WEEk of DEcEmbEr 20, 2023 FLIER INSIDE
Christmas special Annual tree lighting in Matlacha helps brighten the islands’ holiday — INSIDE pINEISlaND-EaglE.com
VolumE 47, NumbEr 33
Principal Millins leaving PIE on a high note By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Pine Island Elementary School Principal Tom Millins has taken the position of principal of another school, where he feels his particular skill set can be further utilized. The decision to leave PIE was not made lightly, he said, as he has forged strong relationships with staff, students and families in his four years on Pine Island. “The four years that I’ve been here have been a very unique time. I think I was sent to this school for a purpose — to make sure that we could get through COVID and then Hurricane Ian. Now we are back on the right track.
For the past three years, academically, we have been the top school in Lee County,” Millins said. Although inevitable, change is not something anyone likes, he said, noting that good things also come with change and that he’s very proud of projects he overseen at the school, such as new desks and chairs, as well as playgrounds for kindergarten through second grade and third through fifth grade. “One of my goals when I came to the school was the facility itself and we were able to put new gutter systems in, all new carpeting, new cabinets in many of our classrooms — we’re maintaining the older school so it’s good
for the kids and the community,” Millins said. No doubt, the news that Millins is heading out has come as quite a surprise to islanders, although he said it has nothing to do with Pine Island or anyone associated with the school. “This is a move that I felt in my heart. There are schools that need assistance and I felt some of the attributes I have as a leader could help in this situation,” Millins said. Summing up his reason for leaving, he said, with his See MILLINS, page 14
Celebrating Pine Islanders: Ernestine Holloway Squires By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE M/PIFCD
Firefighters from the Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District battle a house fire Dec. 13 in Bokeelia. One person in the home was transported to the hospital and pronounced deceased.
Fire destroys home in Bokeelia Last Wednesday, Dec. 13, at around 6 p.m., crews from the Matlacha/Pine Island Fie Control District responded to a structure fire on Harry Street in Bokeelia. The department's E-151, E-152, E-153, E154,T-151, Capt-150, PI-1, PI-2 and PI-3 units all responded to the fire. According to the M/PIFCD, upon arrival crews
found the structure to be fully involved. Firefighters were advised that a possible victim was still inside the structure. Crews quickly entered the structure with zero visibility, located and removed the patient from the house. See FIRE, page 9
There is hardly an event on Pine Island that goes untouched in some way by Ernestine Holloway Squires. From her infectious smile to her generous and philanthropic nature, Squires has affected the lives of many islanders to be sure. Having been in the seafood industry for more than two decades seems just right for a woman who has been on Pine Island since she was just a newborn. “My dad died the day I was born and my mom decided it was time to leave North Carolina. She drove down here with 6 kids and I was 2 weeks old,” Squires said. When Squires’ mother found Pine Island, she wanted something totally different, she said, as her parents had Ernestine Holloway Squires been in the tobacco farming industry. Upon arrival, Squires said her mother began shell shopping, and made knick-knacks out of shells, which became a family business, eventually taken over by her brother. Squires said she cannot imagine ever living anywhere else, and perhaps even more, since Hurricane Ian. Although this has been her home for the whole of her life, the years on Pine Island haven’t all been sunshine, See HOLLOWAY SQUIRES, page 14
Athlete of the Week.........17 Island Mahjongg...............8 On the Water......................8 insidetoday Cat of the Week.................9 Obituary.............................7 Tides................................14
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