Pupil Paparazzi: The Back-to-School Edition
Our vibrant community comes together in this heartwarming collection of photos celebrating the excitement of the 2023-24 school year. From the eager faces of our backpacked babies to the bittersweet smiles of their parents seeing them off to school, these snapshots embody the spirit of growth and learning. Let us remember that with each passing […]
Finley’s Fast Feet: Local Family Honors Son Through Advocacy
Almost everyone remembers March 2020 as a difficult month, but one Jacksonville family was dealt an unimaginable tragedy just as the world seemed like it was falling apart. Emily and Charles Webb lost their middle child, Finley, and they are still looking for answers. “March 15, 2020, was a Sunday,” said Finley’s mom, Emily Webb. […]
Friends of Fishweir
New nonprofit organization launched for Fishweir Elementary School Friends, parents, alumni and community members now have a new way to show their support for Fishweir Elementary School. The Friends of Fishweir organization is a recently-launched nonprofit organization with a mission to support the school, its students and staff by raising funds to fulfill the school’s […]
Bittersweet celebration for teacher battling cancer
It was a morning full of encouragement and inspiration for a strong recovery, as little smiles and waves of fondness, devotion and love were felt by one teacher fighting for her life. Cecelia Futo, a longtime music and dance teacher in the community is currently facing a battle with breast cancer, one that she knows […]
Paralympic athlete with local ties defies odds
Kyle Coon, who grew up in Ortega Forest, represented the United States in the recent Tokyo 2020 Games, completing the Para Triathlon. Alongside his guide, Andy Potts, Coon swam .47 miles, biked 12.4 miles, and ran 3.1 miles. “My first @paralympics were certainly an experience. The result wasn’t indicative of my capabilities but we learned […]
Roundabouts, changes could come to Herschel, St. Johns
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is floating plans to slow traffic and add greenspace to Herschel Street and St. Johns Avenue in Avondale, and area residents have so far expressed a mix of reservation and optimism. FDOT presented proposals at the end of January to replace two stoplights with roundabouts, narrow roadways and add […]
Tenants moving in to Avondale apartment complex
A multi-family apartment complex in Avondale will welcome its first tenants beginning in April. RiverVue, located on the site of the former St. Johns Village across from the Fishweir Elementary School, is now in the final inspection phase, according to Crystal Carswell, RiverVue community manager, who said seven units have been rented. The finishing touches […]
Fishweir students make holidays better for rural community
With the idea of “children helping children,” students from Fishweir Elementary School collect canned goods to donate to Grace United Methodist Church in Lawtey, which provides weekend food boxes for 25 children in 10 families at Lawtey Community Elementary School through a program called Feed My Sheep. Fishweir Elementary also has a semi-annual tradition of […]
