Jena Melancon, Founder and Executive Director of Gulf Coast Diplomacy Council is ushering in new perspectives for Escambia County students. In this episode she shares how the non-profit is facilitating communication & connection.

Ever considered becoming a mentor to a child? Karen Kellams, a full-time executive and mom, and Natalie Stipkovich, a full-time college student, share why they did and the joy it has brought to them. Hear how being there for one hour every week has changed their lives and their mentees lives forever.

Life is full of teaching moments and too often missed milestones as a result of poverty. Jennifer Collins, Principal at Sherwood Elementary talks about how the All Kid's Bike program teaches kindergarteners lasting life lessons—independence, balance, safety, compassion, resilience and success. You’ll also hear what it was like for Sherwood to be one of the two schools in Escambia county chosen by the foundation to receive a donation funded by the local branch of HDR Engineering.

West Florida High School graduates & twin brothers, Jamal & Jamari sharp are entrepreneurs, authors and philanthropists. But it wasn’t always this way. Jamal shares how the two went from problem students to success stories, why they decided to call their snoball business BAM & what it means for them to be Pensacola business owners. For these two, it's truly a snowball effect.

Principal, Dr. Kimberly Thomas and Barbara Hayes, a Pensacola High School graduate and pediatrics nurse with Community Health Northwest Florida, share how the Health Ambassadors program in the community clinic at CA Weiss is empowering 3-5 graders. Outfitted in scrubs and lab coats, the program is inspiring a new generation of leaders and professions in the field of healthcare.

Escambia Children’s Trust is one of 13 unique government agencies that assign a portion of property taxes to local non-profits that support the needs of the community based on what the community says they need. In this episode, Executive Director, Tammy Greer shares results of the most recent needs assessment & how you can be heard.

Pensacola Code Ninjas owner JoDawn Brown noticed a huge change in her child’s academic performance after learning to code. In this episode, she talks about why learning to code isn’t just for gamers, how coding could set your kid up for employment & how their summer camp or after school programs could be a haven for technologically creative and curious kids.

District Data Scientist, James Bobbitt, breaks down what the new state grading scales will mean for Escambia County Public Schools.

Arelia Laster is a former quality nurse at Sacred Heart & the current Director at Next Step Distribution, a non-profit providing emergency support supplies within 24 hours of crisis. In this episode, she shares the origin of this grass roots effort, how she collaborates with Escambia County Public Schools & how you can help or be helped.

Angela McFarland is a business & multimedia teacher at West Florida High School & the 2024 Teacher of Year for Escambia County Public Schools! Learn how she inspires her students, what students inspire her & what makes this 26-year career educator such a deserving person for this award.

Dr. KK Owen with the Huron Studer Group explains one way Escambia County Public Schools reaches out to give parents a voice in their child's education by rating how we're doing.

From rotations to ride-a-longs, this is as real as it gets. Instructor Terry Thomas and graduate Dakota Ward openly discuss the riggers and rewards of the Critical Care & Emergency Medicine Academy at West Florida High School.

When it comes to the success of every student, we're all in. That means taking every step possible to keep our kids safe at school. Director of Protection Services, Kyle Kinser, covers what all that means. You’ll hear how the new Centegix system & the Aaron Feiss guardian program cover use technology & humanity to keep our kids safe.

Not all learning happens in the classroom. The Great Outdoors is a pretty great teacher. National Park Rangers Jennifer Watson & Cas Rosiecki share how fourth graders and their families can get free access all our National Parks.

Do you know where your food comes from? You do if you're an FFA member or taking an AG class with Leanne Jenkins at Beulah Middle School. In this episode, she talks about the how the AG program inspired her as a student & how it’s helping kids & supporting our community today.

Reading and writing go together like chips and salsa. For Alexander Fitzgerald, teaching creative writing is equally delicious, but goes deeper than a playful food metaphor. In this episode, he shares how he transformed from a slow reading student who hated reading, to becoming a creative writing teacher who reads philosophy for fun as well has the three problems creative writing solves: apathy to learn, lack of follow through & relationship disconnect.

Many performance-based scholarships revolve around sports, which can often take a toll on academic performance. Christina Frierdich is the orchestra director at Washington, Pine Forest & Escambia High schools. In this episode she shares how music scholarships can provide college scholarships AND improve student performance on standardized testing. She also shares her family tie with Pensacola string music history & its lasting impact on kids.

Claire Frear, military spouse and teacher, shares her perspective on the unique needs of students with active duty family members & what specific resources are in place for them at Escambia High.

For many students with an IEP, their full potential can only be accessed outside of the traditional school framework. Donna Perry is the program specialist & Dr. Jared Stanley is the administrator on special assignment at Hope Horizon, a center school that works with students & families individually to find holistic solutions. In this episode they share what students are best served at Hope Horizon & the services they provide.

Tristan Harris is the coach for Escambia county’s Allstar Academic Team, a place where kids with drive & book smarts can gain a sense of community & competition. She proudly and passionately nerds out about how Escambia County students are winning by working together and scoring so much more than points as she explains how this trivia style tournament team is making a difference for students in Escambia County.

Zac Stefanko is the welding instructor at Pensacola High School, where they were recently awarded a grant for the program that is giving students a way to cut through and seal together a career in welding and other trades.

No one will argue the roles teachers play in the lives of our children and the future of our country. The need and openings for teachers couldn't be greater. Melia Adams discusses a career in education and recruiting the right people for a job that impacts so many and means so much?

