School Board Honors Wewahitchka Elementary

A packed crowd filled the Wewahitchka Elementary School commons area for a Feb. 12 special meeting of the Gulf County School Board.

Attendees were inquisitive, well mannered, and intellectually engaged.

Most were under the age of 11.

The School Board traveled to the elementary school to honor its recent selection as a Distinguished Title I School.

The elementary school was one of only two Florida schools to earn the honor, bestowed by the National Association of State Title I Directors.

In Florida, a school is classified as a Title I school if at least 50 percent of its students receive free or reduced-cost lunch.

To become a Distinguished Title I School, schools must demonstrate a significant, sustained academic improvement in spite of having a 35 percent or higher poverty rate.

A total of 71 schools throughout the U.S. earned the title of Distinguished Title I School this year.

Wewahitchka Elementary School, a previous honoree, was selected this year based on the achievement of its ESE students in reading scores on standardized tests.

Superintendent Tim Wilder congratulated Wewahitchka’s staff, teachers and students on a job well done.

“For the second time, Wewahitchka Elementary School gets the honor of being one of two schools in the state of Florida, and a hundred or less in the whole U.S., so you guys have done a great job. That is a true honor.”

Principal Lori Price accepted the award on behalf of her students and ESE teachers Diane Atchison, Renee Lynn, Pam Sumner and Larry Brown.

Following the award presentation, the school board - led by vice-chairman George Cox, a former Wewahitchka educator - fielded questions from students.

The students made it clear from the start that the board had some explaining to do.

Why, for instance, did they have to take the FCAT?

Why didn’t their lunchroom have vending machines and a scrumptious salad bar?

And just why, exactly, was there no gymnasium for them to play in?

Though many of the answers were not what the students wanted to hear - the school board would not be banishing the FCAT or installing salad bars - one answer met with universal delight.

Wilder told the students that the school board is currently looking into building an outdoor physical education facility on the Wewahitchka Elementary School campus.

The students are currently bused to a nearby gymnasium that once served the old Wewahitchka school.

Wilder told the students they were correct in wanting their own gymnasium.

“Y’all stay on Mrs. Price and stay on us about that,” he said.