By Matt Pitts, Principal of Surfside

A need has been met for many Panama City Beach families with the opening of the Surfside Middle School Academy! The Academy consists of four classrooms of students with intellectual disabilities from kindergarten to age 22. Many of these students previously attended Margaret K. Lewis School in Millville. Students were spending one to two hours per day on the bus to get to school, and the district knew they needed a solution. Principal Matt Pitts of Surfside Middle School heard about the need and graciously offered a portion of his campus.

The campus allows for new experiences for our students with disabilities where they can be integrated with middle school students. Surfside is the first school in Bay County to start the Best Buddies program. Best Buddies is a club where our middle school students are matched and have frequent opportunities to spend time with an SMS Academy student in order to build a culture of acceptance on campus and help with social skills. Students who have joined this nationally known club in the past have created lifelong friendships and some even find a career path in Special Education.

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