WHS hosted professional development opportunities on January 3, allowing teachers to collaborate and learn about a variety of topics related to instruction, technology, and student safety.   Staff members are geared up and ready for the second half of the school year!

Submitted by Christy English

The WCSD has enjoyed nearly 10 years of partnership now with the @biophiliacenter! More than 11,000 students to date have experienced hands-on outdoors learning, thanks to this beautiful science education center off Hwy. 20, just east of 331. Superintendent Hughes was excited to participate and speak at the groundbreaking ceremony December 16, 2017 for an expansion. Check out the web site for more: www.EOWilsoncenter.org! This is a local treasure, and an important collaboration for our STEM educators!
From right, Superintendent Hughes; Board Member Stella Davis;  Director, Dr. Matt Aresco; and Board Members Pat and Lisa Davis Chisholm. 

Submitted by Keitha Bledsoe

McCaid Paul, a 14 year old 8th grader at Walton Middle School in Defuniak Springs, has just published his first novel, The Forgotten Headline (The Summersville Series) (Volume 1), currently available in paperback, hardcover, or ebook through Amazon.com.  This current novel, a thriller, is the first of a series of 5 which will take his main character, Mick Smith, and his best friend Billie, through some hair-raising experiences and unexpected discoveries! 

McCaid stated in an interview "My Dad used to inspire me by writing short stories, and I had lots of really good training and encouragement in my language arts classes in reading and writing." He began journaling in first grade, and developed a love of writing all through elementary and middle school. He indicated that he enjoys mystery novels, and was strongly influenced by the writings of Agatha Christie, famous author of mystery novels, and Key Watt, a local author from Point Clear, Alabama who writes novels for young people.  McCaid said that Watt's novels for youth are "honestly some of the best I've ever read. His books are like mine...easy, but really high interest!"

The writing and publishing process for McCaid has truly been an adventure, and with the help of his supportive parents, the encouragement of his teachers at West DeFuniak Elementary School and Walton Middle School, and many others in the writing/publishing business, his journey has finally taken all the right turns! 

McCaid attended a workshop sponsored by the DeFuniak Springs Public Library where he had the opportunity to meet and learn from Whitney Evans (pen name S. Usher Evans) from Pensacola. Evans is a self-published author who formerly worked with BBC, Discovery Channel, and IT at the Pentagon.  She gave up the fast-paced life of Washington to pursue her writing career.  McCaid indicated that she gave him direction on everything from getting an editor and formatter, to marketing.  He said she has become his mentor and "go to" person in this process.  McCaid and his family decided that self-publishing was the best way to have full control over the content of his work.  Some well-known self-published authors have had their books made into movies.  McCaid gave the example of Andy Weir, who wrote and self-published his first novel, The Martian, which was produced as a movie in 2015 starring Matt Damon. 

He ended up using two self-publishing companies, CreateSpace.com and IngramSpark.com, who he indicated were very helpful. With some very specific ideas in mind as to how he wanted the book to look on the outside, McCaid also did all his own research to find who he wanted to use to create his cover art.  He selected a company called Damonza, a group of retired writers for the New York Times who got together to create a company to help writers get published.  He was thrilled with the results!

One very important phase in any book publishing process is the Beta Readers.  These are individuals who review written work, generally fiction, with the intent of looking over the material to find and improve elements such as grammar and spelling, as well as suggestions to improve the story, its characters, plot development, and/or its setting, without changing the content.  Even well-known authors use Beta Readers to review their work because no matter how many times you proof-read, there will always be mistakes. The average novelist has about 10 Beta Readers to review their works.  McCaid also had 10 "amazing" readers, as well as the able and willing assistance of his parents.  He gives them ALL a big shout out in the Acknowledgments page of his book.  

McCaid indicated that he balanced his writing with his school studies by spending most weekdays doing homework, and most weekends and break times working on his writing.  Often he will get an idea from his current experiences, and immediately jot it down on the notes app on his cell phone.  He spends what free time has has enjoying nature, traveling, and hiking. He actually got the idea for the start of the first novel from a squirrel hunting trip with his Dad.  

When asked if he had advice for young writers, McCaid said, "Hang in there, and don't give up! Know that it takes a long time.  Do your research.  Believe in yourself!"  McCaid said he isn't quite sure what he might want to do with his future, but he knows one thing...it will involve writing!

McCaid stated that he couldn't have done any of this without the help of his wonderful parents. His father, Joel Paul, works with the Tri-County Community Council, and his mother, Darlene Paul, is the Principal at West DeFuniak Elementary School in DeFuniak Springs.  Mrs. Paul shared that when he received his very first copy of the book, he could barely contain himself with excitement.  He opened the book and began to read it, even though he already knew every word since he wrote it! McCaid responded, "I know, but it's just different! Every word comes alive!"

The Walton County School District can barely contain their excitement for McCaid and his family as well!  You can learn more about McCaid and his writing on his website www.mccaidpaulbooks.com, and on Twitter @MccaidP

Submitted by Keitha Bledsoe from an interview with McCaid Paul

Congratulations to all of our Walton County School District Science and Engineering Fair participants and winners! Over 150 students from all 7 of our Middle and High Schools participated in the Science Fair this year! All projects were judged the evening of December 4^th at the DeFuniak Springs Community Center. Students entered projects in the categories of Biology, Engineering, Environmental and Physical Science.

