SPORTS

FWB Vikings volleyball sweeps Escambia Gators, prepares for rival Choctaw

The Fort Walton Beach Vikings volleyball team showed their strength on the road Tuesday night, sweeping the Escambia Gators in straight sets: 25-15, 25-16, 25-19.

The Vikings controlled the net on offense thanks to standout performances from junior outside hitter Ashley Bouck and sophomore opposite Aubree Davis. Bouck hammered down 8 kills on a .217 hitting percentage while Davis smashed 6 kills, adding 4 aces from the service line. 

The Vikings passing and defense was also superb, enabling their setters to feed the hot hitters. Junior Brighton Watson picked up a team-high 8 digs and passed a whopping 24 serves, allowing the Vikings offense to run smoothly. 

• Junior setter Brooke Henderson ran the offense masterfully, distributing 25 assists to go along with a critical game winning ace serve to close out the third set. 

After the match, Coach Melanie Marchena praised her team’s communication and trust in each other. She said this momentum boost is huge going into their rivalry match this week against Choctaw. 

“Re-building a program is hard for everyone, but the girls continue to show up at practice and work hard, and tonight we got to see that,” said Coach Marchena. “This was a great win and as their coach, it was exciting to see a lot of the adjustments we have been working on during practice finally be put to play tonight. They needed this, and I couldn’t be more excited to see them continue to grow and get better each day. This is just the beginning!”

Next up: The Vikings face off against the Indians at home tonight, August 31 at 6:00pm.

SCHOOL

Okaloosa School Board updates policy on challenging books or educational materials

On Monday, August 28, 2023, the Okaloosa County School Board held a public hearing to discuss and seek feedback on the proposed amendments to the current School Board Policy 03-05, titled “Procedure for Handling Criticism of Library Books or Educational Material.”

• The amendments primarily aimed at making sure that the policy aligns with current legislative changes and the State Board of Education rules. Additionally, the purpose was also to update statutory references and bring in technical corrections for clarity.

The core modifications to the policy revolve around:

• Updating the Evaluation Process: Changes in the policy now ensure that it mirrors the statutory and State Board of Education rule changes concerning the materials evaluation process.
• Media Review Committee Membership: The proposed amendments shed light on the composition of the school-based Media Review Committee, ensuring transparency in its establishment.
• Open Meeting Provisions: The policy now makes it mandatory for meetings convened to address objections about specific materials to be open to the public, aligning with §286.011, Florida Statutes.
• Removal of Challenged Materials: One notable change dictates that any material which faces an objection based on specific criteria, detailed in §1006.28(2)(a)(2)(b)(I)-(IV) Florida Statutes, should be removed within five school days from the date of receiving the objection. This material will then remain inaccessible to students until a resolution is reached regarding the objection.

The process

Residents of Okaloosa County or parents of a student attending the school can raise concerns about any book or educational material used in the classroom, housed in the school library, or present on a reading list. 

To lodge their objections, they should utilize the district’s “Request for Review of Media (Book or Educational Material)” form, identified as MIS 1007, and submit it to the school principal. 

Once the school principal, along with the school-based Media Review Committee, evaluates the material and evidence provided by the petitioner, the matter will then be escalated to a District Educational Materials Review Committee. This committee will consist of seven members from various educational and community roles.

Finally, after thorough examination and considering the feedback from the school-based Media Review Committee, the District Educational Materials Review Committee will forward its recommendations to the Superintendent of Schools. 

• The Superintendent will then present these recommendations to the School Board, which will make the final decision post a public hearing.

The proposed amendments were passed unanimously by the school board.

THINGS TO DO

‘Concerts at the Landing’ is back this Friday in Downtown Fort Walton Beach

Starting Friday, September 1, “Concerts at the Landing” is back for its Fall concert series in Downtown Fort Walton Beach. The concerts will happen each Friday for 9 weeks.

• Concerts are from 6:00-8:00pm at The Landing.

Here’s what we can expect this series:

• Sept. 1 – Josh Buckley Band – Country/variety
• Sept. 8 – Chaos Complete – Classic Rock
• Sept. 15 – About To Sweat – Pop/R&B
• Sept. 22 – High Aces – Country Variety/pop
• Sept. 29 – Horseshoe Kitty – Rock Variety
• Oct. 6 – Jonboy Storey – Country Variety
• Oct. 13 – Autumn Poultry – Classic Rock
• Oct. 20 – Mind Plays – Rock/pop Variety
• Oct. 27 – Flow Tribe – New Orleans Funk Party

GIVING BACK

Cox employees award over $6,200 to Gulf Coast Schools

Cox Communications employees have awarded a total of $6,204 in grants to local schools, through Cox Charities Innovation in Education Grants. The program provides employee funded grants of up to $2,500 for classroom programs and curriculum that encourage and promote students’ ingenuity and imagination.

