and learning, I walked away with great memories, experience, and some of my closest friends and connections. If you are interested in a career in STEM, I strongly recommend you apply to the program. https://ysp.osta.fsu.edu/

Congratulations to the Escambia County FFA members who participated and placed in the Escambia County Farm Bureau Speech Contest.
1st Place – Grace Oliver (Northview FFA)
2nd Place – Nathan Gilmore (Northview FFA)
3rd Place – Payton Coon (Northview FFA)
Students had to deliver a five-minute speech to a panel of judges involved in the agricultural community. The speech topic was “What are some of the proactive, collaborative steps that farmers, ranchers, local communities, and organizations like Farm Bureau can take to help guard against invasive species threatening Florida agriculture?”
The winner of the speech contest will participate in the district level contest on September 18th. Congratulations to all.

Escambia County Children’s Trust has budgeted $3.5 million for Bright Beginnings, which is focused on school readiness for children from birth to age 6. The Escambia Children’s Trust’s next initiative will tackle the county’s low kindergarten readiness rate.
The Children’s Trust specified that Bright Beginnings grant funds could “supplement, enhance and expand existing early childhood services and should not supplant federal, state, local or private funding sources used to provide basic child care operations, staffing requirements or mandated educational services.”
Literacy coaches, family engagement coordinators, developmental screenings, evidence-based curriculum enhancements, parent workshops, kindergarten transition programs and mental health consultation are among the allowable uses for grant funds. For more information on Bright Beginnings, visit escambiachildrenstrust.org.

For the first time in school history, Tate High School has earned an A school grade —and became the first traditional high school in ECPS history to achieve the state’s highest accountability rating.
This milestone represents years of hard work, high expectations, collaboration, and a shared belief that all students matter.
Congratulations to the students, teachers, staff, families, school leaders, and entire Tate community who made this historic achievement possible. Congrats, Tate High.
Aletheia Christian Academy Upper School Students

Florida’s FAST (Florida Assessments for Student Thinking) results showed improvements across Escambia and Santa Rosa counties for the 2025-2026 school year. English Language Arts (ELA) scores increased for nearly all third- through 10th-graders, while math scores rose or held steady for most students in the local public school districts.

Pensacola Catholic High School is dedicated to developing the whole student spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically. In doing so, the school not only offers academic programs that meet students at all levels, but also provides Faith Formation programs, athletic programs, and numerous extracurricular activities that seek to provide opportunities for students to grow in all of these areas. Faith Formation programs include annual Class Retreats, Music Ministry, Monthly Eucharistic Adoration, Living Stations of the Cross, the Discipleship Club, and programs for students who want to learn more about the Catholic Church outside of their usual Religion classes. The Athletic Program at Catholic High offers participation in 21 teams across 15 different sports throughout the school year. CHS also offers membership in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for students who choose to join. The student government at CHS is the Student Council led by Class Officers in each grade, as well as an overall President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Arts Programs offered to students include Chorus, Crusader Band, which now includes string instruments, and Art and Photography Clubs. There are also several academic organizations to which students may be nominated based on their GPA and leadership and character. These include National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and the History Society. This year, students also have the opportunity to choose from 13 other clubs and organizations covering everything from faith and service to athletics, arts, academics, technology, and school spirit. The other 2026–27 clubs offered include:
Rally Club • Board Game • Pro-Life • Special Olympics Unified Sports Program • Golden Hearts • Sports Media Society • Club de Español • St. Vincent de Paul Society • Sader Surfers • The Positivity Project • Robotics & Engineering (Crubotics) • Pre-Med • Quiz-Saders Team & Quiz Bowl
Catholic High encourages each student to be involved in at least one club that interests them, as it is a great way to build friendships, develop leadership skills, serve others, and feel even more connected to Catholic High. There is something for everyone!
Pictured: Fellowship of Christian Athletes meet before school.

Pensacola Catholic High School is honored to announced the names of the three Seniors who were recently named as Semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Competition – Parker Hodge, Luke Juhas, and Everett Raybourn. This year marks the 72nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program with over 16,000 Semifinalists named. Students earned this designation by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in the Fall of 2025. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, represents less than one percent of the U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition to earn one of the National Merit Scholarships that will be awarded on a stat-representational basis. To be considered and named a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.
Congratulations to Catholic High School’s National Merit Semifinalists: Parker Hodge, Everett Raybourn, and Luke Juhas.

National Grandparents Day is celebrated every year on the first Sunday following Labor Day. At Pensacola Catholic High School we also honor our grandparents as they are our heritage and essential members of our families! This year’s Annual Grandparents Mass was on September 11. All CHS grandparents were invited to this special occasion. This year’s Mass was celebrated by Mgns. Steve Bosso, a Catholic High School alumnus from 1970. Students with grandparents in attendance participated as Lectors, Music Ministers, Eucharistic Ministers, and Gift Bearers. Following the Mass, a reception was held for grandparents and their grandchildren. Catholic High looks forward to this special event each year as a means of showing our gratitude for our students’ wonderful grandparents.