Author: REBECCA BENTON

Students in Mr. Norcia’s & Mrs. Cooper’s class competed in the Special Olympics! They utilized teamwork, sportsmanship and lots of effort. Teachers and students had a great time. Thank you to Mr. Norcia for organizing this wonderful event and the student volunteers who also participated!  

The FPWA JROTC Program worked with members from Fort Pierce VFW Post 8058 to place approximately 500 American Flags on the graves of past service members at Riverview Memorial Park in Fort Pierce. It was such an honor to be a part of this mission, in recognizing those who sacrificed so much in defense of our Nation. Huge praise goes out to the following Cadets for volunteering and getting out there in some nasty weather to complete this very worthwhile project: John Strong Kaitlin Simmons Cruz Cruz Tristan Brown Cesar Campos-Rodriguez

Congrats to the students in Ms. Cooper’s class for earning their certification of completion in their life skills class with Mrs. Elliassaint. We are so proud of their hard work!

Cadets from the FPWA JROTC program traveled to Lakewood Park Elementary to work with Ms. Witkamp’s 3rd grade class on another Skills Enhancement Activity. Our Cadets were put into teams with the students, then they participated in a 10-Station “Mental and Physical Scavenger Hunt” designed to promote teamwork and improve problem-solving skills by making it fun. Teams had to complete a physical exercise and mental activity at each station before advancing to the next event. These types of mentorship opportunities not only continue to strengthen our program’s bonds with other local schools, but more importantly they are giving our Cadets … Read More

Graduating seniors participated in our first Graduation Walks to our local elementary schools. We celebrated and shared their success of reaching this amazing achievement of receiving their high school diploma. We went to White City Elementary, St. Lucie Elementary, Lakewood Park Elementary, and Chester A. Moore Elementary. It was especially wonderful to revisit the schools that they went to when they were younger. Thank you to the students and staff for cheering on our Panthers as they reach this huge milestone! 🎓

Congrats to Mr. Wilks for being selected as an Applebee’s Above & “Bee-Yond” Teacher! Students wrote essays about the impact of his teaching. He was awarded a $500 check for his classroom. We are so proud of you!

The Marine and Oceanographic Academy held their annual Bon Voyage Senior Night at The Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute! The Senior class celebrated one another and all their accomplishments. They were awarded their graduation cords, superlatives, and shared a beautiful slide show. The students showed their gratitude to Deputy Pate by making her an honorary lifetime MOA member, complete with an autographed life jacket. The Senior class also continued their tradition by passing down the MOA Paddle to the rising seniors.  

Fort Pierce Westwood Academy CNA students completed their first day of clinicals at Port Saint Lucie Rehabilitation and Healthcare. We are so proud of them as they work to complete this certification!

Cadets from the Fort Pierce Westwood Academy JROTC Program participated in a charity fundraiser event in conjunction with the Fort Pierce Navy SEAL Museum and the Fort Pierce Chapter of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Club to assist with raising money for the Navy SEAL K9 Project. The initiative helps past and present Special Operations Service Members get specially-trained service dogs to assist them with PTSD, Combat-Related Anxiety, and other types of emotional stress related to military service. 80 participants rode over 200 miles across 4 counties, raising over $4000 for the charity. Our Cadets assisted at two separate locations … Read More

FFA hosted a beautiful banquet to celebrate a great year! Awards were given to students for their achievements, the new officer core was announced, and Superintendent Dr. Prince was inducted as a honorary member of the Westwood FFA chapter.

Students in Mr. McIntosh’s class completed a comparative anatomy dissection of a crayfish V. grasshopper dissection lab. This hands-on learning engaged students!

Students in Mrs. McCargo’s class worked towards earning their CPR certification exam. They worked hard to learn these skills, we are so proud of them!  

FFA members organized a spirit week filled with fun and festivities! Students sold ice cream treats during lunches to highlight the Florida Dairy Industry. FFA members also decked themselves out in blue & yellow to show their love for their club! They participated in “Ag-Olympics” to end the celebratory week!  

Cadets from the Westwood Army JROTC Raider Team travelled to the Florida Tech Challenge Course in Fellsmere, to compete in the annual “Battle of the Branches” Obstacle Course Run, which pits teams from all branches of the military against each other to see who can finish the 3.1 Mile/18-Obstacle Challenge Course the fastest. This year, the Westwood Team had the honor of winning the award for the Fastest JROTC Team. They received a team award of a hand-crafted wooden flag and trophy and a $1000 donation from the DYGAR organization. Huge praise to the following Cadets for toughing this course … Read More

The Westwood Army JROTC Program held its End of the Year Awards Ceremony to recognize the stellar performances of multiple Cadets.  10 external organizations attended the event to present awards to selected Cadets for their achievements in Leadership and Academics. Two of the awards given were scholarships. Congrats to the following young leaders from the Panther Battalion for winning the awards listed below: Military Officers Association of America Scholarship Award: Cadet Daisy Wartenberg Daughters of the American Revolution Scholarship Award: Cadet Nicholas Hammett. AMVETS Award: Nathaniel Haney Korean War Veterans Association Award: Nathaniel Haney Special Forces Association Award: Ayden Gardner … Read More

Students in Ms. Cooper’s class finished up a unit on heat transfer. They studied conduction and had to follow a recipe to apply the science concepts they learned!    

Cadets from the JROTC Program travelled to Lakewood Park Elementary to take part in a Reading Enhancement Opportunity with Ms. Witkamp’s 3rd Grade Class. Cadets paired up with their “Reading Buddies” and read from books that were pre-selected by the 3rd Graders. Prior to the Cadets’ arrival, the students came up with questions to ask their “Reading Buddies” in order to get to know them better. This was a great opportunity for our Cadets to continue to strengthen the bonds with our local partner schools. Huge praise goes out to the following Cadets, who continue to represent themselves and the … Read More

Students in Mrs. Cooper’s class are learning about heat transfer such as conduction, convection and radiation. We made mug cakes in the microwave using radiation. Yummy and educational!

Fort Pierce Westwood Academy Seniors enjoyed a spectacular pep rally and field day! Tug of war, an obstacle course, and the hula hoop shuffle were just a few of the fun activities planned! The day was spent celebrating the amazing class of 2023!!

Fort Pierce Westwood Academy MOA Juniors went on a camping field trip to the Florida Keys. They camped at Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge. Students were excited to see the endangered animals (Key Deer, etc) and in addition to being self-sufficient (cooking for themselves and setting up their tents), they had the opportunity to snorkel out of Big Pine on Looe Key. There they had the chance to explore a protected coral reef and see a diverse set of animals including manta rays, reef sharks, parrot fish, and more. On the final day, we had an educational Kayak tour through … Read More