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.

Northwest Regional Library System (NWRLS), serving Bay, Gulf, and Liberty counties, is again offering scholarships to the Career Online High School program, designed for adults aged 19 and over who lack a high school diploma.

This nationally accredited program allows adult students to earn an accredited high school diploma (not a GED) while gaining career skills in one of eight employment fields. NWRLS is currently seeking qualified residents to enroll in the free program.

“The library is very excited to once again have the ability to offer such an important opportunity to the residents of Bay, Gulf and Liberty counties. Earning a high school diploma is a key stepping stone to achieving long-term goals,” says Library Director Robin Shader.

NWRLS awards scholarships for Career Online High School to qualified learners looking to earn a high school diploma and advance their careers. Once enrolled, Career Online High School pairs each student with an Academic Coach, who assists with developing an individual career plan, offers ongoing guidance and encouragement, evaluates performance, and connects the learner with the resources needed to demonstrate mastery of the course material. Classes are supported by board-certified instructors and students have 24/7 access to the online learning platform. Coursework begins in one of eight high-growth, high-demand career fields (across a wide spectrum from child care and education to certified transportation), before progressing to the core academic subjects. Students are able to graduate in as few as six months by transferring in previously earned high school credits but are given up to 18 months to complete the program.

Residents can learn more about Career Online High School at Bay County Public Library or by visiting the library’s website www.nwrls.com/online-high-school.

The Career Online High School project was funded under the provisions of the Division of Library and Information Services (DLIS) CARES Act from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Florida’s DLIS Florida CARES Act program is administered by the Department of State’s Division of Library and Information Services.

For more information or questions, please contact the library at (850) 522-2100.

By Marta Rose-Thorpe

The Bay EDA’s (Economic Development Alliance) mission is to work with local companies to help them grow and expand, as well as work to recruit new companies to come into our area. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Becca Hardin, President of the Bay EDA, and get updated on good things coming our way. Becca shared with me that she loves her job. “It’s different every day,” she explains. “We get to travel around the world and showcase this beautiful community. We get to meet with different people. It’s knowing we are in a position to help companies grow, bring companies here, and help create jobs for people.” It’s a tough job, she says, but rewarding. You lose more than you win. But when you do get a win, it’s worth it.

Workforce is the number one thing when recruiting companies. The EDA shares a building with Career Source Gulf Coast, and every project they do is hand in hand with their workforce partners. “Gulf Coast State College is extremely instrumental in our recruitment efforts, as well as FSU-PC,” Becca explains. “If we can’t pull our workforce team together and convince the company that we can meet their workforce needs, we can never get to the table to discuss the site, the incentive package – or anything.”

The first thing the EDA does is pull together how many jobs they’ll need to fill. What are the titles? The skill sets? The pay ranges? “We assemble our team to be able to answer these questions,” she says. “Career Source is a one-stop shop. They develop a recruitment plan, a hiring plan, a training plan.” Another resource is the newly developed Gulf Coast FAME chapter (Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education), a national work-study program adopted by the Bay EDA, GCSC and local manufacturers. This initiative helps develop global entry-level, multi-craft maintenance technicians.

One main objective of the EDA is to help diversify Bay County’s economy. “Tourism is always going to be important to our economy,” says Becca. “It’s our number one economic driver. But after the oil spill, this community leadership made a conscious decision that we needed to diversify our economy and not have all our eggs in the tourism basket.” And thus, they began recruiting businesses such as manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, distribution, logistics, technology-related companies, and aviation-related projects around the airport. “Most of the growth that we see, from an economic standpoint, is going north toward the airport,” she explains. “That’s where we have certified sites and the most available property that’s ready to go. We’ve got the newest airport that’s been built in the U.S. and we have 3,000 acres around the airport, so that is a big part of our future.”

Focused on maintenance repair and overhaul projects at the airport, the EDA currently has three active projects, all shovel-ready sites. “The Airport Authority has spent more than $5 million to pour concrete in order to get the jets from the runway to the sites,” she explains. “They’re being very aggressive about getting infrastructure ready so we can put more projects out there.” In April, Becca is hoping the EDA can make the announcement of “Project Gator,” another project that’s been in the works for more than a year. This company will be building a hangar adjacent to the Airport runway.

Another site the EDA has in its arsenal is 200 acres at Venture Crossings, which is owned by the St. Joe Company. The new Hilton Garden Inn, opening in early Summer 2021, is being built on the site by the main entrance of the airport. This full-service hotel will have a restaurant and bar. The EDA looks forward to utilizing this new venue for putting up customers that come into town.

The Duplin Winery has decided to mirror their operation in South Carolina and open a winery in Panama City Beach. Coming to the former Hombre Golf Clubhouse site, their mini vineyard and retail will go on 20 acres behind the clubhouse area. Guests will engage in wine tasting, strolling through the vineyards, and learning how the Muscadine wine is made. This $15 million capital investment will employ 50 people; a ribbon cutting is planned for 2022.

In an effort to support Bay County’s state-of-the-art outdoor shooting range and the new indoor shooting range (The Powder Room) built by the St. Joe company, the Bay EDA is targeting the recruitment of companies in the gun manufacturing sector. “There are some states and communities that don’t look favorably on gun manufacturing; Bay County is a Second Amendment county that supports the right to bear arms,” says Becca. “We’re looking in the northeastern part of the U.S. to target gun manufacturing companies that may want to be down here in paradise.”

