The Freeport Middle School Art Department studied the art of zentangles.  When an artist is drawing zentangles, they find it very relaxing and meditative.  Students listened to Zen music and let go of their daily hustle and bustle while they focused on their art projects.

We are so elated that the following teachers have been selected first, by their colleagues at their school sites, and then secondly, have been designated as the top 3 from that distinguished group to compete and be observed by a non-bias committee to be selected as the Walton County School District Teacher of the Year 

Lance Climer – South Walton High School

Lora Brazile – Paxton School

Russell Phillips – Freeport High School

A committee looked over all the applications, accomplishments, and skills of those who were selected at their school sites. Now this committee is going to do a formal visit to the classrooms of Mr. Climer, Ms. Brazile, and Mr. Phillips, to see all that was written on paper, in real-time. The interaction that these teachers will have with their students, the engagement the student will be involved in, will help determine which of these three very phenomenal teachers will represent WCSD at the state level as Teacher of the Year.

We have had some great winners in past years and know this year’s winner is not going to be an exception to that greatness. We, the teachers, support staff, principals, and community, are excited to have this kind of representation on the wonderful campuses we have in Walton County.

Congratulations to the site-based winners on every campus!

Congratulations and good luck to those who have been selected in the top 3 and are now in the running for Walton County School District’s Teacher of the Year.

With the support of St. Joe Community Foundation, all Walton County Elementary students will be reading to raise money for Food for Thought, a local organization that provides food for children in our community.
St. Joe Community Foundation has graciously pledged $0.25 for every AR test passed. At the end of the school year, the accumulated money for each school will be donated to Food for Thought. We'll kick off our goal during Florida's statewide "Celebrate Literacy Week" January 24-28.

COVID Update January 7, 2022

In the spirit of transparency, the Walton County School District (WCSD) will continue to update our stakeholders with COVID-19 data for the 2021-2022 school year. 

Walton County School District COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies for the 2021-2022 School Year

1. If a person is sick (students, teachers, staff, and visitors), they should stay home.
2. Face covering is optional for all, including the bus.
3. Hand sanitizer is available at various areas inside the school.
4. Social distancing from others is encouraged as much as possible.
5. Signs will be displayed to remind those in schools about social distancing, as well as the use of hand sanitizer, washing of hands, and face coverings.
6. Cleaning and disinfecting school facilities/buses which are occupied by students will be done daily.
7. Adequate mitigation supplies are on hand at all schools/facilities (hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, masks, etc.).
8. COVID-19 vaccination is optional for all students and employees.
9. COVID-19 contact tracing is occurring in all schools/facilities (2021-2022 WCSD Decision Tree for employees and students).
10. At this time non-essential visitors and volunteers are not allowed to enter schools. This mitigation strategy will be revisited in the next few weeks.

*Please keep in mind that although COVID positive cases may represent a student or staff member within the WCSD, it does not necessarily indicate that the virus originated within the WCSD.  It is also important to note that a portion of the positive cases involve individuals who may have never entered the school setting while sick due to proper quarantining.