FLAGLER COUNTY SCHOOLS Science, art, athletics among schools' focus this fall

Did we just feel the first hint of fall here in Flagler County? Those are our favorite three days of the year! In the meantime, here’s an update of what’s going on in our schools and on our campuses.

Belle Terre Elementary School

Flagler Schools had six teachers participate in the Computer Science Festival this summer. This was funded through the Computer Science Grant. We were also able to purchase the class set of Legos through the grant because the kits were part of the professional learning at the festival. Ms. Walsh from BTES attended the festival and learned how to integrate the Lego kits in her instruction as part of STEM. We can’t wait to see what the students do with these great kits!

Buddy Taylor Middle School

We love it when the students in Mrs. Jerrells’ culinary class fire up the ovens. Last week they made chocolate chip cookies from scratch as well as cooked up cinnamon pretzels and flavored popcorns. Hopefully, these students showed off their culinary skills at home this past weekend!

The Principal Advisory Club also met last week. This group is vital in maintaining a positive culture on our campus. This group had exciting idea to make that positive impact at BTMS. Our student leaders are amazing.

Flagler-Palm Coast High School

There was quite the celebration on our campus last week as we learned four FPC students were named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. Sean Gilliam, Paul Grau, Kenneth Logan and Daniel Wolcott were surprised by the news during our morning announcements. We then had the four parade down the hallway of the 200 building. These four represent the top 1% of all high school seniors throughout the United States!

Flagler Technical College

FTC was proud to join the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in recognizing two graduates of the FCSO’s “Homeward Bound” program at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. Shaw Crandall and Christopher Rodriquez completed the 120-hour program which taught them how to print and apply custom-designed vinyl graphics onto vehicles. Many of the FCSO patrol cars you see on the streets were completed by inmates in this program.

Indian Trails Middle School

The Indian Trails Cross Country Team had another impressive performance at the Bale n' Trail Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 11. The team ran an adventurous course, with runners hurdling both hay bales and puddles.

The girls’ team finished third, with Noemi Malinowski medaling in sixth place and Addison Hoeni coming in 19th.

The boys’ team also ran a successful race, finishing with Tyler Peeples in 11th place with a personal record time and Aidan Hoeni earning 22nd place.

Old Kings Elementary School

Ms. Carter’s Art Club students and Dr. Harshbarger’s Old Kings Elementary STOMP ensemble celebrated Arts in Education at the Town Center on Sept. 14.

Ms. Carter’s Art Club students worked in a variety of 2D media to create artworks that showed off their interests and passions. Students who submitted their work for display range from 3rd to 6th grades: Gemma Bray, Mya Kemper, Bella Gregory, Kaelyn Voltoline, Katelyn Zeef, Colin Withrow, Emily Naupari, Lucas Strunk, Claire Stonecypher and Avaleigh Donaldson.

Dr. Harshbarger’s students, Angela Kilpatrick, Jayden McCoy, Tommy Gerkin, and Maddox Harshbarger, performed as the opening act for Top Flight, a premier United States Air Force Band.

We understand that for the majority of the population, the sound of banging metal trash cans and plastic recycle bins or 5-gallon buckets might indicate a recycle truck or garbage truck coming down the street, but for the Old Kings Elementary music department, it sounds like a musical opportunity! Students from Old Kings Elementary School are shown clips from the famous New York Broadway musical STOMP. From there, each 5th- and 6th-grade class is challenged to come up with different ways to turn typical household items into musical instruments. Maddox Harshbarger, Dr. Harshbarger’s son, jokes, “Dad is always making me smack on everything around our house to see what kinds of cool and different sounds I can create. Then he takes me to Lowes to buy seven of something. Lowes seems to be his favorite music store.”

Transition Programs

Project SEARCH interns are well into their first at Grand Villa. In the training room, the interns are learning about the importance of work ethic.  All our interns are very happy with their current placement.

The TRAIL Program (Transitioning Youth with Disabilities into Real Vocational Opportunities through Action Planning and Individualized Learning) has gotten off to a super start thanks to a terrific group of young job seekers. We are very proud of our young people, especially those first-time TRAIL participants, who are adapting to their new setting beautifully!

In the TRAIL classroom, our participants have taken interest inventories and their LCE (Life Centered Education)comprehensive assessments, which will help establish a baseline and identify areas of strength and weakness. The results of these assessments will play a large part in the planning of individualized instruction during the coming year. In addition to this, our young people were introduced to “Money Instructor.” Categories include basic money skills, earning/spending, saving/investing and careers/business. Other categories include lessons on taxes, insurance, investing, using an online ATM and more interactive lessons.

TRAIL participants have gone on several Community Based Instruction outings and are working at our vocational training sites that include Publix, Bunnell Elementary School, Flagler County Parks, S.T.U.F.F. Bus and manufacturing/shredding at TRAIL. TRAIL has also begun working at BTMS doing some light office work. Our young job seekers have gotten their Flagler County Schools volunteer badges, allowing them to work in various areas of our schools as well.