District News

After 28 years of dedicated service, Walton County School Board lawyer, Ben Holley, has retired. Superintendent Hughes and the School Board of Walton County presented him with an award at the August 6, 2019 School Board meeting that states: Walton County School District Honors and Esteems Ben L. Holley School Board Attorney, In recognition of your dedication and service to Walton County Schools.

Best wishes to Mr. Holley as he enjoys his retirement!

MSE held their annual Preview for students in grades 1-5 on Thursday, August 8th. Students were excited to see new teachers and old friends! In addition to visiting and touring the school, families were provided information about buses, SPICE, dental care, becoming a volunteer or mentor, and lunch information. They also received free backpacks from St. Joe, free books from the media center, and cotton candy from the PTO.

Also pictured is the Kindergarten Orientation Thursday, August 8th.

It was a great way to kick off what promises to be an EPIC year!
Submitted by Krisy Spence

MSE Orientation

In anticipation of the 294 new sixth graders headed this way on the first day of school, Walton Middle School hosted a successful sixth grade orientation on the morning of Thursday, August 8, 2019. Principal Jason Campbell welcomed students and their families to the A+ Warrior tribe.

Eager families of WMS' largest class to date filled the gym, listening as Mr. Campbell covered logistical information and school expectations with the class of 2026. After the warm introduction, students picked up their schedules and met their seven new teachers.

Later that same day, WMS hosted visitation for its seventh and eighth grade families as well, giving them an opportunity to get their new schedules and meet their excited teachers.

Both events were well attended by Warrior families, and Walton Middle School looks forward to an exciting school year full of fresh faces and new opportunities. Go Warriors!

Submitted by Kristen Nelson

This week has been extremely busy at Walton High School! The faculty and staff have participated in a variety of collaborative professional development activities to ensure they are focused on their mission, which is to "provide the highest quality educational experiences" to their students. Staff members are excited to welcome back their students when we start this EPIC3 year on August 12! Submitted by Christy English

WHS Collaboration

Emerald Coast Technical College created an EPIC³ Escape Room to improve culture and promote teamwork and communication. Four of the five teams escaped the room! Submitted by Leslie Harrison

Huge Shout Out to Destiny Worship Center for blessing our students with a total of almost 1000 backpacks that were delivered to the District office and distributed this weekend at Freeport and the DeFuniak Springs Community Center. The backpacks were filled to the top with school supplies for the 2019-2020 school year! Also distributed were some new shoes, and vouchers for a hair cut! We have no words to express our gratitude for their incredible generosity, and we are so appreciative of this collaboration with WCSD!

Destiny Worship Donation

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, through the STEM Summer Challenge Contract with the Panhandle Area Educational Consortium, provided more than $5,000 of STEM supplies to Paxton School this week. The supplies were received by Brent Jones, Principal and Heather Stewart, Embry-Riddle course instructor. They included mBot ranger robots with arms, Gizmos, and bracket packs, Dell Latitude laptops, Tello Quadcopters with GameSir remote controllers, Oculus Go VR Headsets, drone racing gates, drone landing pads and assorted batteries and chargers. Students at Paxton School will use these items throughout the 2019-2020 school year during the Embry-Riddle courses taught at the school.

Superintendent A. Russell Hughes welcomes our students, families, and teachers to an EPIC3 school year in his August Video Update!

We are excited to be an A+ School District!

7th in the state in school grades with 9 out of the 22 assessed areas in the top 10!!!

5th Grade Reading = 9th in the state
7th Grade Reading = 2nd in the state
9th Grade Reading = 6th in the state
8th Grade Math = 9th in the state
Geometry = 2nd in the state
Algebra 1 = 7th in the state
Biology = 6th in the state
8th Grade Science = 8th in the state
Civics = 4th in the state

Paxton High School faculty is excited to congratulate Skye Ramsey who scored a "5" on her AP exam. Watch for these signs in your community! We are sure to see more!!

Submitted by Rebecca Stuart

WCSD kicked off the 2019-2020 school year all across the district in EPIC3 fashion with Superintendent A. Russell Hughes’ theme of “No Breaks, Holding Fast, and Staying Strong”, “EPIC3: Curriculum, Character and Culture” on Monday and Tuesday, August 5 and 6. Teachers and dministrators worked together in special training sessions, listening to inspiring guest speakers, and making plans for an exceptional new school year!

Schools in the DeFuniak area met together in a collaborative event at Walton High School with guest speakers and professional development. ECTC staff helped around 40 teachers learn how to save lives with CPR. Several schools welcomed their staff back on the "Red Carpet" Hollywood style! Freeport Elementary welcomed Kim Bearden, co-founder of the Ron Clark Academy to help them "Rock the House." South Walton High School faculty, Administration and staff were welcomed back Hawaiian style with a big Aloha! Van R. Butler welcomed teachers and staff back with a "Toy Story" theme!

All the schools went above and beyond to set the stage for an EPIC school year with motivated teachers who plan with intentionality and strategically, with "No Breaks - Holding Tight" to continued student improvement!

EPIC3 Day