Walton County - School District

After several days in Tallahassee advocating for students with legislators, Superintendent A. Russell Hughes made sure he was back in time to stop by West DeFuniak Elementary to see children heading home for the weekend! Superintendent Hughes is motivated by students! Some quotes from our students: "Mr. Hughes...you look pretty spiffy in those glasses!" - "Hey! I know you!" - "Hold on! I want to say 'Hi!' and 'Bye!' to Mr. Hughes" - "High five, Mr. Hughes" - "I LOVE YOU MR. HUGHES" - and you know what - HE LOVES YOU TOO!

At this time, the Walton County School District will have school as planned tomorrow, Wednesday, January 17th. We have been informed by Walton County Emergency Management, per the National Weather Service, that while temperatures will be low, precipitation/ice is not expected in tomorrow's forecast. Please stay safe and dress your child accordingly over the next few days.

School will be out Monday, January 15th 2024 in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day - "The function of education is to teach one to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education."

Congratulations to Megan Fields from Van R. Butler Elementary on having been selected as the most recent recipient of the WON-ONE award!

The Walton County School District will resume all classes and extracurricular activities as normal on Wednesday, January 10th. We understand that there may be impassable road conditions and areas still without power. If conditions exist that preclude your student from attending class, please work with your school administration and follow standard absentee procedures.

Overnight Walton County received torrential rains, damaging wind, and tornado activity. We hope that everyone in the path of the severe weather system is safe. Due to the potential damage in our area the Walton County School District is cancelling the School Board meeting scheduled for this evening, Tuesday, January 9th at 5pm. As of this time, school schedules will resume as normal on January 10th. Please check the District social media channels and website for any further updates.

After collaboration with local Emergency Management and weather experts - ALL Walton County School District campuses will be closed on Tuesday, January 9th due to severe weather moving across our area in the form of heavy rainfall and high straight line winds. Please check with your schools for updates on activities this evening. Monday evening will see heavy rainfall and winds in excess of 70MPH along with the potential for tornadoes. In the early morning on Tuesday, extreme destructive winds exceeding 80MPH and multiple tornadoes are expected along with heavy rains. We will continue to work with local authorities and release any updates on our social media platforms and District website. Please take the necessary precautions to keep your families safe.

The Walton County School District is working closely with Emergency Management and local weather authorities to monitor the inclement weather moving over our area. Updates or alterations to school schedules will be published on our social media channels and website. At this time, Monday morning - 7:50am, there are no alterations to Tuesday’s schedule.

January is National Mentoring Month - if you have a passion for helping students, then STEP IN and STEP UP! January 9th - I AM A MENTOR DAY January 15th - DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY OF SERVICE January 17th - INTERNATIONAL MENTORING DAY January 25th - THANK YOUR MENTOR DAY January 24th -26th - NATIONAL MENTORING SUMMIT For more information about how you can become a mentor, visit our website: https://www.walton.k12.fl.us/o/wcsd/page/mentoring

Can you believe that 2024 is almost here!? We hope our students and our community have enjoyed a well-deserved break! The beginning of the 2nd semester is close at hand! Teachers are back on campus January 2nd, and students return on January 4th!

Congratulations to Coach Hayes who, despite feeling under the weather, was all smiles and enthusiasm after finding out she is a recipient of the District One-One Award! Way to go Coach Hayes, ECMS and all of Walton County is proud of you!

Mack Ream has Won-One for the Walton County School District, his community, and Dune Lakes Elementary. Stay tuned for Mr. Ream's story!

Way to go Ms. Magruder from Emerald Coast Middle School on having been chosen as a Won-One Award recipient!

Congratulations to Ms. Bree O'Donnell from Dune Lakes Elementary for being selected as a Won-One Award recipient! Be on the lookout for more details about Ms. O'Donnell's story!

Congratulations to Emerald Coast Middle School's Deb Shost for being selected as a Won-One Award Recipient. Be on the lookout for more about Deb's story!

Congratulations to ECMS Won-One Award Recipient Sara Caudill! Stay tuned for more about Ms. Caudill's Won-One story!

If you walked into any classroom in the Walton County School District, you'd be looking at the faces of the next generation of community leaders, inventors, business professionals, and world changers. Last week, WCSD held the Science Fair Awards ceremony at the CHAT Center in DeFuniak Springs. Superintendent A. Russell Hughes presented the awards to these incredible young minds. Congratulations to these students on their EPIC work!

Superintendent A. Russell Hughes has been named 2024 Florida Superintendent of the Year! The process for selecting Florida’s Superintendent of the Year was established by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), a national organization of school superintendents and other educational leaders. Hughes will represent all Florida superintendents at the AASA’s 2024 National Education Conference February 15-17, 2024, in San Diego, CA, where Hughes will be recognized and honored for his public education service in Florida. The National Superintendent of the Year® Program pays tribute to the talent and vision of the men and women who lead our nation’s public schools. Congratulations to Superintendent A. Russell Hughes on this incredible honor and for his unwavering dedication and service to the students of the Walton County School District.

The Walton County School District would like to wish our community, students, and staff a happy Thanksgiving break! We hope you all enjoy time with family and friends. We are thankful for our students, our parents, our staff, our school board, and our community for their hard work so far this year making our school district EPIC!

Superintendent A. Russell Hughes was the keynote speaker this morning at the Freeport Merchant Association's monthly meeting. The FMA is compromised of over 120 businesses in the Freeport area with a mission to unite and serve their community. Superintendent Hughes spoke about his mission to develop students who are career ready when they graduate. He lauded Freeport's embracing of the District's many work initiatives and encouraged new businesses to be a part of the network of local entities helping our students learn and succeed. Of course, the members were very excited to hear of the new school construction in their community as well as the new CTE programs happening in the Freeport area schools.