Student Spotlights – April ’23

East Hill hosted their annual Family Night of Science this month. East Hill students, ranging from kindergarten up to eighth grade, displayed their hard work and creativity through various science projects. The solar system, dinosaurs, and coded robots were just a few of the amazing topics displayed! In addition to student’s work, students and their families had the opportunity to take part in numerous hands-on STEM activities put on by the Pensacola MESS Hall. It was a great night!

The Mission Statement of Pensacola Catholic High School is to develop responsible Christian individuals by providing the finest in Catholic education with the vision that we are a vibrant Christian community offering quality education while emphasizing the teachings of the Gospel, the intrinsic value of the individual and commitment to service. The Core Values provide additional guidance to the Administration, Faculty, Students and the Catholic High community at large. These Core Values include Selfless Love, Commitment to Excellence, Personal Integrity, and Commitment to Service. Recently several organizations across campus were involved in activities that modeled these Core Values within the Pensacola community. The St. Vincent de Paul Club moderated by Religion Teacher, Mrs. Karen Manning, contributed to a Hospice project that delivered seven ‘Baskets of Love’ to patients around Valentine’s Day. The baskets contained items such as crossword puzzles, books, devotional items, lotions, soaps, cookies, and stuffed animals. Just a little something for the patients and caregivers to enjoy! Sophomore students in Mr. Romano Kidd’s Religion class created a prayer chain for prisoners at the Century Sate Penitentiary. The prayer chain, containing almost 150 links of individual strips of construction paper with words of encouragement, a bible verse, or a short prayer, will be hung in a room where prisoners will participate in a spiritual retreat. Also, members of the National Honor Society and Student Ambassadors, moderated by Mrs. Alexandra Brown and Mrs. Maria Green respectively, visited our Partner in Education school, Oakcrest Elementary, to read to students in celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday. These are just a few examples of how our faculty and students promote our Mission/Vision/Core Values in the everyday activities we do!

Last week, OJ Semmes’ students participated in a service project called Blankets of Hope. Blankets of Hope, more than anything, is an experience. After a lesson on empathy and kindness, students wrote letters to strangers who may be going through a difficult time. Then, they attached the letters to a warm blanket. Through the letters, students showed love, kindness, and empathy to their classmates and to the person that is going to receive their note and blanket. Blankets were delivered to R.E.A.P. (ReEntry Alliance Pensacola) for distribution to those in need. In a community that benefits greatly from the love of its community partners, O.J. Semmes received the opportunity to contribute kindness and give back to friends, families, and strangers in need. By the end of the program, students and educators were asking what more they can do for their community, which is really what this service project is all about. Our hope is that this small, 30-minute experience is just the beginning of a ripple effect of love and kindness that goes on and on and on in our school and community.

Bratt Elementary School students are falling in love with gaga ball. The Bratt Elementary School PTA recently purchased a gaga ball pit for the students.
Dubbed a kinder gentler version of dodge ball, the game is played with a soft foam ball, and combines the skills of dodging, striking, running, and jumping, while trying to hit opponents with a ball below the knees. Players need to keep moving to avoid getting hit by the ball.

The month of February provides Creative Learning Academy the distinct honor of hosting its annual Grandfriends Day, a special day dedicated to the grandparents and grandfriends of its students. This day is so special to our community, with students putting in their best efforts to prepare special experiences for their visitors. From classroom presentations to projects and class specific experiences, the students leave no stone unturned to make their guests feel welcome and appreciated. Our CLA Music and Performing Arts department added to the festive atmosphere with their spectacular performance titled “Happy Together.” The show was a colorful display of musical numbers, with talented students showcasing their skills to the delight of their audience. The grandfriends were particularly thrilled to see their grandchildren and their friends singing and interacting on stage.
The day’s celebrations also included a reception for our grandfriends, where they could interact with the students and faculty members. The warm and welcoming environment on this day made our guests feel at home, and they thoroughly enjoyed participating in all that our school had to offer. From exploring the campus to attending classes, grandfriends were left impressed with our commitment to providing a unique educational experience. As the event came to an end, the students bid farewell to their grandfriends, promising to make next year’s Grandfriends Day even more memorable. Creative Learning Academy looks forward to welcoming back our grandfriends in the future and providing them with an enriching experience that they won’t soon forget!

