By Marcus Chambers, Okaloosa County Superintendent
We are excited to provide you with a snapshot of some of the many amazing things that happened in the Okaloosa County School District during the 2022-2023 School Year!
Our students went above and beyond this year, representing the Okaloosa County School District and their schools at the district, regional, state and even national levels! They excelled in science fairs, app challenges, art shows, band and choral Musical Performance Assessments (MPAs), academic tournaments, JROTC Pass in Reviews, theater performances and athletic competitions. Teams and individuals won state and national titles, and we are beyond proud of their hard work and determination, as well as the educators, coaches, parents, and community members who were there to support them! To see some of these achievements, we invite you to visit the websites and social media accounts of our schools and District!
A few highlights:
• All 37 OCSD schools earned the state’s Purple Star School of Distinction designation.
• OCSD was awarded an A-rating by the Florida Department of Education based on student academic performance, one of 14 A districts out of 67 in Florida.
• OCSD received Academically High Performing School District status from the Department of Education based on academics, financial accountability and class size compliance. Okaloosa is the only district to receive this designation every year since 2013.
• Entered the 2022-23 school year recognized as one of 38 School Districts of Distinction worldwide by Cognia, a school accreditation agency. Cognia serves 36,000 public and private institutions from early learning through high school in more than 90 countries.
• Our school district completed district-wide School Security Upgrade projects, including single points of entry, enhanced camera and communication systems and perimeter fencing.
• This year, we continued our bus fleet refresh process with the purchase of 15 new air-conditioned school buses to continue our bus fleet replacement cycle.
• Rated No. 3 School District in the state of Florida by Niche.com.
• Transitioned to a new platform (FOCUS) for parents and students to access grades, attendance and more online or through a mobile app.
• More than 6,600 volunteers registered through the Raptor Volunteer Management system, giving almost 62,000 volunteer hours back to the schools. This represents 40 percent of our approved volunteers.
• New Construction: Began design work on a fourth- and fifth-grade expansion at Destin Elementary School among others in Okaloosa County. Continued new construction projects at 14 campuses including a multi-purpose building for Fort Walton Beach High School.
Our students’ mental health is a priority! A few highlights:
• Initiated a mental health campaign to promote monthly themes related to mental wellness.
• Initiated an anti-vaping campaign in secondary schools.
• Increased the number of providers for the OCSD school-based mental health program with the addition of two district mental health counselors, bringing the total to 21.
• Partnered with CDAC to add 11 full-time health providers to 11 high-need elementary schools.
• Completed Hope Squad integration in all elementary schools centered around kindness. Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer suicide prevention and intervention program, was introduced in every secondary school in 2021.
• Implemented a district child study team to coordinate and assist in improving the intervention process for struggling students at each school.
• Established a paid internship program to recruit and retain school psychologists and mental health counselors, as both are hard-to-fill positions.
• Created and delivered voluntary Professional Development for Understanding the Brain States for Emotional Regulation (Surviving to Thriving).
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