Latest news with #NorthsideElementary
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Northside Elementary's new library promotes technology and preserves traditional books
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Learning just got a little more exciting for some local students. Northside Elementary unveiled its newly renovated library on Monday. A $77,000 grant from the St. Joe Foundation provided new flooring, paint, and furniture. In addition to over 10,000 books, there's also a book vending machine and new technology for students to discover. Officials believe the new environment will spark a love for reading. 'Little ones, they can learn to grow to have a hunger and a thirst and a passion for reading because you learn to read all the way up to the third grade and then you read to learn from fourth grade on and you know, as lifelong learners, we're still reading to learn more,' Bay District Schools Superintendent Mark McQueen said. The upgraded space promotes technology while preserving the value of traditional books. Liberty County teacher in top 5 for Fla. Teacher of the Year award 'As much as we are moving forward, I think we do not need to get lost in the foundation of things, like books are always going to matter. And I think being well-rounded as individuals and citizens to know how to read a book or look up something in a dictionary is just as important on how to Google something. So, I think all of the types of literacy are important,' Northside Elementary Fifth Grade Teacher Adrianna Swearingen said. The initiative to promote literacy has already proven successful among Northside students. 'I love it. It just feels more spacious and less crammed, and it just feels more comfortable and makes me want to read more,' Northside Elementary Fifth Grade Student Charlotte Forrester said. Northside is one of the first to receive the renovations, but officials said more schools will see the upgrades in the future. The new library is set to be fully operational for all students for next school year. But fifth graders have already seen it before they move on from Northside. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The ‘Best of Bay' student art exhibit opens
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – For the next three weeks, the spotlight is on local young artists in downtown Panama City. The Best of Bay Art Show opened at the Center for the Arts on Saturday. For decades, Bay District Schools teachers have been hand-selecting student artwork to put on display. 'The pieces are selected based on representing that variety and showing the best of what we think our students can show so that they can take a look at it in comparison to all the other schools and hopefully be inspired,' Art Educator at Northside Elementary & Bay County Art Educators Association Secretary Kathleen Mcnulty Mann said. PCB Scottish Festival hosts first ever 2-day event Bay County elementary, middle, and high school art is showcased in the exhibit. It features a variety of art, including photography, sculptures, paintings, and more. It means a lot to students to share their work with the community. 'It was my art project in my school, and we needed to cut out these shapes and make them a pattern. We could choose patterns or make our own patterns. So, I chose some of them but made this one by myself,' student Zhasmin Arutiunian said. 'It's really exciting,' student Tahlia Ellington said. 'It's like amazing,' student SueAnna Robinson said. 'This is such an exciting opportunity for the kids because their artwork is being displayed the way that professional artwork is displayed. And we want our students to feel and see themselves as just the same as a professional artist. There are all kinds of the same value to you, not only to our community. And to their school, but we hope to themselves,' Mcnulty Mann said. And teachers say the exhibit is just as exciting for them. 'As art teachers, we absolutely love it. Any chance for our students' work to be showcased I think sometimes visual art is easy to forget about because it's not maybe in your face as performing arts or dance performance might be, but quietly we are actually working with hundreds of students at every school,' Mcnulty Mann said. FWC discusses plan to authorize regulated black bear hunting The exposition is free, and educators encourage the community to explore the display. 'It's such a positive representation of what it means to be a child in Bay County. And we're looking at it through their eyes,' McNulty Mann said. The art will be on display at the Center for the Arts until March 22nd. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