This isn't your dad's shop class. Learn how boys and girls at Ernest Ward Middle School are certified in engineering and equipped with the skills and knowledge to thrive in industry and emerging technologies.

Tapping kids full potential. Kristin Fairchild, founder and executive director of Chain Reaction focuses on giving our children the perspective and soft skills to succeed globally.

Why does mental wellness matter? Silvio Fina explores how connection and quality care can boost academic success, and what services and steps are available to ECPS students and parents.

Post high school education can be expensive and out of reach for many families. Holly Busse explains how the Bright Futures Scholarship is helping unlock a path to college or vocational education, up to five years after graduation & takes just 15 minutes to apply for.

It seems like there’s a new app every week that poses a potential trafficking threat to our digital savvy kids. In this episode, Stacey Kostevicki, the Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Kids House shares practical tips to keep kids safe & how prevention education can unite parents, teachers & community members to safeguard our kids.

If you’re a busy working parent, you’re a busy worrying parent, especially when it comes to after school care. Do you give your child a key to the house with instructions to do their chores & finish their homework? Or do you send them to aftercare? Will they be safe? Will they make friends? Robin Heller is the founder & executive director Seastars Aquatics, a USA Swimming Registered team that provides individualized attention as part of a structured competitive swim team program for kids who are economically, physically, & mentally challenged. The team not only provides a judgement & bullying-free zone for kids, but is also a place where they, their families & teachers can reap cognitive, academic, social & physical benefits … all for free.

Getting kids to read is a challenge every parent & teacher can relate to. How do you pry the screen out of their hands & get them to get interested? John Ham of Animal Tales shares how the animals from his live animal presentations has inspired students all over the county to read.

Is it possible to get kids interested in science *and* give them a break from screen time? Cheyenna Novotny & Adam Bretschneider think so. They are the Science Specialist for Escambia County Public Schools & the Teacher on Special Assignment of the Roy Hyatt Center. Together they’ve combined their passion for the outdoors, science & teaching to inspire the next generation. In this episode they share what’s happening on the 320 acres of the Roy Hyatt Center & how it’s sparking life-long scientific interest.

When it comes to our schools, we may hear ABOUT improvement initiatives, but we rarely get to hear the real account of how they play out. Deputy Superintendent Shenna Payne & Superintendent Dr. Tim Smith give a peek inside the schools as they share the real stories of commitment & support from the real people who show up everyday.

Summer break is a great time to pick up a book and grow as a reader. Michelle White shares how students are turning the page and starting a new chapter by not only preventing the Summer Slide, but gaining skills to lead forward.

Who will be the leaders of tomorrow? Debra Phillips is teaching the seven habits of highly effective people to put our students on the right path.

C.A. Weis is proud to be the first elementary level community partnership school in the state of Florida. Learn how this one-stop-shop partnership that includes University of West Florida, Children’s Home Society, Community Health Northwest Florida and Escambia County School District, is unifying and strengthening our community.

Meet Mrs. Jamiliya McBride, the 2023 Teacher of the Year for the Escambia County School District as she shares her heart and love to motivate and teach her students. She shares the unique way she stayed connected to her class during COVID quarantine how she will serve next with Capturing Kid's Hearts.

Meet Escambia County’s Superintendent, Dr. Tim Smith! Learn what led him to Escambia County and how he is leading our public school system into the future. United in the success of every student, he is focused on closing the achievement gap.

What's the most important thing you can do in an hour this week? How about mentoring a child? Tune into this week's episode to learn how you can impact the life of a student and build a bond that will last a lifetime.

Where do new teachers turn for help and guidance? At Escambia County Public Schools, savvy and seasoned teachers serve as a Sherpa and guide new teachers for the entire year. Learn more about this transformation program, called START, on this week's podcast episode.

How can we set our students up for success? In this episode, hear how Escambia County Public Schools are creating opportunities for middle school and high school students to learn and develop critical job skills, leading to fulfilling careers right here in Escambia County.

Ever try working all day when you haven't eaten anything? Hunger is one of a number of factors that can make learning difficult for students. In this episode on the ECSD Navigator Program, we discuss how Escambia County Public Schools are working with students and their families to navigate these challenges.

Over 17,000 backpacks. Over 500 children. Learn how our community is coming together for every student to be successful in school. Big hearts helping little stomachs with nutritional meals. Volunteers and partners united against food insecurity and hunger that makes learning hard.

Avoiding college debt is key to setting up students for a strong start in adulthood, but how do you avoid student loans when you can barely make ends meet? The County Coordinator of Take Stock in Children, Sally Lee, shares the surprisingly simple way Escambia County students can qualify for free college scholarships and guidance from mentors as early as the seventh grade. She shares how a bright future can impact the student, the school and the community.

Are your kids getting too much screen time? Principal Lalla Pierce & Technology Coordinator, Kevin McNally from Global Learning Academy, share how students at Escambia County Public Schools in partnership with Common Sense Media are learning how to vet information, be a good digital citizen and when to walk away from technology.

Meet the Pensacola TikTok star who makes the wheels on the bus go round, Cor’Darius Jones. The kids are big fans of Escambia County School District's Mr. Bus Driver for good reasons. He shares his strategy on public school bus safety, how he saved a woman’s life and what’s next.

Hear the positive stories in education that don’t make the news. You’ll hear uplifting stories of student, parent and teacher impact in Escambia County. Meredith Hackwith Edwards—a local and independent podcaster—interviews teachers, staff, parents, students, graduates, community mentors and members, so that we can become more united inside and outside the classroom to support the success of every student in Florida’s Escambia County Public Schools.