Education Archive

Northwest Florida Construction Career Days celebrated a record-breaking sixth year in 2026.

The annual construction and transportation career fair drew more than 1,400 students and chaperones from schools across seven Northwest Florida counties. Counties involved in this year’s event included Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Jackson and Washington counties.

Colton Tucker is anything but average.

An A-grade student, top of his class and a dirt bike enthusiast, Tucker recently added the honor of Sunshine State Scholar to his burgeoning resume.

Santa Rosa County District Schools is close to opening its Center for Innovation.

Katelyn Kent, district public information and family and community outreach officer, anticipates a ribbon cutting for the new facility will be held in the spring.

Students and families ventured to the Dillon Center in Milton Feb. 5 to learn about Career and Technical Education (CTE) opportunities in the school district.

East Bay K-8 School was “lit up” Tuesday, Jan. 27, during Literacy Night, an afterschool event designed to get students excited about reading.

Last summer, Paul Taylor, a science teacher at Navarre High School, reached out to the community seeking donations to create a fishing section within his marine biology class.

The response, he said, was overwhelming.

The Junior Leadership Santa Rosa program visited Naval Air Station Whiting Field earlier this month to learn about military aviation and other elements of the station’s operations.

Junior Leadership Santa Rosa, a program for high school juniors, is designed to help students gain insights into their communities’ industries and government. The goal is to forge leaders who are knowledgeable and invested in their communities.

Kimberly McChesney, a former Gulf Breeze Elementary School assistant principal, has been placed in a new role within the district after an investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing related to events at the end of the 2024-25 school year.

McChesney, who was placed on administrative leave in August 2025 after her son, Matthew McChesney, was arrested in July on a charge of possession of child pornography, has been reassigned to the Blended Academy. She will serve as assistant principal of the school, which offers a hybrid model of online education and in-person support.

Santa Rosa County School Board chose the “orange zone” map for the boundaries of Soundside High School’s student zoning. Those students who live within the orange area will attend Soundside High School instead of Navarre High or Gulf Breeze High.

Santa Rosa Education Foundation has announced the three finalists selected from five semifinalists for Santa Rosa Teacher of the Year. Congratulations to Audra Hughes, Avalon Middle, Bayleigh Upton, Jay High, Dayna Hood, Milton High.