Throughout February, Santa Rosa District Schools held three different career expos across the county for students and families to explore opportunities in various career fields.

February is CTE month, which recognizes the importance of career and technical education in schools around the nation. In Florida, CTE programs are a growing trend.

Throughout the first two months of 2024, Santa Rosa County staff, namely those who oversee the budget, have been attending various community meetings to discuss the budgetary process, what the county’s budget has looked like and, most importantly, what future plans for county spending might be.

The sound of rain couldn’t drown out the sound of Santa Rosa’s All County Band Saturday, Jan. 27.

In spite of the gloomy weather, parents, school district employees and the community packed Pace Assembly of God to hear both middle school and high school students perform a variety of tunes from classics such as the Wizard of Oz and Star Wars to more recent compositions such as Tarantella by Carol Brittin Chambers.

Balancing funding for fire departments with residents who have to pay for it can sometimes be tricky.

With limited budgets and resources available to schools, volunteers play a crucial role in allowing teachers and other faculty to focus on providing students with a quality education. Each year, Santa Rosa District Schools names their volunteers of the year for the whole district.

Each year, Santa Rosa District Schools gather members of the school board, Santa Rosa Education Foundation and the community together to surprise the pick for Santa Rosa Teacher of the Year. This year, the group ventured to Allentown to announce Christal Bennett, Central School’s band teacher, as the district’s best.

At the end of Clearview St. on Garcon Point, you’ll find a gated, 30-acre property with some interesting inhabitants. The property is home to eight horses, a donkey and a litany of pigs. The people who look after these animals, mostly volunteers, are there not only for the animals but for visitors.

When some people hear the word, “snake,” it often elicits responses such as screams or shivers up the spine. While a fear of snakes, which sometimes manifests itself in ophidiophobia, a more intense fear of snakes, may be common, it doesn’t negate the fact they are here.

Join Santa Rosa County Public Safety and Florida State Animal Response Coalition (FL SARC) for the Small Animal Emergency and Disaster Sheltering Course. The course is being offered in two levels, Awareness Level (Level 1) and Operations Level (Level 2). Thanks to a generous grant from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, class registrations are FREE!