The Walton County School District is proud to have A. Russell Hughes, Florida’s 2024 Superintendent of the Year at the helm! FADSS (Florida Association of District School Superintendents) President Sherrie Raulerson commented, “Russell leads with compassion and conviction, driven by a work ethic grounded in servant leadership and a commitment to educational excellence.” Congratulations, Superintendent Hughes!
The characteristics of outstanding leadership and service don’t fall far from the tree, as evident in the naming of Walton County School District Principal of the Year (POY), Assistant Principal of the Year (APOY), Teacher of the Year (TOY) and Educational Support Personnel (ESP). These staff members have been cited as phenomenal leaders and have earned their colleagues’ respect on campus. POY is Jason Campbell, principal of Walton Middle School, APOY is Dr. Laurie Edwards, assistant principal at Freeport Elementary School, TOY is Ms. Heather Stewart of Paxton School, and ESPY is Randall Messer, Plant Manager at West DeFuniak Elementary School. Congratulations to each of you; thank you for being EPIC in all you do for our district!
The month of February was busy for our academic and extracurricular student programs. We hope our community had an opportunity to support our students in these events, which allow them to grow and cultivate their creative abilities. On Saturday, February 24, 2024, the All County Chorus and Ensemble and the ORFF Ensemble presented a musical show. The students showed great talent and poise as they serenaded their audience! In addition, the regional Lego League competitions were held on February 10 at Freeport High School. This program is full of STEM work, and our students show incredible ingenuity during these events. If you haven’t seen a competition, add visiting to your list of things to do!
Then, on February 13 our Walton County Students, who placed in the district science fair competition, went on to Regionals hosted at the Okaloosa-Walton Regional Science Fair on the Okaloosa County Fairgrounds in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. Congratulations to all of the District winners and Regional awardees.
Our community partners help us challenge our students academically and provide opportunities for critical thinking. The Walton County VFW 4437 hosted an essay contest on several topics related to social studies. Three winners from local schools emerged from this competition; Estefania Gama, a 12th grader from Freeport High School, is the winner of the “Voice of Democracy” entries, John Hale, a 6th grader at Seaside School, was the winner of the “Patriots Pen” entries. Matt McCown, a South Walton High School instructor, was the teacher contest winner. Thank you to our community partners for the opportunity, and congratulations to the winners!
Our schools are incredible institutions of learning, and our district is proud of every one of them. Just recently, the College Board (a non-profit agency that connects students to college success and opportunity) recognized Freeport High School as the 20-23 AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for a successful program.
Our student-athletes continue to make EPIC accomplishments across the district and region. The South Walton High School soccer team won the district championship, moved forward to the quarter-regional competition, and took home the winning title there! Seahawks Boys and Girls Basketball teams in addition to Walton High School Boys Basketball and Paxton School’s Boys and Girls Basketball teams made it to regional competition. We are very proud of the effort and excellence these teams exhibited to move them to the regional level of competition. Congratulations Seahawks, Braves and Bobcats!
The Walton County School District is currently accepting applications for Summer VPK registration. Parents may register their young children February 20 through 29, 2024, at Freeport Elementary, WISE, and Bay schools. For more information regarding registration visit https://wit.walton.k12.fl.us/article/1431871
If you are interested in enrolling your youngster in the VPK program for the upcoming 2023-24 school year, take note that registration for the new school year begins February 25, 2024, and continues through April 5, 2024. Students may register for VPK on WISE, Mossy Head, Paxton School, Freeport Elementary School, and Bay School. If your child will turn four (4) before September 1, 2024, they are eligible to participate in the program.
Walton County School District wants to hear from you! You may always ask questions through the Let’s Talk platform. This community digital tool automatically delivers your text questions to the appropriate personnel for a speedy reply. Text (85) 204-9667 or click “contact us” on the WCSD webpage
Author: Sowal Editor
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