By WILLIAM SNOWDEN
Editor

The Wakulla County School Board and the Charter School for Arts, Science and Technology (COAST) in St. Marks have reached a settlement, it was announced at the school board meeting on June 15.
The school board voted at the meeting to accept COAST’s newly submitted charter application.
On the recommendation of Superintendent of Schools Rick Myhre, the school board voted to reject the application from COAST back in March.

COAST then filed an appeal of the decision to the state Division of Administrative Hearings claiming the district could not wield its renewal power over the charter school this way.
Myhre and district staff had contended COAST’s application for renewal of the charter was outdated, that it basically resubmitted the application from 1999 when the school was founded – though the school’s offerings and services had changed over the past 25 years.
A settlement was reached with the charter school, which included that it would submit a new charter application to be reviewed by the district.
The school also agreed to cover the district’s legal fees.
In a memo to the the COAST board several months ago, Superintendent Myhre recommended terminating the contract and suggested the school look at becoming a private school.
The school would still be able to get state scholarship monies for students, but it would face less onerous requirements than as a public school.

The Wakulla 12U All-Stars appeared at the county commission meeting on Monday, June 1, as district champs and as they prepare for the state championship in Lake City.

Coach Jason Perez said the boys on the team are proud of representing Wakulla and when they won at the district level, they wanted to celebrate by jumping off the high dive at Wakulla Springs in their uniforms. The team is seeking to raise money for travel expenses – donations can be made at the website wakullabaseball.com or through the Facebook page for Wakulla County Youth Baseball.

Principal: Josh Sandgren

Achievements/Reason for Nomination: Makena is an exceptional student who consistently earns top marks in advanced coursework and demonstrates excellence in the school’s band program. In addition to her academic and extracurricular achievements, she has gone above and beyond by dedicating her time to tutoring fellow students in science. Through one-on-one support and encouragement, Makena has worked diligently to help her classmates better understand key scientific concepts in preparation for the 8th grade science assessment. Her leadership, commitment, and willingness to help others make her truly deserving of recognition as Student of the Week.

By WALT JACOBS/Correspondent

On April 28th, Wakulla High School announced Shannon Smith as the new head coach of the wrestling program.

Smith will succeed Nate Litowsky, who led the War Eagles to a 50-7 record in dual meets and qualified 14 wrestlers for the FHSAA State Championship during his two seasons at the helm. Additionally, in his final season, Litowsky led Wakulla to an 8th place finish at the FHSAA State Championship (IBT) and a berth in the state semifinals at the FHSAA State Dual Championship.
Smith is no stranger to Wakulla wrestling. He competed at WHS from 1984-1988. After graduation, Smith joined the U.S. Marine Corps and upon completion of his service, his journey eventually led him back to his hometown.
Since his return, Smith has devoted himself to serving the community where he was raised. In 2002, when he found that there were no opportunities for youth wrestlers in Wakulla County, Smith felt compelled to fill that void by launching the county’s first youth wrestling club, known as Team Wakulla. He began with six wrestlers, and by 2016 the club had grown to 75 members. Team Wakulla, led by Smith and former War Eagle Coach Will Pafford, has been instrumental in the success Wakulla Wrestling has enjoyed for nearly a quarter of a century, including two FHSAA State Dual runner-up finishes: one in 2019 and another in 2020.
Contemporaneously, Smith also taught at Riversprings Middle School and coached wrestling until 2018. While there, Smith laid the foundation for a middle school wrestling powerhouse that has, to date, won 24 consecutive county championships; 14 were during his tenure as head coach.
If you ever meet Smith, you’ll realize very quickly that he enjoys winning and that he is very passionate about Wakulla Wrestling. You will also learn that he genuinely cares for the athletes in his charge.
After an 8-year hiatus, the announcement of Smith’s return to coaching was met with a favorable response from the wrestling community on social media, which is a testament to the lasting impression he has made on each of them.
Smith’s passion for the sport and investing in young people has not waned over the years. In Wakulla County, he plans to continue to grow wrestling, a sport that is currently the fastest-growing high school sport in the U.S. for both boys and girls. While acknowledging Wakulla’s rich wrestling tradition, he aspires to take the program to even higher heights. Smith said, “We have always been competitive and respected in the state. I would like to see us continue to grow and strive to get in the top five consistently at the IBT State Tournament.”
For anyone interested in Wakulla Wrestling contact Coach Smith by email at Shannon.smith@wcsb.us

The Wakulla Jazz Band presented a Night of Jazz on Friday, May 8 at the high school. (Photos by Perry Dissmore)

Rowyn Shaw stopped by The Wakulla Sun office to get a newspaper with her honored as Student of the Week. Apparently, the school sent in the wrong spelling with the information and we are glad to correct it here.

Principal: Amy Bryan
Achievements/Reason for Nomination: Gunner Allen has been selected as Wakulla Middle School’s Student of the Week for his outstanding dedication, versatility, and positive presence both in and out of the classroom. A talented athlete, Gunner competes on the school’s track and field team, where he excels in the 800-meter run, 100-meter dash, and long jump. He also demonstrated endurance and commitment during cross-country season, competing in 2K races.

Beyond athletics, Gunner plays an integral role on the school’s Broadcast Crew, where he consistently performs a wide range of responsibilities—including anchor, cameraman, data board operator, and computer technician—with ease and excellence. In the classroom, Gunner is a hardworking student who takes pride in doing his best each day. He is well-liked by both his teachers and classmates, and his great personality makes him a positive influence on those around him. Gunner’s ability to balance academics,athletics, and extracurricular responsibilities speaks to his strong work ethic and character. Gunner’s well-rounded involvement, leadership, and dedication make him a valued member of the Wildcat community and a deserving recipient of Student of the Week.

Principal: L. Hernandez

Achievements/Reason for Nomination: Taylor Vause is a straight A student in Mrs. Temple’s 1st grade class at RES. She performs as a Level 5 in both math and reading. She has been the top reader with the most words read in her grade 2 months this school year. Taylor is a leader among her peers because of her intelligence, compassion and willingness to help her classmates as well as other students in the school. She enjoys taking dance classes. She also was recently chosen to display her artwork at the Wakulla High School Art Exhibit. She is dependable, funny, sweet and smart! And she deserves to be celebrated!