CRESTVIEW — Happy Spring from the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce. The weather is warming up, flowers are starting to bloom, kids sports are back in season, outdoor festivals are on the calendar… Here at the Crestview Chamber, we are really looking forward to everything that this spring will bring to our community!
Here’s a quick look into some of the things we’ve been up to:
As always, we kicked off a new month with a Networking Breakfast at the Crestview Community Center. This month’s breakfast was sponsored by The HSU Educational Foundation. The HSU Educational Foundation was established by Dr. Paul Hsu to inspire excellence in education and encourage innovation in the classroom. They approach the mission through programs that introduce emerging technologies and connect students and teachers with the business community. Bridging the gap between classrooms and the workplace is important because as the changing workforce needs evolve, our educators can better apply the foundation skills and encourage students to explore career opportunities that are in high demand. Increasingly the demand is calling for skills in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math and many of our programs reflect an objective to encourage interest and performance in these areas from a young age.
The HSU Educational Foundation focuses on helping prepare students for these careers and their vision includes providing nontraditional, innovative STEM learning opportunities such as camps and family science Game Changer Saturdays. The Teaching Excellence Awards in Math and Science (TEAMS) program is an effective partnership that began by working with the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce to recognize excellent educators of STEM in our community. Through a rigorous nomination and application process, teachers participate in the program that is judged by Chamber of Commerce members each year. Generous sponsors this year were Emerald Coast Aviation, Okaloosa Gas, TelaForce, Merrill Lynch and Carr Riggs and Ingram. This year's winners were announced at the March Breakfast:
Merit $500 Level
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Shannon Kirby – Crestview High
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Tiffany McGovern – Crestview.High
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Linda Parker – Crestview High
Special TEAMS II Merit Level Winner
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Tim Sexton – Davidson Middle School
TEAMS $5000 level
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Debra Adams – Laurel Hill School
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Greg Elrite – Crestview High
Congratulations to all of these winners and thank you to the HSU Educational Foundation for your support of the Chamber.
Chamber breakfast meeting
Bring your business cards and your appetite to our next breakfast meeting which will be on April 5th and is sponsored by Rocky Bayou Christian School. The Community Center doors will open at 7:00 AM and the program starts at 7:30 AM. A $5 entry fee will get you a delicious breakfast from Uncle Bills, networking opportunities with 150 other leaders in the community, and an update on all the great things happening at the Chamber of Commerce.
Future events
There are so many exciting things happening at the Chamber and we would love to have you join us. We have an After Hours event on April 12, hosted by White Sands Podiatry that will be free and a lot of fun. We are also preparing for a Health Fair this August where we will provide different screenings and activities to get everyone ready for a new school year. We also have committee meetings, luncheons, and tons of other opportunities to network and get plugged in. Visit our website for a complete calendar of choices at www.crestviewchamber.com. Our vision is to make the Crestview Area Community a great place to live, work, and do business and we would love to have your support! We look forward to seeing you and helping you grow your business!
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce recaps activities