On January 15, Tinsley Abbott became the first Walton High School student to receive The Taylor Haugen Trophy.  

The Trophy is awarded each winter in conjunction with the All Sports Association at the annual All Sports Association FCA breakfast. Taylor was a member of the Niceville Eagles Football and Wrestling Teams as well as being an Honor Student at Niceville High School. He was comfortably expressive about his faith in God and showed it through his commitment to volunteer work in his church and community. The Trophy is awarded to an area athlete who best demonstrates a similar balance between academics, athleticism, leadership, community service and faith. As well as exemplifying T’s character traits, the Trophy winner embodies his motto of “Don’t Quit… Never Give Up.” The Foundation hopes to recognize those well-rounded individuals who demonstrate the perseverance to improve themselves in all aspects of their life while enjoying God’s gifts to the fullest. 

The annual Trophy winner receives a $1,000 scholarship and a bronze trophy that stands 26” tall, weighs 35lbs, and is a hand sculptured eagle taking to flight on a ribbon of air as inspired by Isaiah 40: 30-32. 

In order to be nominated for this award, a student must be a senior at an Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, or Walton County high school. Each school gets 1 nominee. The nominee must be an athlete who has participated in a FHSAA sport and must have 3.5 or higher unweighted GPA. The nominee must be an active participant in community service and must be planning to attend a four year accredited college. 

Walton High School is proud of the way Tinsley models our school theme, Pride in Performance. Limitless and Relentless. She is a leader on our campus and we can not think of a more deserving student for this award! 

The Freeport Middle School Art Department has a new set of classes this semester.  Our first art project reflects all the things and people we love as well as our positive attributes.  Because we are in learning communities this year, we are displaying this project in our individual learning communities.  Way to go students!!

West DeFuniak Elementary is pleased to announce Mrs. Jaime Ellis as Teacher of the Year and Mrs. Sandi Ingle as Educational Support Person of the Year.   

Mrs. Ellis has been teaching for 5 years.  Her positive attitude spills over to everyone around her.  She currently teaches second grade students.  Mrs. Ellis says, “I love being a teacher! I became a teacher to inspire, love, encourage, and motivate students.” Jaime is married to David and they have three kids.  Jaime stays busy outside of school with family and church ministry.  It is easy to see why she was selected for this honor.  Teachers and students at WDE love her. 

Mrs. Ingle has only been at West Defuniak for one year.  She serves as an aide in kindergarten through fifth grade classes.  She can always be found helping somewhere.  Whether taking temperatures or assisting in the office, she stays busy and does it with a smile.  Sandi is married to Alan and they have 3 children.  Mrs. Ingle says that her favorite part of being an aide is when the “light” comes on for a student who has been struggling.   

Congratulations to Mrs. Ellis and Mrs. Ingle!  WDE is proud to have you both as part of our team! 

I want to officially welcome you back to school from the Christmas and New Year’s Holidays! I hope 2021 is off to a promising start for both you and your family.

In the spirit of transparency, the Walton County School District would like to continue providing our updated COVID-19 data. Even after our holiday break and with 90% of students now enrolled in our brick and mortar settings, we are holding steady with both positive cases and exposures. 

We believe our lower numbers are a result of the strong collaboration among families, students, and staff, and we hope to continue in this same manner. In that regard, we would like to once again remind everyone of our top COVID-19 preventive measures.

1. Please social distance. All schools are announcing this reminder at the beginning of the day and during special events. You may also notice increased signage at schools and at athletic events.
2. Mask are required for the school bus and are strongly encouraged at school, especially when social distancing isn’t feasible.
3. Please wash and sanitize your hands throughout the day. All schools and buses have additional hand sanitizing stations for this purpose.
4. Please stay home when you are sick. Staff will continue mandatory screening each day, and students may be randomly screened throughout the day.

As we begin planning the remainder of the second semester, we appreciate your understanding as we navigate through our many spring events and school traditions.  Please know it is our wish that all events and plans continue as normal. As educators charged with the safety of students, please understand that all future event decisions will be individually weighed based on updated COVID-19 information and data. 

As always, if you have any questions or concerns related to safety or COVID-19, please do not hesitate to ask. Safety is, and will always remain, our number one priority.

Here’s to a great second semester and a healthy 2021!”