Education

The Seaside School Half Marathon and 5K Race, presented by Vera Bradley, is coming up on Sunday, Feb. 28, along with some incredible parties and expos leading up to race day. This is one of the most anticipated weekends of the year in South Walton, Florida. For the 14th year we celebrate this out-and-back, fast and mostly flat course where runners from all over the US pass quaint beach towns, dune lakes, and the world's most beautiful beaches. All proceeds benefit the Seaside School Foundation.

Run, Walk, Educate with Walton Education Foundation at the 5th Annual Apple Classic 5K and 10K Run on Saturday, February 20, 2016 hosted in the Freeport community of Hammock Bay where students, educators, families, and more will run and walk for Walton County education.
 

SoWal.com is giving away 4 adult entries to the race! Please respond with a comment on this story if you would like to be entered for a chance to WIN. Winners will be contacted Friday, Feb. 12.

Satisfy the urge to connect with nature, and meet some seriously cute-yet-fierce bobcats, at E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center, January 23 from 10 am- 3 pm. Members will get exclusive access at the free event, and a full day of activities is slated to keep them busy all day long. 
 
Activities Include:
Meet & Greet the new bobcats
World of Wonder Exhibit
Guided Hikes
Birds of Prey Program with Hawk Flight

Got the winter blahs? Weather not cooperating with your outdoor activity schedule? No worries…any weather is good weather at the Walton County Coastal Branch Library.

Conveniently located just off Hwy 331 next to South Walton High School, the library has a lot to offer both residents and visitors (snowbirds LOVE the library and all its offerings).

Batman or Superman? Cinderella or Belle? Flash Gordon or Princess Fiona... the possibilities are endless! Whichever superhero or princess you choose to be, it's sure to be a magical day for the fam at the Capes & Crowns Fun Run and 5K at Baytowne on Saturday, January 30. It's a magical day for the whole family starting with the race at 9:00 a.m. and ending with a party in the Village.
 

The Seaside Institute, a center for learning and discovery, presents several workshops at the Seaside Academic Village January through April, 2016. Locals and visitors are invited to participate in workshops instructed by masters in their respective fields such as writing, art, design and health. Registration is open now at the Seaside Institute with limited space for each workshop as well as accommodation/lodging at the Village.      

The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County announces that Tom Lynch, one of the nation’s premier watercolorists, will lead a four-day watercolor workshop, February 23 – 26, 2016, at the Bayou Arts Center in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
 
Lynch has written seven books, hosted an award-winning PBS TV Art Series and was recently listed as one of the  nation’s top 20 teachers by American Artist Magazine. He is currently featured on the new cable TV channel Visual Arts Network (VAN) and on the leading internet art education site ArtAcademyLive.com.
 

To kick off their fifth year, the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA) along with 2,300 third and fifth graders established salt marsh nurseries at local schools in Okaloosa and Walton counties. During the course of the 2015-2016 Grasses in Classes Program, CBA will implement 21 programs and establish 63 saltmarsh nurseries.
 

Fall is the best time of the year for us here on the coast. Nature takes center stage and there are plenty of ways to get outside and have fun. Education is a big part of what we do here at SoWal.com and we love our lakes. Here's what our friends Elam and his son Nic are up to at Live Oak Productions.

A giant red sun peeks over the oat-covered dunes, casting long shadows and illuminating a distinctive track in the sand, unbroken from dune toe to surf. The track was made in the midnight hour by a massive sea turtle on a mission.

Expectant mamas like her have been visiting SoWal beaches since prehistoric times, returning each year to the same spot where they hatched. Repeating the cycle by building a nest and burying dozens of eggs in the warm, incubating sands.