Okaloosa schools launch student‑ambassador internship, Champions of Education and report VPK program recognitions

The superintendent reported several program items for the upcoming year and introduced two district initiatives intended to broaden student experience and community engagement. He said nine district sites deliver Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) programs; seven received an “excellent” designation and two (Edwins and STEM) earned “above expectations,” as measured by the state’s VPK designation process.

New student internship program: The district will pilot a student ambassador program to give high‑school students internship experience in digital media, web design and district communications. The superintendent described the program as a district‑level internship that will draw from high schools with existing media and journalism programs and be run by district staff Ms. Demers and Ms. Card.

Champions of Education: District staff will also create a Champions of Education cohort of up to about 15 community leaders to give participants a behind‑the‑scenes look at district operations — curriculum, finance and operations — across four meetings beginning in September. The superintendent said participants will serve as community ambassadors for district priorities and that invitations went to business and civic leaders; one county commissioner has accepted.

Other items: Staff also noted district planning for Patriot Day and Celebrate Freedom Week statutory instructions for social studies classes and the first progress monitoring cycle is underway. The superintendent said details for school‑level plans for September events would be collected and shared by the end of the week.

Ending: Board members praised the student ambassador and champions concepts and asked staff to coordinate meeting times and marketing; implementation details and participant lists will be finalized by staff.