By Becky Tahel - Marketing Director for Global Day of Unplugging

On Friday, March 7, schools across Escambia County, Florida, celebrated the Global Day of Unplugging (GDU) — a day to pause the scroll, put down the phones, and reconnect with what matters most: each other.

Students, teachers, and administrators swapped screens for face-to-face moments, hands-on projects, and creative, tech-free fun.

Superintendent Keith Leonard encouraged every school to take part, sharing:

“In Escambia County Public Schools, we understand the importance of setting intentional boundaries around technology. We want to help our students reduce stress, improve focus, and build stronger relationships — lessons we can all take into daily life.”

And schools across the district delivered.

At Escambia High School, Student Advisory Council members Xandria Smith and Payten Sims led the charge, designing a full day of unplugged activities. Students earned stars on their lanyards each period they kept phones tucked away — with prizes waiting for those who stayed unplugged all day.

During lunch, the school came alive with games like Bingo, Origami, recycled art, and “Guess That Escambia Fact,” which even included dunking teachers in a dunk tank.

“It ended up being so much fun,” Payten shared. “We had lots of booths and games in between classes and during lunches to keep kids entertained and their minds off of their phones. We had rewards for students who could go the full day without their phone and that really pushed the kids to challenge themselves and go all day. During classes teachers spoke to us a lot more and we had more engaging conversations than we usually did in class due to us going into full paper work mode that day. Students who usually don’t talk to each other were participating in the “games” and all students were really getting along and overall it was one of the best days I had at school. Something I will always remember!”

📺 Watch local TV coverage of the Escambia High plans for their unplugged day here.

Across the district, other schools joined in their own ways:

Hellen Caro Elementary replaced screens with outdoor reading, STEM projects, gardening, and science experiments.

Tate High School brought creativity to the classroom with unplugged writing prompts, hands-on building challenges, and “Academic JENGA” to explore vocabulary.

Global Learning Academy went all-in on mindful moments, painting by candlelight.

West Pensacola Elementary dedicated the entire day to project-based learning — from Pre-K ice cream “mixtures” to 6th-grade nature studies. First graders were treated to a field trip up to Northview High School where fellow ECPS students taught them about various aspects of agriscience. Engagement was off the charts.

West Florida High School learned how to play classic games like Battleship, Reversi and Connect 4 (they even made a version using Microsoft Excel to practice formatting cells). Students dove into newer board games like Hues and Cues and games that have survivor style elimination elements as part of their business and tech learning opportunities.

A.K. Suter Elementary got their hands dirty in the garden and spent the afternoon in “D.E.A.R.” (Drop Everything And Read) time.

Across every age and classroom, Escambia County showed what’s possible when we power down our devices and power up connection!