On Friday, November 4th, Bit-Wizards, Beast Code, and HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital opened their doors to 10 Okaloosa County School District educators and their +1 (a student) for Educate the Educator +1 (EtE+1). The goal of the event was to enhance Okaloosa County educator and student knowledge of local industry sectors and to introduce attendees to local employers at their facilities.
Attendees began their day at Career Source Okaloosa-Walton in Fort Walton Beach, where Nathan Sparks, Executive Director of One Okaloosa, provided an overview of local industry and job possibilities in our area. Then, Superintendent Marcus Chambers provided some motivation as he shared his journey to his job as the leader of our school district. Michele Burns, Executive Director of Career Source Okaloosa-Walton, offered tips and tricks for a job hunt, and HSU Educational Foundation CEO, Amanda Negron, shared ways to find and create opportunities when meeting new people.
After light refreshments provided by Florida Power & Light and an opportunity to network with each other and the guest speakers, the teachers and students from our secondary schools in our District’s Central and South zones boarded a school bus and traveled to several destinations: Bit-Wizards, Beast Code and HSA Fort Walton-Destin Hospital.
Superintendent Chambers explained, “One of our goals in the Okaloosa County School District is to prepare students for college, the military and the workforce. So, this was a great opportunity for our students and teachers to see companies in our community who offer opportunities for students after high school. Companies like Beast Code, Bit-Wizards, and the HCA Florida Hospital are great places for our students to work. We appreciate them opening their doors and enthusiastically sharing what they do!” Educate the Educator +1 is an organic program that will continue to evolve. This program has been around for six years and has also occurred in the county’s north end. We live in a beautiful area and would love our students to find a career here on the Emerald Coast.