A special thank you to the Hermocallis Society, all of our Judges, teachers, students and families for your involvement. The Science Fair Awards Ceremony was held the evening of December 7^th.  The WCSD Science and Engineering Fair Winners are posted below. Thank you all for your participation and hard work!

Main Article Picture:
Junior Biological - 1^st place: Autumn King, Stress: Hot or Not? WMS
Junior Physical - 1^st place: Honna Mitchem and Kaylee Aplin, The Great Duct/k Case, Paxton
Junior Environmental - 1^st Place: Hailey Sexton, Liquid/Solid, Paxton
Junior Engineering (New Category) - 1^st Place: Selina Li, Popsicle Sticks- Will it Catapult? FMS
Senior Biological - 1^st Place: Catherine Fields, Curing Acne, SWHS
Senior Physical - 1^st Place: Cory LaCour, Ben Woods, Briston Smith, Silver Surfer, WHS
Senior Environmental - 1^st Place: Cameron Patrick Hughes, Lighter Concrete Worth the Price? SWHS
Senior Engineering (New Category) - 1^st Place: Fisher Marks, Password Security, SWHS

Junior Biological -2^nd Place: Tao Tundidor, Icy Sublimation Summary, FMS
Junior Physical -2^nd place: Parker Gilliam, Sailing into Science, ECMS
Junior Environmental - 2^nd Place: Lily Gibson, The Science of Soap, ECMS
Junior Engineering (New Category) - 2^nd Place: Gage Galloway, Crystal Radio- Will it Work? WMS
Senior Biological - 2^nd Place: Drake Pennington, Fuel for Tomorrow, WHS
Senior Physical - 2^nd Place: Brandan McManus, What are the effects of tourism rates on student populations in Walton County, SWHS
Senior Environmental - 2^nd Place: Connor Gaither, What is in your Water? Paxton
Senior Engineering (New Category) - 2^nd Place: Kirsi Midha, What is the effect of varius soils when applying pressure in terms of bearing capacity?, SWHS

Junior Biological -3^rd Place: Olivia Rodgers, Jammin Germs, FMS
Junior Physical - 3^rd Place: Nichols Sirman, PrePoultry Paratroopers, ECMS
Junior Environmental - 3^rd Place: Isabella Imperial, Let’s Get Salty, ECMS
Junior Engineering (New Category) - 3^rd Place: Lawson Kilpatrick, Breaking Bridges, ECMS
Senior Biological - 3^rd Place: Emma Marks, How do vitamins effect germination of radish seeds. SWHS
Senior Physical - 3^rd Place: Josie Bekkers, How does saltwater effect metals? SWHS
Senior Environmental - 3^rd Place: Emily Kuni, Biofilm, SWHS
Senior Engineering (New Category) - 3^rd Place: Nicholas Putnam, Jackson Weatherall, and Seth Weinthal How can we make Sea Turles Lights more accessible? SWHS

Junior Biological - Honorable Mention: Macie Dell, Freeze or Not to Freeze, Paxton & Honorable Mention: Kaelyn Shelton, I wet my pants, ECMS
Junior Physical - Honorable Mention: Alyssa Sutton, What Stains Your Smile? ECMS, Honorable Mention: Hannah King, Which type of wood is more absorbent? WMS, Honorable Mention: Lilli Arthur, How Does Temp Affect Tennis Balls Bounce? FMS, Honorable Mention: Jordan Bradley, Under Armour-Worth It or Not? Paxton, & Honorable Mention: Taylor Pankow, Ramp, FMS
Junior Environmental - Honorable Mention: Emily Casey, Vegetable Power, WMS & Honorable Mention: Daniel McCarthy, Cloud Seeding, WMS
Junior Engineering (New Category) - Honorable Mention: Brianna Mitchem, Light Em Up, Paxton, Honorable Mention: William Morris, Boost Your Home Wi-Fi, WMS, & Honorable Mention: Noel Dahl, Need a Hand, WMS
Senior Biological - Honorable Mention: Annajane Hohn, Fermentation Creation, SWHS & Honorable Mention: Krisslyn McLaney, Amber Law and Andrew Huff, Fuel of the Future, WHS
Senior Physical - Honorable Mention: Riley Marshall, Electric Soil, SWHS, Honorable Mention: Kahl Miller, Beneath The Surface, WHS & Honorable Mention: Aubree Steenhook and Hayley Simmons, Got Voltage? Paxton
Senior Environmental - Honorable Mention: Ashlyn Falk and Candence Perez , Colored Growth, Paxton & Honorable Mention: Tabitha Snow, Plants vs Ph, Paxton
Senior Engineering (New Category) - Honorable Mention: Larry Allison, Can you make a submarine using PVC pipes? FHS

The Special Award for our two outstanding projects in the area of Botany presented by the Choctawhatchee Hemerocallis Society are:
Ava Black- Best Project in the Area of Botany (Junior Biology)
Hailey Sexton- Best Project in the Area of Botany (Junior Environmental)

Junior Division Overall Award from Mrs. Carlene H. Anderson in honor of Dr. David Jeselnik
Honna Mitchem and Kaylee Aplin, The Great Duct/k Case, Paxton

Senior Division Overall Award from Superintendent A. Russell Hughes:  Catherine Fields, Curing Acne, SWHS

EPIC Medal Recipient from Superintendent A. Russell Hughes: 3^rd Place: Isabella Imperial, Let’s Get Salty, ECMS

Submitted by Crystal Appel.