SCHOOL

Okaloosa School District to implement virtual reality into building trades programs across 10 schools

The Okaloosa County School District recently received a $307,200 legislative grant to enhance technology in its building trades programs across 10 middle and high schools.

• The funding comes from a grant request made to Rep. Patt Maney and will provide new virtual reality systems, laptop computers, and Cleartouch projection boards for classrooms. 

The new equipment will be used to train approximately 1,050 students enrolled in building trades programs across the District and support them in earning industry certifications.

The virtual reality systems will allow students to gain hands-on construction experience through simulations without requiring consumable building materials. The portability of laptops will enable students to access digital resources near their workstations in shops rather than being restricted to desktop computers.

The recipient schools are:

• Baker School
• Bruner Middle School
• Choctawhatchee High School
• Crestview High School
• Davidson Middle School
• Fort Walton Beach High School
• Laurel Hill School
• Meigs Middle School
• Pryor Middle School
• Shoal River Middle School

David Welch, a career and technical education teacher on special assignment, said the virtual reality systems will assist students in employment preparation and the certification process by providing immersive hands-on experiences.

Superintendent Marcus Chambers said the funding will help expand building trades programs now offered in most district middle and high schools after starting in just a few schools several years ago. 

He said the virtual reality technology presents an innovative solution as the district continues working to provide students with practical on-site learning opportunities.

• “This was actually a request from the Building Industry Association of Okaloosa and Walton Counties,” said Chambers to the board. “We had a meeting probably a year ago trying to figure out a way to get high school students on the job site. But that also deals with changes in laws.”

Chambers added that the CTE Department has been exploring ways to get students “hands-on experiences” (such as this new virtual reality) as the District continues to work towards the ability to get students to go onto job sites safely.

For Building Industry Association President Jason Carducci, this grant for virtual reality training is an “excellent step forward” as the BIA continues working with the school district to provide students with practical, real-world construction experience.

• “While we navigate the legal changes needed to get students physically on job sites, the immersive simulations will give them valuable hands-on practice in a safe, controlled environment,” said Carducci.

“Our community relies on a skilled construction workforce to meet the ongoing demand for new housing and commercial buildings,” Carducci added. “Robust building trades programs in our local schools are crucial for sustaining a pipeline of talented tradespeople ready to begin their careers here. The BIA remains fully committed to supporting these programs and the students who will power the future of our industry.”

The CTE Department will distribute the new equipment and provide training on its use. Teachers will establish classroom procedures and expectations for proper student use of the technology.

This District anticipates having this new technology in place sometime after the first of the year.

POLITICS

NOAA denies petition to establish mandatory 10-knot speed limit in Gulf for endangered Rice’s whales

On Friday, October 27, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries said it has denied a petition to establish a mandatory 10-knot speed limit and other vessel-related measures to protect the endangered Rice’s whale in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico off Florida.

• According to NOAA Fisheries, it will not proceed with rulemaking for vessel regulations for Rice’s whales at this time. Instead, NOAA Fisheries said it is prioritizing finalizing critical habitat designations this year and developing a recovery plan for the species.

In June, the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners held an emergency meeting to discuss a petition submitted to NOAA Fisheries by several environmental groups. The groups requested a “vessel slowdown zone” with speed limits and other restrictions to protect Rice’s whales from ship collisions and noise pollution in the northeastern Gulf.

Local concerns were raised regarding the potential impact that these regulations may have on commercial vessel traffic in-and-out of the ports of Pensacola and Panama City, as well as the commercial and recreational fishing fleets here in Okaloosa County. 

• The prohibition on night travel could significantly disrupt commercial fishing trips and transit operations at the two local ports, according to the county. 

NOAA Fisheries requested public comments on the petition from April 7 to July 6, 2023. According to NOAA Fisheries, it received approximately 75,500 comments.

NOAA Fisheries said it denied the petition because it is focusing on other conservation actions first, including finalizing critical habitat, conducting further risk assessments, and creating a recovery plan. 

NOAA Fisheries also said it agrees with public comments that education and voluntary protection measures should be pursued before considering regulations.

The Rice’s whale was declared an endangered species in 2019. NOAA Fisheries scientists recognized it as a distinct species separate from Bryde’s whales in 2021.

SCHOOL

Crestview High School students to build electric racecars with FPL grant

The Okaloosa County School Board unanimously approved a grant from Florida Power and Light on Monday, October 23, to fund an electric vehicle program at Crestview High School.

• The $8,500 grant will provide an Electrathon America electric vehicle build kit, a $2,500 stipend for the instructor, supplemental resources and curriculum materials.

Crestview High School’s automotive program, led by instructor Damon Welch, will use the grant to have students build and maintain an electric vehicle to compete against 19 other Florida high schools.

“It’ll be exciting to watch that development over the course of the upcoming year,” said Steve Horton, assistant superintendent of Okaloosa County schools, at Monday’s board meeting. “We’ll track it and promote what’s going on out there. So it’s a great partnership with Florida Power and Light.”

Superintendent Marcus Chambers noted the automotive program has high demand as well as facilities comparable to professional garages. He said the electric vehicle competition will give students a hands-on learning experience.

• “It’s pretty amazing what these students are learning and able to do,” said Chambers. “And now to put together an electric vehicle to compete, I think that’s pretty neat.”

The Crestview High project expands Florida Power and Light’s partnerships with Northwest Florida schools to promote electric vehicle education.

