By Bill Husfelt, Superintendent, Bay District Schools
Despite the challenges associated with opening schools during a pandemic, I am so pleased to report that our teachers are teaching, our students are learning and we’re all working together every single day to overcome new challenges.
We’re half way through the school year, in fact kindergartens throughout the district recently celebrated the 100th day of school which is always a fun milestone for our littlest students, and GREAT things are happening.
We’re continuing to expand our Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs on the beach and we’re excited to announce a couple of new programs coming to J.R. Arnold High School later this month. Arnold already has a new heavy equipment operator CTE path and a dynamic culinary arts programs and students in those programs have the opportunity to graduate with industry certifications that make them ready for the work world or for additional study at the college or university level.
Over at Surfside and Breakfast Point Academy, our middle school students are digging into state-of-the-art Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum as they learn to program robots, drones and other devices. Drones, as you know, are being used by a plethora of industries to do everything from delivering food and supplies to monitoring crops and irrigation to ensuring the viability of utility lines and other infrastructure.
Innovative learning is also happening at our elementary schools. Patronis Elementary School fourth graders recently experienced a classroom transformation as their room changed into “Café Chemical Changes” so they could study the science behind making pancakes! First grade scientists at Patronis learned how to make “snow” and had a great time creating snow art.
At Hutchison Beach Elementary, school students are excited to be participating in the school’s “clay unit” in art class. Students in all grade levels have tried their hand at pottery and their results are amazing. Beach students also participated recently in the SEELIFE Community Art Project, collaborating to paint a six-foot dolphin statue that will be displayed in front of the school.
West Bay Elementary School has had an exciting month with their own third grade teacher, Vicki Reding, being named as the Bay District Schools Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Reding will go on to represent BDS in state competition and we wish her all the best. West Bay scholars have also been focusing on their kindness challenge and many fourth graders enjoyed learning more about fractions using pizza and pizza toppings. I certainly don’t remember having quite that much fun in my lessons about fractions!
Breakfast Point Academy elementary school students have been really busy working on First in Math, an online math curriculum. In December, BPA students won the top three player awards for BDS and for the state in First in Math; BPA also won the district prize for having the most participation and achievement in First in Math.
And last, but certainly not least, GREAT things are happening at A. Gary Walsingham Academy which is set to open in August of 2021 as a K-2 school (adding a grade a year until the school becomes a K-5). It’s also exciting to note that all of our pre-k classes for the beach will be housed at this new, state-of-the-art facility and we can’t wait to see the great things that will be accomplished by our Wahoos when their school opens.
Great things are happening on Panama City Beach and I am just amazed by all of the growth. I’ve summarized just a tiny snapshot of the amazing things happening at all of our beach schools and I am so proud of all of our students, our employees and our families. Beach families do an amazing job of supporting their schools and that support means more than you will ever know to our educators.