Kazoo and the Pensacola Blue Wahoos recently visited Escambia Westgate School to visit with students. Kazoo and the Wahoos read to 11 classes as part of Kazoo’s Reading Program.

At a recent Board Meeting, the crowd was informed and entertained by a Black History Month production from four N.B. Cook students. Kiyan Gregory, John Brooks, Xander Flowers, and Dylan Bonner delighted those in attendance with their performance of an excerpt from “Famous Black Cowboys, the Unsung Heroes of the Frontier.” Under the direction of teachers Jean Odom and Jennifer Sistrunk, these four young men taught the crowd about some lesser-known African-American heroes of the Old West.

Ferry Pass Middle School had 6 teams compete in the Regional Odyssey of the Mind Tournament in Crestview. Three of the 6 teams came in 1st place in their Problem Categories and are advancing to the Florida State Tournament in Orlando on April 8th at Orlando Convention Center.
Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving competition designed under the principle that creativity can be taught. Students compete on a team of 5-7 members against teams from across the area. Each team has a cost limit that varies depending on the Problem and must cover the costs of everything they use in their solution. To encourage creativity and resourcefulness, recyclables and “trash” item usage is encouraged. Students are scored on the required parameters, as well as style, which is the team’s own special “flair” they add to the problem solution. There is also a “Spontaneous” problem the teams must solve without any prior notice of what the problem entails.

The Tate High School Aggie Cheerleaders competition team placed 10th in the nation Sunday at the 2023 UCA National High School Cheerleading Championships in Orlando.
There were 113 total teams that competed in the small varsity division with the Aggies.

A little inclement weather couldn’t dampen the spirit at Westgate Center on Mardi Gras. Local friends, service organizations, and media came out for the annual Mardi Gras parade, spreading joy (and beads) to the students and staff. A heartfelt ‘thank you’ from Westgate to all who made this possible.

Little Flower partnered with Book Blast to create a fun book fundraiser. The students earned many prizes last month and this week we celebrated the Book Delivery for students. The best part was every student received a book this week regardless of participation.

Bratt Elementary School now has a book vending machine! The machine was installed to get kids excited about reading.

Redeemer Lutheran 6th grade students enjoyed the annual Manatee Trip where they were able to get up close and personal with the majestic creatures. It’s a once in a lifetime experience, and one the kids will not soon forget.

Fun was had at the recent Montessori School of Pensacola’s Fun Day, which invited children to wear wild hair to school on a half day Friday. Students got a kick out of seeing their classmates’ wild hair. In addition to the fun, students contributed products for a special project that MSP alumni student has created at Washington High School. Ella Jane Hoffmaster is a Junior at Washington High School where she created and runs the Kindness Shelf, which provides products that her fellow students need (shampoo, deodorant, soap, etc.). This student pictured is from one of MSP’s Primary classrooms (Preschool and Kindergarten). She integrated a Slinky into her wild hair design.

Montessori School of Pensacola students had an exciting and educational trip to Montgomery, Alabama. MSP Middle School and Upper Elementary 3rd year students recently went to Montgomery. They attended the Alabama Shakespeare Festival where they got to watch “The Tempest”. In addition to seeing the show, they also got to visit the Civil Rights Museum.
Known as the birthplace of the civil rights movement, the city of Montgomery is rich with civil rights history, and no tour of Alabama’s capital would be complete without a visit to the Civil Rights Memorial Center (CRMC). A project of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), it is one of Alabama’s premiere civil rights sites and serves as the interpretive center for the Civil Rights Memorial, which honors the martyrs of the movement and inspires visitors to continue the march for racial equity and social justice. (https://www.splcenter.org/civil-rights-memorial)
Students got to experience the history and emotion of the Memorial Center after they got to witness the history and beauty of a Shakespeare play.

Montessori School of Pensacola (MSP) Elementary students visited Summer Vista Assisted Living Facility to deliver Valentine cards to their residents. MSP’s Montessori Drive campus off Scenic Highway is next to the Summer Vista Facility, so students visit throughout the year, for such reasons as reading to residents or performing songs. For this year’s Valentine’s Day, Lower Elementary students from MSP walked over to Summer Vista to spread some love. Students created fun, artistic cards and were excited to hand deliver them to those who reside at Summer Vista. Additionally, during the same week, Upper Elementary students visited to perform songs with MSP music, Fred Domulot.