THE WEEKENDER

A few things to do around town

November 3 – Tribute Concert Weekend at The Village of Baytowne Wharf – Free – View

November 4&6 – ART WEEK at ADSO – Varies – View

November 4 – DHS Shark 5K – $35.00 – View

November 4 – HH Arts Gallery Night – Free – View

November 4 – Sinfonia Gala Event feat. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue –  View

November 4-5 – Tribute Concert Weekend at The Village of Baytowne Wharf – Free – View

November 5 – Talent Contest HR tour 2023 @ Enlightened Studios FWB 5-9 – View

November 8- Learn to create the Sweatshirt Jacket! – $50 – View

November 9 – Erica Courtney Personal Appearance and Trunk Show – Free – View

November 9 – 11th Annual Wine Walkabout – $95 – View

November 9 – The Deal with Devil Rays – Free – View

THINGS TO DO

Destin High School prepares for third annual Shark 5k Fundraiser

Destin High School will host its third annual Shark 5K on Saturday, November 4, to raise money for the school’s athletic programs.

• The race begins at 8 a.m. and follows a route along Benning Drive toward the bay before looping back to Beach Camp Brew Pub, the event’s title sponsor.

Runners and walkers of all ages and pets are welcome to participate. The $35 registration fee includes a barbecue lunch and drink.

Medals will be awarded to top finishers in each age group, and prizes will go to the overall top male and female participants. Family-friendly activities and team merchandise will also be available.

Online registration is open by clicking here. If you have not already picked up your race packet, you can on race day.

PROMOTED BY DESTIN-FWB AIRPORT

Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport wants to fly one lucky military member ‘Home for the Holidays’

The Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport has officially launched its 8th annual “Operation Home for the Holidays” campaign, offering active duty military members (E-4 and below) stationed locally the chance to win a free roundtrip flight home to visit loved ones over the holiday season.

• The promotion, running from November 1st through December 5th, is open to enlisted personnel based/stationed/posted at one of the many military bases located in the 850 or 448 area code. 

One lucky service member will be randomly selected on December 6th to receive round trip air travel to be used during this December or January.

Click here to enter today!

GIVING BACK

Local faith community buries 40 individuals who have died without means for proper burial in Okaloosa

The Lazarus Memorial Service was held Thursday, November 2, at Beal Memorial Cemetery in Fort Walton Beach to provide a final resting place for 40 unclaimed individuals who died in the county over the past year.

• The annual interfaith ceremony brings together clergy and community members to remember and bury those who have died without family or means for a proper burial. 

Florida Statute requires that each county ensure the proper final disposition of indigent and unclaimed deceased persons in the respective counties. Each year, Okaloosa County receives an average of 35-40 individuals who die without family support or financial means to cover the cost of interment.

While the County does coordinate with funeral homes and medical examiner for properly processing the indigent deceased, the burial of the individuals is handled respectfully by the local faith based community.

In her opening remarks, Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel emphasized the diversity of stories represented by the 40 being memorialized.

“We have 40 individuals who will be placed in their final resting place. Their stories are as varied as the lives of those of you who are here today,” she said. “Our youngest today is a newborn baby boy delivered at a local hospital. Our oldest is a 104 year old woman who outlived her family and died alone in a nursing home.”

The cremated remains were each held in a box bearing the deceased’s name before being placed in green velvet bags for the outdoor ceremony.

Rev. Mark Broadhead emphasized in his sermon that while the circumstances of the deceased may have been different, each was a beloved child of God.

• “We never really know what a person has gone through in life – what horrors, difficulties, hardships, abuses,” he said. “Today we have the privilege of remembering and giving honor to those who may have been abandoned, abused, forgotten.”

Broadhead went on to reflect on the innocence of children and how as adults, people can be quick to judge others based on outward appearances.

“It’s rarely the intention of a person to say, ‘I want to wind up in this situation in life,’” he said. “I’ve never heard a child say that I want to be addicted to chemicals. I’ve never heard a child say that I want to be forgotten when I grow old.”

Instead, Broadhead emphasized that “when a child is born, they want to remember to be loved, to be cared for, to be held in the loving and comforting embrace of those who love them. And even in our advanced years, that longing remains.”

The Lazarus Service involves area clergy from multiple denominations who spend the year planning the event, held annually on Nov. 2, All Souls’ Day. In addition to Ketchel and Broadhead, participants this year included choir groups from local churches and staff from Emerald Coast Funeral Home who assisted in preparing the memorial.

• Dignitaries and elected officials attended the ceremony at Beal Memorial Cemetery, along with many members of the local communities. 

The names and dates of death for those interred are recorded in the cemetery’s Book of Remembrance. Okaloosa County began the Lazarus Service in 2016 and has since buried over 800 unclaimed individuals.

Ketchel noted in her remarks that the initiative was recognized for best practices by the Florida Association of Counties, with other counties implementing similar memorial ceremonies inspired by Okaloosa’s model.

“Okaloosa County has found a compassionate and dignified way to bury these invisible members of our society,” she said. “Area clergy from every denomination come together throughout the year to plan for an ecumenical service to provide a dignified burial in Beal Cemetery.”

The Lazarus Service project aligns with the Catholic Church’s Corporal Works of Mercy, which Ketchel highlighted include burying the dead – “the one that cannot be repaid.”

• “However, we are making friends for eternity in heaven,” she said.

Ketchel expressed hope that those gathered would leave with “a quiet feeling of having done something right. That cannot be repaid in this world.”

Click here to read the names of all 40, along with pictures of the ceremony.