🐻 School Identity — Pineview students will be known as the Bears, with purple and white as the school colors.
🏗️ Construction Update — Foundations and roof structures are complete, utilities underway, and the campus will double as an emergency shelter.
📊 Rezoning Plans — Community meetings and a QR-code website will guide adjustments to relieve overcrowding in north-end schools.
NICEVILLE — With one year until the opening of Pineview, a new K-8 school in north Okaloosa County, district leaders outlined progress Monday on construction, zoning, and the school’s new identity.
Assistant Superintendent Grant Meyer announced that Pineview’s students will be known as the Bears, with purple and white as the school colors. The decision, based on employee feedback, came after Superintendent Marcus Chambers reviewed input.
“When you put out and ask for information, you get plenty of other opinions as well,” Meyer said. “And the Bears were overwhelmingly the favorite.”
Board Member Linda Evanchyk welcomed the choice. “Don’t y’all love it? Don’t you love the Bears and the purple?” she said, noting no other district school uses purple.
Meyer explained that elementary branding will include paw prints and Cubs. Board Member Brett Hinely asked whether the mascot reflected local wildlife, and Meyer confirmed it will represent the black bear.
Meyer said the project remains on schedule, with foundations complete, roof structures in place, and utilities underway.
“We’re pleased with that, and we’re continuing to say that we’re going to be done probably towards the end of the summer next year,” Meyer said.
Bill Smith, program director for facilities, added that a water tank easement provided by the City of Crestview saved the district about $1 million. The campus will also double as an emergency shelter, with backup generator agreements in place through county emergency management.
The school, located west of the Crestview Bypass, will open with about 900 students but is built for 1,200 to allow room for growth.
Chambers emphasized that rezoning is central to Pineview’s launch. “Why are we rezoning? Because we’re building a new school, so you have to rezone if you’re building a new school,” he said.
Assistant Superintendent John Spolski said community meetings will be held at 11 north-end schools between September and October, with a QR-code website launching this week to provide updates.
Chambers outlined enrollment pressures for the board with schools such as Anitoch, Riverside, Shoal River and Davidson having a student population ranging from 907 to 1,091.
In contrast, many south-end elementaries have fewer than 600 students.
“This is going to provide some relief there with still the ability to grow,” Chambers said, adding that Crestview High School’s large enrollment is also being monitored.
Board Chairman Lamar White compared rezoning maps to gerrymandering, stressing the need for equity. Spolski said consultants will run models to balance growth with natural boundaries.
Board members urged strong communication with families.
“Any change, always, there are some individuals who are not happy about it,” said Board Member Parker Destin. “But if we continue to put out the positives, which this is for our district … it’s helping our big mission of educating students.”
The district expects Pineview to open by late summer 2026, with zoning finalized after public input this fall. Chambers said a promotional campaign is planned to highlight the school’s identity and role in easing overcrowding.
“Communication is paramount on how all this rolls out,” he said. “Many will be pleased with the communication, and there could be some who may not, but we will do everything in our power to communicate effectively.”
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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