Kristen Vincent spreads positivity at Tommy Smith Elementary
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – Kristen Vincent has nearly completed her 3rd year teaching 2nd grade at Tommy Smith Elementary.
Consistently exuding positivity and kindness to all, Vincent knows she has truly found her calling in life and a home.
'I love working at Tommy Smith. It's honestly like working with a family dynamic,' said Vincent. 'Everybody is super supportive and is here to help one another, no matter what, at the drop of a hat. It's just like working at Disneyland every day, honestly.
Her co-workers say the reason why the school feels like Disneyland is all thanks to Vincent.
'Kristen really is a shining light at our school,' added Tommy Smith Elementary School Media Specialist Wendy Blundon. 'She's always checking in on everyone. She makes sure everyone is having a good day. She just touches base, she communicates great, and she's just a great person to be around and to work with.'
Lynn Haven Elementary counselor brings sunshine and encouragement to all
Vincent makes it a point to get on her students' level.
Some of the most effective ways to do that is by incorporating interactive activities into her lessons.
'I like to incorporate real-world activities as well as hands-on activities with my teaching, because I feel like if kids are playing, they're learning,' said Vincent. 'You have to meet their needs and where their understanding is because they are kids. So, making learning, engaging, and fun is my number one priority.'
All in all, those around Kristen truly love and appreciate working alongside her.
'Kristen is kind, she's compassionate, she is loving and friendly,' added Blundon. 'She's just an all-around great teacher.'
That is why Kristen Vincent is a Class Act.
If there is someone who you think is a Class Act, don't wait to nominate them today.
All Panhandle school employees are eligible for this award.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
4 days ago
- USA Today
Lakers 2024-25 season player grades: Gabe Vincent
Lakers 2024-25 season player grades: Gabe Vincent Two summers ago, the Los Angeles Lakers signed guard Gabe Vincent just weeks after he had a strong postseason run with the Miami Heat when the Heat reached the NBA Finals. He had been one of the keys to the Heat unexpectedly making it that far, and he was seen as essentially a replacement for Dennis Schroder, a key member of a Lakers team that went to the Western Conference finals that same year and left in free agency. Unfortunately, Vincent missed almost all of last season due to a knee ailment, and fans became pessimistic that he would ever play consistently, let alone contribute consistently. This season, he remained relatively healthy, but his results were a mixed bag. Gabe Vincent's season stats In 72 regular-season games, Vincent averaged 6.4 points in 21.2 minutes a game while shooting 40% from the field and 35.3% from 3-point range. In the first round of the NBA playoffs, he averaged 2.8 points in 19.8 minutes a game and shot 35.7% from the field and 30.8% from 3-point range. Overall analysis It was envisioned that Vincent would play backup point guard and provide some defensive toughness, timely 3-point shooting and even some secondary or tertiary ball-handling and facilitating. Early in the season, he didn't get it done in any of those categories. In October and November, he mustered just 2.8 points a game and shot an awful 31.3% overall and 20.9% from downtown. But in December, as the Lakers started to get their act together, Vincent got hot. That month, he made 44.4% of his 3-point attempts. That was pretty much the story of his season. When he was hitting from the outside, he was a serviceable bench player for an L.A. team that lacked depth, especially in the backcourt. When he was throwing up bricks, he was a dead weight. The problem was that his shooting accuracy fluctuated wildly from month to month. He went on another hot streak in March, but he was simply too inconsistent to make fans feel like he justified the $11 million his contract paid him this season. By the end of this season, it started to look like the promising stretch he had during the 2023 NBA Playoffs, when he put up 12.7 points a game and knocked down 37.8% of his 6.1 3-point tries a game, was more of a happy fluke than a sign of his real potential. What's next for Vincent? Vincent was signed to a three-year, $33 million contract in the summer of 2023, which means he's going into the final season of that deal. From the Lakers' point of view, that makes him useful as salary ballast in a potential trade for a center or a two-way wing, as another team could use his contract to trim its payroll next summer when that contract comes off the books. However, given his shooting struggles, it is unlikely another team will see him as a serviceable player to trade for. If anything, he may be seen as someone who is on a bad contract. Overall grade: C-minus