Earlier this year, schools were invited to submit applications for funding. This year’s recipients of the Cox Charities Innovation in Education grants are:

• Bluewater Elementary School – Kristen Detweiler received $654 for Science of Reading Phonics Resources. Through the Science of Reading program, a variety of hands on activities and games are used to enhance reading skills.

• Bruner Middle School – Jennifer Badger in Fort Walton Beach was awarded $1,500 for her Classroom Improvement program that offers silent activities to help students with ADHD and ADD that cannot sit for periods of time. The activities utilize resistance bands, stabilizing balls and noise canceling headphones.

• Plew Elementary School – Shawana Crist’s GRAND Readers program received a $1,000 grant. The program brings older members of the community into the school to work with children who need a little extra help. 

• Kingsfield Elementary School – Kenli Orozco received $1,000 to Cook up Success. Through this program, the class of 4^th graders benefit from learning how to cook and explore various tools of the kitchen. 

• Lipscomb Elementary School – Tally Hawthorne received $1,050 for Connecting Past to Present: The Road to Reading Achievement. This reading program builds connections through emotions and character traits of historical figures. 

• Myrtle Grove Elementary School – Savannah Jernigan received $1,000 for the PBIS program, an evidence-based, tiered framework that supports students’ behavioral, academic, social and mental health. 

“As Cox celebrates our 125th anniversary as a company in 2023, it’s important that we remember our roots,” said David Deliman, vice president of Cox’s Gulf Coast Market. “We were founded in 1898 by a retired schoolteacher who believed it was important to give back to the community, especially in the field of education. Our employees still live those values today, giving their own money to support these great classroom programs.”

In addition to the Innovation in Education grants, Cox Charities offers Community Investment grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. For more information about Cox Charities, visit www.CoxCharitiesSER.org.

GIVING BACK

Harbor Docks Charities raises over $100,000 at ‘Take a Kid Fishing’ Day Auction

On Saturday, August 26th, Harbor Docks Charities hosted their most successful auction to date – raising $101,167 – at the 37th Annual Event held at the downstairs bar at Harbor Docks.

• Over 200 people attended the event, with live music provided by Jim Couch and auctioneer Ted Corcoran hosting the festivities.

The live auction was the highlight of the night, raising $82,150 – easily surpassing last year’s record total of $80,711. Top prizes included:

• A trip to Livingston, Montana selling for $18,000
• A 36-hour fishing trip aboard the Papi selling for $13,000
• Yoshie’s 30 person catered sushi holiday party raising $12,000.

There was also $14,467 raised in the silent auction – another record for the event – and $4,550 in private donations, bringing the grand total to $101,167.

“I’m absolutely blown away by the turnout Saturday evening and by the support we continue to receive for this, and all of our events,” said Eddie Morgan, owner of Harbor Docks Restaurant. “It’s just so rewarding to see everyone’s hard work pay off and know that we will once again be taking 300 or more children fishing later this year.”

There were dozens of volunteers from the community on hand Saturday, and in the weeks leading up to the event.

• “We couldn’t make any of these events happen without the support of our wonderful volunteers,” Morgan added. “We’ve had teachers, students, politicians and business leaders lend a hand in making our events successful, and we are thankful for each and every one of them – it truly takes a village.”

Harbor Docks Charities’ 28th Annual Take a Kid Fishing Day will take place on Sunday November 5th at Harbor Docks Restaurant. More details, including registration information will be released at a later date.

PARKS+REC

Liza Jackson Park Boat Launch and Parking Expansion plans making progress, new design

The City of Fort Walton Beach is advancing plans to overhaul and expand the boat launch and parking areas at Liza Jackson Park. At their February 28 meeting, the City Council approved $27,900 to hire architecture firm JDF Architecture to design the upgrades. 

• The project is being done in partnership with Okaloosa County, who has earmarked $1 million towards improving waterfront access using tourism funds.

According to City Councilmember Travis Smith, who has been advocating for better waterfront access, the council’s strategic planning sessions identified Liza Jackson as a prime location to make improvements. 

The preliminary design calls for a complete reconfiguration of the boat launch area and to expand the parking lot east to allow for more boat spaces. Currently, there are 35 boat parking spaces and 60 vehicle spaces on the west side of Liza Jackson. The new design calls for:

• (60) vehicle parking spaces
• (18) 40 ft boat parking spaces
• (38) 50 ft boat parking spaces

The boat launch itself would be expanded with a new extended dock and angled staging area dock to improve traffic flow for boats launching and loading. Other planned improvements include new bathrooms, pavilions, and other amenities.

The enhancements build on repairs and upgrades done in late 2021 after portions of the boardwalk, pier and boat launch were damaged by Hurricane Sally. A new kayak launch was added at the same time.

• Councilmember Smith said community input will be key to finalizing the best possible design, stating “I would like some input on this specific location and design to see what we may have missed that could make this even better for our community.”

Funding for the Liza Jackson Park improvements will come from multiple sources, including the county’s half-cent sales tax and the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency budget.

The proposed design is scheduled to be brought before the city council on September 12, 2023.

Click here to see more images of the design