Art departments at Freeport Elementary School, Walton Middle School, Emerald Coast Middle School, Paxton High School, and Freeport High School received recognition and a $100 award check for their participation in the Building Industry Association of Okaloosa and Walton Counties. 

Rain Barrels were provided by the @BIAOkaloosaWalton, and painted with creative designs. They were auctioned off during the annual Parade of Homes and the proceeds went toward a special scholarship program for students looking for careers in the building industry, as well as back in the form of an award to the participating schools. A rain barrel is a system that collects and stores rainwater from your rooftop that would otherwise be lost to runoff and diverted to storm drains and streams. A rain barrel is relatively simple and inexpensive to construct and can sit conveniently under a residential gutter down spout, or any spot where rain runs off of the roof. The water collected can be used to water plants, gardens, wash the car, and any number of usages that don't require sterile water. 

Mr. Alan Baggett, Executive Vice-President of the made the presentation.  Pictured are Kim Kirby, school board member; Alan Baggett, BIAOW, Jason Campbell accepting the award for Kaitlyn Arnold, art teacher at WMS; Jennifer Rhea, art teacher at ECMS; Corinne Wilson, art teacher at Paxton; Laurie Hudson, art teacher at FES; and Superintendent Hughes.

Maude Saunders second graders were transformed into field scientists today as they headed down the school’s nature trail.  Once they reached the outdoor classroom, they learned how to use their senses to discover the wonders of nature.  Thank you to the Emerald Coast Science Center for providing this opportunity for our students. Submitted by Krisy Spence.

The Freeport schools combined efforts to honor local veterans and active service members on Thursday, November 9th in the FMS gym. Over 900 people including students, teachers, and community members were on hand to witness what could only be described as true patriotism exhibited by all who were in attendance. It took several months of planning and preparation to make this event happen and the efforts did not go unnoticed. Please see the program to view the list of people/groups who helped make this special event happen. A special thank you goes out to our guest speakers Lt. Devin Rushing and Staff Sgt. Monica Garcia. Submitted by Sharie Smith.