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Wild Disneyland Brawl Erupts for Pettiest Reason
If the original Disneyland is 'The Happiest Place on Earth,' Disneyland Shanghai might be vying for 'The Pettiest Place on Earth' tagline. As the New York Post reports, the family-friendly theme park turned into the site of a vicious brawl between two couples, one of whom had a young child—all of which was caught on to witnesses, the animosity between the two groups seemed to begin when one couple wandered into the shot while the other was attempting to take a photo of themselves. But quiet seething turned into shocking violence when one couple claimed the other attempted to cut in front of them in line. With dozens of onlookers, including small children, watching, one of the men—decked out in some sort of character hat, while his female companion were a bunny hat—began pushing the other man. All that shoving eventually led to the original pushee throwing an elbow to the face of the original attacker. At that point, the female half of the hat-wearing duo jumped in the middle of the two men and began kicking and grabbing at the face of the other man. While the men continued locked in their tussle, the woman—without losing her bunny hat—instead turned her attention back to the second female, and appeared to shove the couple's young child, who was on the woman's hip, in the face. The unexpected attack cause the mom to begin screaming and drop to the ground with her child—while Ms. Bunny Hat went back to try and get in on the fight between the two men, which soon turned into a chokehold that took the original victim two women and a man—presumably unrelated to either couple—attempted to break up the melee. Disneyland staffers eventually put an end to the skirmish which, somewhat ironically, went down outside the park's Crazy Animal City ride. While the New York Post reports that only minor injuries reported, both couples could be facing a lifetime ban from ever visiting the park under its rules against engaging in any violence. Wild Disneyland Brawl Erupts for Pettiest Reason first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 3, 2025
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Vanessa Bryant Channels Rihanna To Address Pregnancy Rumors Like A Boss
Vanessa Bryant is tackling rumors about her private life with a little help from the Rihanna playbook. The widow of NBA legend Kobe Bryant shut down online speculation she's pregnant with her fifth child by sharing a photo of Rihanna looking particularly unbothered, drink in hand, to her Instagram Stories. 'Me protecting my peace, not pregnant & having fun all summer,' Vanessa Bryant wrote, alongside a handful of cheerful emojis. A moment later, she added a second Rihanna meme with the caption: 'I'm not mean, I'm just not the one.' Rumors that Vanessa Bryant was expecting a child with an unnamed 27-year-old basketball player began popping up online late last month, though the source of the speculation is unclear. The philanthropist and former dancer hasn't publicly been in a romantic relationship since the 2020 death of Kobe Bryant and their daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash. She and her late husband also share three other daughters: Natalia, 22, Bianka, 8, and Capri, 5. Prior to Vanessa Bryant's witty response, the rumors had sparked a fair amount of discourse over the social expectations placed on widows. The implication that the 43-year-old had moved on to a new romance five years after Kobe Bryant's death drew criticism on social media, with some oddly suggesting she had an obligation to stay single to protect her late husband's legacy. 'Bashing Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant's wife, for being pregnant is just insane to me. Genuinely, she is a widow,' one TikTok user said Monday. 'What do you all expect widows to do? Life keeps going, life keeps moving. Who said that she couldn't heal and she couldn't go ahead and continue to live life?' Added another: 'This lady is allowed to love again ... you all do know that a lot of men, they move on the next month, the next year, the next week, the next minute. So, really, why does it matter? It's literally been half of a decade.' New romance or not, Vanessa Bryant appeared to be staying true to her pledge by taking in a day at Disneyland. On Monday, she shared a short video on Instagram showing her with her daughters at the Anaheim, California, theme park. Tiger Woods Confirms His Relationship With Vanessa Trump In A Social Media Post Lakers Forced To Fix Errors On Kobe Bryant Statue Kobe Bryant's Widow Awarded $16 Million In Trial Over Crash Photos
