Statue of Limitations
The ongoing process of racial reckoning that’s been taking place around the country over the past few years has occurred on many different fronts, be it the classroom, the pulpit, or the streets of hundreds of cities from coast to coast. This process has peaked (so far) with the social protests we saw sweeping the nation after George Floyd’s murder in 2020. Locally, there were protests here in Jacksonville, St. Augustine, the Beaches, and beyond.
Leading Ladies
Christine Hoffman; Atlantic Beach reelected Mayor Ellen Glasser; and Neptune Beach’s Mayor Elaine Brown was currently in office. This meant that history had been made—for the first time all three Beaches communities had female mayors. This lady triumvirate has become a synergistic team, leading their respective cities as well as bolstering each other and cementing close professional and personal relationships. These three women have different backgrounds and priorities, but as you’ll see from the interview below, there is also a lot of common ground. Perhaps their biggest strength and commonality is that they are contented Beaches residents themselves. In addition, they share an ability to read the needs of their fellow Beaches citizens, aligning their priorities.
Jacksonville Naval Museum Ship Arrives
Jacksonville’s long talked about floating Naval Museum is becoming a reality, set to transport visitors back in time to the Cold War era in a piece of living history. The Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association (JHNSA) has chosen the museum ship— the ex-U.S.S. Orleck—to be the official centerpiece of the Jacksonville Naval Museum. The Orleck is a WWII-era Gearing Class destroyer, built in 1945 and named in honor of WWII Navy hero Lieutenant Joseph Orleck. The Orleck served in the Korean War, Vietnam War, and Cold War periods in United States Navy history.
Chosen by Jane: A Rallying Cry for Excellent Arts Education
Chosen by Jane is a memoir of the life of Jane Condon, visionary principal who developed Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and LaVilla School of the Arts to nationally ranked status. The story carries the reader through her childhood in Jacksonville, graduation from Robert E. Lee High School, and stellar career in education.
Reimagining the Arts
Last year was, of course, marked by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, which tasked schools with creating not only new campus-wide health and safety protocols, but entirely new guidelines for performing and visual arts programs. We profiled the creative and adaptive ways in which many area schools rose to this challenge, keeping art students inspired, creating, and even safely performing and exhibiting.
Stanton College Preparatory School Produces Award-winning Authors
It may be coincidence that two Black female writers who are receiving recent national recognition for their books graduated from the same high school. However, it may be part of the school’s legacy, and it’s interesting to draw lines between the two writers.
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