Before winter break, students at Holley Navarre Middle School competed in their school’s annual science fair. A total of 102 projects were submitted across 12 categories, with winners advancing to the West Panhandle Regional Science and Engineering Fair at the University of West Florida on Jan. 27.
You may have heard the expression, ‘It takes a village.’ At Navarre High School, the saying is true, as various members of the school community contribute to the overall school environment. This includes volunteers.
Special Olympics Florida recently announced the winners of several awards, each recognizing a person or organization who has gone above and beyond to help Special Olympics reach more people and fulfill its mission of ensuring people with disabilities are treated with respect and given opportunities to compete in athletics.
One of the awards, the Marilyn Grigsby Award, was awarded to Navarre High School for more than a decade of support for Special Olympics Florida in Santa Rosa County. According to Special Olympics Florida, the Marilyn Grigsby Award recognizes organizations that provide sustained service, leadership, and impact over five years or more.
Holley Navarre Middle School Assistant Principal Peter Della Ratta is leaving the school district to become the Vice President of Institutional Advancement at John Melvin Christian College in Pace. The college is only a few years old and is still going through the accreditation process.
In his new role, Della Ratta is responsible for tending to the college’s academic affairs, assisting in handling the business of the college, and helping coach the school’s burgeoning baseball program.
Navarre Beach will have a renewed look in 2025 thanks to crews working on the Navarre Beach renourishment project, which is being done to alleviate the effects of erosion on the beach by adding sand on the beachfront.
A church in Navarre has found their new home.
Founded in 2017 as a plant of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA), COMPASS Community Church has met for services at several locations over the years. First in the homes of its congregants, then at the Holley by the Sea recreation center’s Beach House, and finally, at the old Pet Stylers building in Soundview Plaza (8540 Navarre Parkway).
On Jan. 5, 2025, the church will hold its first Sunday service at Gulf Pointe Latin School, a Christian school located at 7624 East Bay Blvd. in Navarre. According to Michael Bannon, the church’s pastor since its inception, the move was expected.
“A catastrophic failure.”
Those were the words Holley Navarre Water System used in a customer alert concerning a break in a 30-inch water transmission main belonging to FairPoint Regional Water System (FRUS). The break occurred Friday, Dec. 20.
Over a decade ago, Timothy “Christian” Knutson met his wife, Sandra, overseas when he was in the military. They soon fell in love, married, and now have two children, an eight-year-old son named JC, and a five-year-old daughter named Elise.
While this may seem like a happy ever after story, the past five years have been a nightmare for the family. In that time, doctors discovered that Sandra, 35, has an enlarged heart due to a heart valve disease. The disease causes the heart to have to work harder to pump blood to the rest of the body, leading her to fatigue more easily.
Since the resignation of Matt Gaetz in early November, Northwest Florida’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives has remained vacant. With a special primary election set for Tuesday, Jan. 28, Republicans vying for the seat met at Emerald Waterfront (formerly The Grillehouse) in Navarre for a candidate forum.
