Walton County School District moves closer to ending the 2021-22 school year. Our students and faculty have worked hard to maintain our state’s academic leading status.

Many of your children have been preparing for their Grade three reading session one assessment in April. Additionally, grades four through seven will show their writing skill on their writing assessments this month.

May 26, 2022, is the final day of the second semester and the end of the academic year. Student excitement is building as we approach our summer vacation days! Student learners have “put in the work,” and the upcoming vacation days are deserved. The Walton County School District Academic Team won the State Championship in Division 3 of the Commissioner’s Academic Challenge in Orlando, Florida, with 221 points on Saturday morning, April 2, 2022!

Brighton Cardenas, Kai Hong, Alyssa Sutton, Sophia Bock, Addie Hilton, and Allie Saunders played smart. They led in points during the semifinals on Friday and the finals on Saturday as a team.

The Commissioner’s Academic Challenge is a highly academic statewide high school tournament inaugurated in 1986. The districts are placed in three divisions based on the fall FTE summary provided by the Florida Department of Education. Each team consists of six members (a maximum of four players during each of the three rounds and two alternates) and a coach. A maximum of six teams may compete in one competition round. The competition rounds are not quick response, trivial pursuit type rounds. Instead, it is a slower-paced tournament in which players are asked questions from the areas of language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, the fine arts, world languages (French and Spanish), physical education, health, and technology. The questions are written by educators from high schools throughout the state.

Thanks to ALL the Academic Team coaches throughout the District who have worked with these students from Middle School through High School to help prepare them for this exciting moment! Thanks to the coaches that traveled to the event with them, Coach Melissa Buckner and Sean Libby.

The Mossy Head School Odyssey of the Mind Team placed 2nd at the Emerald Coast Odyssey of the Mind Regional Tournament with their chosen long-term Problem #5: Life is A Circus! Eight teams traveled to compete in the Orlando competition. After placing second, the Mossy Head team was invited to attend the Odyssey of the Mind State Tournament in Orlando, FL. In the Orlando competition, they placed ninth out of the fifteen teams in their division and problem group, 1C. Additionally, they placed fifteenth out of all thirty teams that competed in division 1, problem 5. Congratulations, Mustangs!

Walton County School District recognizes April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. National Child Abuse Prevention Month is a time for us to honor those who work to support children and strengthen families and shine a light on the many ways we can all play a role in preventing children from being harmed. In addition, you can access the Prevention Resource Guide and other resources at the Child Welfare Information Gateways at https://www.childwelfare.gov. By increasing efforts to prevent child abuse, we all help children, families, and communities thrive.

Additionally, Walton School District will wear purple during the week of April 18-22, 2022, to recognize the Month of the Military Child. The observation established by Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger in 1986 commemorates the role children play in contributing to the strength of military families. The Month of the Military Child provides communities the opportunity to honor and share their gratitude for the service of young children. Purple was chosen because it is the color that symbolizes all branches of the military. It is a combination of Army green, Coast Guard blue, Air Force blue, Marine Corps red, and Navy blue. We invite you to find ways to say thank you to the military families in your community!

Parents, please don’t hesitate to contact your students’ teachers to keep abreast of your student’s grades as the year ends. Also, be on the lookout for mid-term reports, which will go out on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Thank you for your continued support of the Walton County School District!

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