Education Archive

Aaron Pinkerton really wasn’t expecting to be the valedictorian of Navarre High’s Class of 2025.

“I had kind of written it off after junior year,” Pinkerton said. “So, to get it, it’s definitely a surprise and it’s a big honor. I’m proud of myself.”

Navarre High School’s Sara McPherson was recently named the 2025 Santa Rosa County District Schools’ Rookie of the Year. Despite only being in the classroom for the past two years, McPherson has been at Navarre High in various capacities since 2021.

Today, May 27, the University of West Florida Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Manny Diaz Jr. as interim president, pending the Florida Board of Governors’ approval. Diaz, who currently serves as commissioner of the Florida Department of Education, will begin his new role on July 14, 2025, following the resignation of Dr. Martha Saunders. 

Dr. Martha Saunders, the president of the University of West Florida, has resigned. Saunders made the announcement Monday, May 12. She had served as the school’s president since 2017.

Cassie Nolan wasn’t sure if the Raider Role Models program was going to take place this fall.

Navarre High School welcomed family members and friends of students to the annual NHS Art Show. Set up in the school’s media center/library, the show presented works from students across skill and grade levels in a variety of genres. 

Holley Navarre Middle School students took home honorable mentions, recognition awards and even netted some cash prizes at the 70th anniversary State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida.

For more than two decades, the University of West Florida’s TeacherReady Online Certificate Program has made a significant impact in addressing teacher shortages across the U.S. through innovative partnerships with school districts, assisting para-professionals, non-certified teachers, military veterans and spouses, career changers and recent college graduates in obtaining their teaching certifications.

The lords and ladies of the Gulf Breeze Elementary third grade class recently transformed their school into a 15th-century castle in honor of this year’s Medieval Festival.

Thanks to a $1,000 grant from the Santa Rosa Education Foundation (SREF), 18 students recently participated in an art project in partnership with the Milton Juvenile Probation Office and the Santa Rosa County District Schools Student Intervention Specialists, Paula Lowrimore and Kimi Gillis.