Change for Children is an exciting fundraiser for Walton and Okaloosa County Schools in collaboration with Children in Crisis, Inc., Florida. Elementary, Middle, K-12 and High School students bring in their change to help support The Children’s Neighborhood. Schools organized penny wars, talent shows, dress up days, pie in the face contests, and other fun activities to help get the students and staff excited about the campaign. This year, Walton County schools raised over $8,000! We are incredibly grateful to the students, teachers and staff of all the participating schools!  The Walton County Campaign is run by the Walton County Education Foundation.

The mission of Children in Crisis is, “Providing Homes and Establishing Hope” for the abused, neglected and abandoned children of Northwest Florida.  Children in Crisis is a local, non-profit charity that has provided a home to over 700 children since opening in 2008.  The Children’s Neighborhood provides an emergency shelter for young children and the family foster homes help with the severe shortage of foster homes in our community.

Members of the Board of Directors and Associates from Children in Crisis presented the top three fundraising schools with a special recognition plaque at the Walton County School Board meeting on Tuesday night, May 1, 2018. 

• Walton High School was recognized for raising $1223.70
• Van R. Butler Elementary was recognized for raising $1485.58
• Emerald Coast Middle School was recognized for raising $2615.22

Congratulations to these schools, and all schools in Walton County for their assistance and generosity in this project!

Pictured are: Kim Kirby, Walton County School Board Chairperson; Allie Noah, Development Director of Children in Crisis; Kittie Johnson, Chairperson of the Board of Children in Crisis; Ken Hair, President and CEO of Children in Crisis; Capri Zodrow, Walton High School; Janet Currid, Principal, Walton High School; WCSD Superintendent Russell Hughes

Pictured are: Kim Kirby, Walton County School Board Chairperson; Allie Noah, Development Director of Children in Crisis; Kittie Johnson, Chairperson of the Board of Children in Crisis; Ken Hair, President and CEO of Children in Crisis;Todd Drake, Principal, Emerald Coast Middle School; WCSD Superintendent Russell Hughes

After completing Unit 6 in ReadyGen Community Helpers, we flipped our classroom to celebrate National Superhero Day! Today was all about superheroes...superhero sentences, superhero word families, superhero books, and superhero stories of our own! Check out our SUPER fun day!

Submitted by Nancy Currie

Coach Terri Shelley, Josh Permenter (WHS), Coach Carla Griffith

Jasmine Sumpter (Seacoast), Jordan Nichols (SWHS), Nadia Bock (SWHS), Malcolm Griffith (FHS)

The Walton Academic Team attended the Commissioner's Academic Challenge from April 19th - 21st in Orlando, Florida.  After coming in second out of 5 teams in their room (4th out of 15 teams) in the first round, they advanced immediately to the semi-finals.  The team worked very well together and all of the participants answered questions during the competition.  They stayed in the top three teams in the semi-finals until the last round, where they were bumped out of the finals by a 3 question margin.  They enjoyed the experience and the underclassman, with some experience under their belt, are very excited and hopeful to get the chance to return again next year.

Ellis Island comes to life at WDE! From 1892 to 1954, over twelve million immigrants entered the United States through the portal of Ellis Island, a small island in New York Harbor. Second grade students at WDE had the unique opportunity to experience life as an immigrant. This included choosing a foreign country, new name, and reason for immigrating to America. Students experienced waiting in a long line to enter Ellis Island, going through a medical exam, and a questioning session with an Ellis Island official who determined whether or not they could enter the United States for a better life.

Submitted by Jessica Dawkins