By Ana Ceballos News Service of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed legislation that will dramatically expand a voucher program that helps students go to private schools, the latest step in a two-decade push to expand school choice in Florida. The Republican governor said the bill “expands and builds off the success” of the […]
It started with a post about race on Facebook and has escalated into a full-blown investigation into potential misconduct by teachers at Pace High School, including the teacher that posted. Santa Rosa County School Board unanimously approved June 18 placing five teachers at Pace High School on administrative leave as an investigation is conducted into […]
State officials have published their recommendations for returning to school after COVID-19 pandemic closures, and now Santa Rosa County School District’s task force has published recommendations. The School Board approved the plans June 18, and now the work begins at the individual school level to determine how best to implement these plans. Read the full […]
State officials issued a plan June 11 to get schools back in session in-person starting in August, and there are some big differences in how schools might operate. Under the plan, cafeterias may close for meals, instead functioning as learning spaces. And school days could be split into two rotations of attendance to allow more […]
When schools closed in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lighthouse Private Christian Academy was well prepared for the uncertainty ahead. Remote learning became the route education took, and it’s something Lighthouse had already been using in addition to the traditional mode of learning. Now that Lighthouse founder and superintendent Joanna Johannes has had a […]
Graduating eighth grade and entering high school is a milestone worth commemorating, worldwide pandemic or not. Faculty and staff of Holley Navarre Middle School (HNMS) decided to send the eighth-grade class off with a bang Thursday night. Read the full article in the June 4 issue of Navarre Press. Visit navarrepress.com/subscribe to view subscription options –or […]
Joseph Staudt was one of 10 tied for the top spot for the class of 2020 at Navarre High School in the middle of freshman year. That said, becoming valedictorian wasn’t going to be easy. But ultimately, he emerged from four years of hard work with the honor. “I knew it was going to be […]
Iliana Carrillo is used to attending in school under not-so-normal circumstances. Prior to starting high school in Spain, she attended a school where she was the only student who couldn’t speak Spanish. Then, during her freshman year in the same country, she spent four hours on a bus each day just to be able to […]
With legal action hanging over their heads, Santa Rosa School District opted this month to hold impact fees in a separate account and not move forward with expenditure. The Home Builders Association of West Florida Inc. (HBA), jointly with 11 building companies, filed April 17 in court to prevent impact fees from being collected in […]
Navarre High Principal Brian Noack and his administration team walk the quiet hallways of the school every so often and think about all that has been missing over the last couple of months. Those hallways remain silent today, the school still closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but in the parking lot last Tuesday morning, […]
Navarre’s junior gardeners impressed with their knowledge and skill this year as the Holley Navarre Intermediate School third graders brought home first place in 12 categories of competition focused on Florida ecosystems and conservation. The awards were announced in May as part of the Federation of Florida Garden Clubs’ (FFGC) annual competition for both junior […]
As part of the application process for a Corvias Foundation scholarship, Carlos Herrera Jr. had to write an essay on the meaning of being a military dependent. Once he made it to the semifinal step of the process, he was then asked to write a second essay, this time detailing his reason for wanting to […]
In a video on Facebook, Marsha Harp is offering up her latest STEAM Challenge with a safari-like backdrop behind her. She’s encouraging students to build a water tower using paper and tape that can hold a liquid for at least 20 seconds without leaking. Read the full article in the May 7 issue of […]
Nothing is set in stone just yet on what college campuses will look like this fall amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, especially for students engaging in higher learning for the first time in their lives. University of West Florida President Martha Saunders said she is in talks with universities across the state almost daily. She […]
With in-class instruction canceled for the rest of the school year, Santa Rosa School District is treating it as an opportunity by launching the One District, One Book program. Director of Elementary Education April Martin said while completely transforming how they teach has been a challenge, going forward she feels confident they will succeed. […]
Santa Rosa Education Foundation announced last week the 2020 Rookies of the Year selected by schools. The foundation invited every school in the Santa Rosa School District to select one teacher as their award recipient for 2020. All full-time teachers in their third year or less of teaching were eligible for this award. This included total […]
Exceptional Student Education Department Chair Angie Taylor spent Monday morning at Navarre High School with a couple of teachers putting packets together for their students. They are packets that will provide educational material for the next two weeks leading up to May 1 when a decision is likely to be made on the fate of […]
For many parents across the state of Florida COVID-19 has meant a a crash course in becoming a teacher over the past few weeks. Public school facilities are shuttered until at least May 1, meaning millions of Florida students and their families are tackling distance learning. To help students, parents, teachers and school districts , […]
Santa Rosa County School District does not have an answer on whether or not schools will reopen from COVID-19 closures, but teachers are instructed to prepare for the possibility. Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick confirmed the state has not yet provided guidance via text message April 17. “We have NOT been told by state leadership school will […]
Senior year is different for the class of 2020 at Navarre High School. With schools closed until at least May 1 and communities in quarantine under state mandates, common milestones are being missed. Award ceremonies, prom, signing friends’ yearbooks and even their graduation ceremony may be cancelled due to social distancing concerns. Kelly Urban’s son […]
Shortages equipment for healthcare workers battling COVID-19 remain common in the news, and full face shields, which protect from infection, are among the needed supplies. University of West Florida has stepped up to answer the need by asking one of the university’s direct support organizations to manufacture, manage and distribute 3D-printed full face shield supplies […]
Public school teachers will be return to schools March 30 to launch distance learning efforts for their students, but being stuck at home can still get boring for the thousands of school age children in Santa Rosa County. To help parents engage their students, state representative Jayer Williamson has shared a list of links to […]
As Joanna Johannes talks about the uncertainty surrounding the weeks ahead in this current school year, there are no hints of worry in her voice.The founder and head of school of Lighthouse Private Christian Academy, which has campuses in both Gulf Breeze and Pensacola, is calm and collected in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) […]
Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran announced Friday that information and resources are now available for students, parents and school districts in Florida during the extended spring break as they transition into distance learning.Educational resources and district meal plans are available on the DOE’s emergency response page. This page also has information on the state’s response […]
Public school students in Santa Rosa County are going online until at least April 15 due to the ongoing pandemic. By next week, all teachers will have made contact with families across the district to prepare for this kind of instruction. In a letter to parents, Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick asked for their support in making […]
The Santa Rosa School District is working diligently to provide food for students who participate in the free or reduced lunch program. They will be providing meals at numerous schools next week with a drive through, curbside services. The district will be providing breakfast and lunch to each child served – and the child must […]
Santa Rosa County’s k-12 schools have been ordered shuttered through at least April 15 by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) due to the novel coronavirus COVID-19. To prepare for the worst case scenario, school district administrators are developing a plan to transition to full online learning for the entire fourth quarter of the school […]
COVID-19 has closed down massive parts of the community, including area schools through at least March 27. While those closures could mean curbing the illness’s spread, for the county’s most financially vulnerable populations, the announcement could be troubling. For hundreds of students throughout south Santa Rosa County, school means free breakfasts and lunches. And it […]
Making meaningful connections with 1,013 students plus a school’s worth of staff can be difficult in a school year, but that is Shana Dorsey’s goal. Dorsey has been principal at West Navarre Intermediate School for five years, and her efforts to create a connected community resulted in the school district naming her Principal of the […]
Raises and retroactive pay for Santa Rosa County School District’s teachers have been delayed to as late as May 15 despite being approved nearly a month ago. The cause of the trouble? The district’s new payroll system. Read the full article in the Mar. 12 issue of Navarre Press. Visit navarrepress.com/subscribe to view subscription options.Click here to sign up […]