PENSACOLA, Fla. – Escambia and Santa Rosa county schools today received honors for their outstanding efforts in career academies at a luncheon sponsored by the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and the Northwest Florida Next Generation Learning Community.
Jobs are getting more high-tech, with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills becoming more important than ever. In the past two years, the local school systems along with the business community has made establishing career academies a priority, creating 43 career academies in Escambia County and 16 career academies in Santa Rosa County. Students enrolled in career academies are not only more prepared for the workforce, they have a 90 percent graduation rate.
Awards of excellence were given to the following:
- “Career Academies Receiving Industry Certification” were West Florida High School of Advanced Technology for pre-professional nursing academy and Locklin Tech for construction.
- The “Most Ingenious Career Academy Concept” award went to Pen-Air Federal Credit Union for the establishment of credit unions in Santa Rosa County schools.
- Business/Industry Partner Awards were presented to Baptist Health Care for health care; the Homebuilders Association of Northwest Florida for construction; PensacolaJobs.com for Information Technology; Avalex Technologies for engineering; and Beef O Brady’s for culinary arts.
- Locklin Tech’s construction program was named the “Model Green Career Academy.”
- Escambia High School’s engineering academy was named the “Model STEM Career Academy.”
- The “Middle School Academy of the Year” was Woodham Middle School for their pre-engineering academy.
- “High School Academies of the Year” were Pine Forest High School for culinary arts and Jay High School for health care.
- Opal Lister of Pine Forest High School and Jim Wendell of Navarre High School were named “Career Academy Teachers of the Year.”
- Emma Grace Farthing of Tate High School and Ryan Miller of Milton High School were named “Career Academy Students of the Year.”
Honorees accepted their awards in front of more than 180 attendees, including Escambia County Superintendent Malcolm Thomas, Santa Rosa County Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick, Pensacola Mayor Mike Wiggins, Escambia County commissioners Gene Valentino and Wilson Robertson and Pensacola City Councilwoman Maren DeWeese along with officials from Workforce Florida, the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Chamber Foundation. |