The Latitude Margaritaville Watersound project will be “transformational for this part of Florida,” states Becca. “It’s going to spur so much growth.” This 50-year planned community will have the road complete in the next two years. “Highway 388 is being realigned to come north and will dead-end into the entrance of Latitude,” she says. Phase 1 will have 2,500 homes. Like the Villages in Central Florida, Latitude will be like a city within itself, with medical services, golf amenities, restaurants, grocery stores, everything that a city would have. “People in a 55+ Active Community like to do two things,” she states, “they like to play golf, and there will be a lot of golf courses there, and they like to travel… this will be a direct shot to the airport. I’ve heard they already have a long waiting list on the first phase.”

We discussed several other projects: TechFarms, situated in the industrial park in the Grand Lagoon, is building a second building. “Tech is a leg of our stool,” says Becca. “I think there are a lot of opportunities in that. I am very thankful for Steve Millaway.” She mentioned that the Viking Cruise Line is coming, beginning Summer 2021, and will be docking at Shell Island and shuttling people back and forth to the mainland. Suzuki Motor Marine recently purchased 20 acres at the end of Frankfort Ave. in Panama City for $12.5 million to place their research and development integration system.

“Other than workforce, what other assets are companies looking for?” I ask. “Sunshine, the beach, outdoor activities… Quality of Life. Most of the companies we recruit have never been to Panama City, much less heard of it, so a lot of what we do is educate people on the assets that we have,” she says. “Many people don’t realize that Bay County has an international port that has direct access to Mexico, Central and South America. From a distribution standpoint, that’s excellent channels to open up the world. We try to get their feet on the ground here. If we can get people to Bay County, Bay County sells itself.”

By Ellie Spivey, Principal

Last year we celebrated the Silver Anniversary for Patronis Elementary School. This 25-year milestone marks a time to highlight our Patronis Panther Pride and our tradition of excellence!

Patronis is not just an elementary school. It is a family-oriented environment where our students love learning and our dedicated staff love teaching. Patronis has always had strong parent and community involvement and is happy to serve our Navy Base and neighborhood families. Our Patronis PTO is the heartbeat of our school and continuously assists our students, teachers, and staff with fundraising and volunteerism. Patronis business partners support our school endeavors each year. Our School Advisory Council helps us monitor and meet our school improvement goals. Our support staff contributes immensely to our academic excellence. Many are parents, former parents, or grandparents of PES students. Elevate Bay Mentors provide additional support in many Patronis classrooms.

Patronis has been designated as a Florida Department of Education School of Excellence and a Best and Brightest School due to its top scores on state testing. As an “A” elementary school, Patronis is proud to continue achieving high standards even after two years of upheavals due to Hurricane Michael and the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Panthers have persevered! Patronis has been in the top 100 elementary schools in the state and its teachers have been in the Top 5 for Teacher of the Year (and have won Teacher of the Year!) and Top 5 Support Employee of the year many times. Our school has been awarded the State Reading Leadership Team of the Year by FLDOE Just Read Florida! and our Principal has been FLDOE Just Read Florida! State Reading Leader of the Year. Our Assistant Principal has placed in the Top 3 for State Assistant Principal of the Year. Charter members of 25 years help remind our faculty and staff of all of the rich traditions our school has. Our teachers are a talented group—many with advanced degrees, Reading certification, National Board certification, ESOL endorsement, Gifted certification, Milken Educator, and the list goes on and on.

Patronis’ multiple innovations are reasons why there is excitement every day around the school.

The Patronis STEAM lab is a place for our elementary students to engage in hands-on learning connected to science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. Our lab immerses students in problem-based learning where students learn to solve problems, investigate, measure, and report their discoveries. Each investigation encourages and develops the ability for students to become innovators, creators, and critical thinkers.
Patronis has a strong belief that children do not magically become “gifted” when they reach third grade. Our Talented and Gifted (TAG) program serves kindergarten through fifth grade. Acceleration and enrichment are just the beginning in these classes. Teachers recognize the need for differentiated practice and instruction. Many student goals reflect incorporating research and technology as they enhance their knowledge as 21st century citizens.

Music, Art and PE special areas all boast award winning programs. Grade level concerts, PES Chorus, Art shows and exhibitions, and Junior Olympics keep all of our students involved, excited, and well-rounded.

Our fluid MTSS and Exceptional Student Education program provides various settings and tools for students depending on exactly what they need to excel. Many of our instructors are dual certified in ESE and Elementary Education.

PES Lego League, ITV crew, Girls on the Run, Safety Patrol and Bay Base give other opportunities for extended learning.

Student Council for grades 3-5 leads our school in service projects such as raising money for cancer research, Sims State Veterans home visits, canned food drive, and school improvements.

Our Professional Learning Community (PLC) leaders and PLC members disaggregate data daily and constantly research best practices. The tradition of Research and Design continues. Even during such challenging times, our Panther Family pulls together to make every day a Panther Perfect day…..every student, every day at Patronis Elementary.