By Glenda Nouskhajian, Principal, Hutchison Beach Elementary School
At a time when things in the world are uncertain, Hutchison Beach Elementary School continues its rich tradition of embracing a global community. Beach welcomes children from around the world as the ‘Newcomer’ school for the Panama City Beach area. This means that students whose first language is something other than English come to Beach to become fully immersed in the English language with highly specialized teachers and paraprofessionals to support them along the way. Currently, there are 12 home languages other than English spoken by our students. All students have the opportunity to join the Foreign Language Club, where they teach each other and our principal how to greet others in their languages. This also allows them to practice new skills and vocabulary in a social, no-pressure context, and just have fun with their new friends.
All students, not just those learning English, are an integral part of the ‘Leader in Me’ leadership culture of the school’s environment. Under the principles of Stephen Covey’s 7 Leadership Habits, students analyze their own data, set personal and educational goals, and even develop trackable plans to achieve them. Students are shown how their individual goals tie into achieving the overall school goal, and how their role is important to the sum of the parts. By the end of the year, Beach students learn how to lead their own parent conferences, showing parents their goals and progress, as well as steps for improvement. Our students carry this life skill with them on to middle school and beyond.
Beach jumped on a growing trend this year, adopting the ‘House System’ of the Ron Clark Academy. Belonging to one of four houses, students get a chance to develop relationships with students across grade levels, which help support and nurture their strengths and talents. Choosing a new service project each grading period, students compete across the houses to provide services or supplies to local non-profit agencies. Giving back to the community and service leadership is part of the culture at Beach.
Cultivating interests and life skills is another important part of the learning environment here. Just about every day of the week, you can find students staying after school to pursue more knowledge about science, running, ukulele, choir, and even debate. There’s a club for just about every interest! Students are responsible for initiating ideas for their own clubs, and take action plans for their club to the principal for approval. Civic responsibility is encouraged through lessons on citizenship, including the second grade’s ‘Oreo Election’ where students vote between the chocolate Oreo and the Golden Oreo, to character education building and anti-bullying campaigns.
Currently on hold due to the Pandemic, but hopefully not gone forever, Beach also enjoys a tradition of exceptional field trips, including but not limited to Washington, D.C., St. Augustine, SeaWorld overnight, and visits to unique local attractions. Tied into state standards, these trips give the opportunity for students to expand their horizons, pique career interests, and experience things they might not ordinarily enjoy.
Beach teachers and staff are committed to making lessons engaging and relatable for children, and offer several classroom transformative experiences a year. Previous transformations have included carnivals, Polar Express, Candyland, Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, and neon-black light. Students enjoy a day’s worth of activities around a thematic unit, complete with costumes, decorations, and hands-on learning.
Whether you are new to Panama City Beach or just looking for a school ‘home’ for your children, you’ve found it at Beach Elementary. Great Happens Here!
