2024-25 ELEMENTARY ‘HEAD OF CLASS’

Steady work, collective commitment, and Broadway’s resilient foundation noted in ‘Head of Class’ ceremony

Pictured: Broadway Elementary Principal, Wendy Perrell, with some of the LCEF Board members at the Head of Class ceremony

February 23, 2026

BROADWAY — Since 1885, through six different buildings and two devastating fires, resiliency has been a hallmark of schools serving the town of Broadway.

Wendy Perrell, Broadway Elementary School’s principal, told staff, students and community members Monday that this sense of resiliency was part of the foundation helping it earn “Head of Class” status in Lee County.

The school was presented its first-ever Head of Class prize at Monday’s ceremony, earning recognition from the Lee County Education Foundation as the most-improved Lee County elementary school for the 2024-25 school year.

“From the beginning, Broadway was not built with lumber or wood, but with the support of people in this community,” said Perrell, who shared a historical overview of Broadway schools during her remarks. “We’re not just celebrating an award. We are adding a piece of achievement to our school's history, a long rooted legacy built for resilience, traditions and community.”

The Head of Class prize was created in 2010 as a way for the Foundation to honor excellence in Lee County’s elementary schools with a monetary reward. When launched, it was the first incentive program of its kind in North Carolina: a public-private partnership using privately raised funds to help enhance achievement in the local schools. This year’s recognition includes a $75,000 incentive from the Foundation, which will be shared by Broadway Elementary’s faculty and staff.

Perrell, whose 25-year education career began at West Lee Middle School in 2001, served as assistant principal at B.T. Bullock before joining Wake County Public Schools in 2019 as a literacy coach. She left that position in the fall of 2023 to become Broadway’s principal.

“This Head of Class award is especially meaningful because it represents steady work and collective commitment,” she said. “Behind those numbers are students who work hard every single day.”

Strong academic gains in early literacy and math spurred Broadway’s growth rate and helped students meet state growth expectations for the first time since the 2021-22 school year, but Perrell said that’s only part of the school’s story.

“Behind those numbers are dedicated teachers collaborating about research-based strategies or reviewing the latest data for instructional purposes,” she said. “Behind those numbers is one of our success stories with our tutors, who support us every day … Behind those numbers are students who are motivated to meet their own priorities — and they find all of that in a community that supports our school family.”

Wednesday’s Head of Class was the 13th awarded to a Lee County elementary school by the Foundation. (No awards were made during Covid-19 pandemic years 2019-20 and 2020-21.) The Foundation’s scoring matrix includes several student performance measurements, including proficiency and growth, utilizing data from the state’s EVAAS (Education Value-Added Assessment System) software tool. 

NOT BACKING DOWN

Lee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Chris Dossenbach saluted Broadway’s students for pushing forward with what he described as an unmistakable commitment to excellence and perseverance, reminding them that Wildcats — the school’s mascot — “do not back down from a challenge.”

“Wildcats keep pushing forward, and that’s exactly what you did,” he said.

Awards and recognition are wonderful things, Dossenbach told students, but what matters most isn’t just being “Head of Class” for one year.

“What matters most is continuing to work hard, to treat each other with kindness and to keep growing each and every day,” he said, challenging students to persist even when school work is hard and to encourage classmates who need it.

He also recognized the school’s staff for their teamwork and persistence and noted the importance of the faculty’s “belief that every child can succeed.”

“It reflects early mornings, late afternoons, careful planning and constant collaboration,” Dossenbach said. “Thank you for the difference that you make each and every day.”

He particularly cited Perrell’s dedication, consistency and “heart for this school” as factors in helping lead a culture change at Broadway Elementary, where students are valued, relationships are nurtured, and high expectations have become the norm.

‘WILDCAT DAY’

Broadway Mayor Donald F. Andrews, who attended the school as a child, said his time there provided him with a foundation that had served him well in life. As a part of his remarks, Andrews presented Perrell and the school with a copy of a town proclamation declaring February 23 as “Broadway Elementary Wildcat Day” in Broadway.

“Broadway Elementary School serves an essential role in the town of Broadway by educating its youth and fostering academic excellence, character development,” it read in part, recognizing the school “represents the values of perseverance, teamwork, respect and pride, which possibly influence students and strengthens the school community.”

Former Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker, who led the creation of the Foundation in 2003, told students to remember the day for the rest of their lives and to use it as a motivational tool to continue to work hard as they progressed through school.

“Achieving in school is a key to your future,” he said. “Remember that, and don’t rest on your laurels. Don’t do it — it’s easy to do, but don’t do that. Use this honor today as a motivator for you in the future.”

Wendy Wicker Phillips, the Foundation’s executive director, and Foundation Chairperson Susan Keller also spoke. Abdiel De Leon, a dual language kindergarten teacher assistant at the school, emceed the celebration.

Broadway students Ryder Lett and Mia Prince and the school’s administrative assistant, Susan Brown, also spoke. Lett and Prince have been at Broadway Elementary since beginning school; Lett said he learned to collaborate, overcame challenges and discovered a passion for creating at the school, while Prince thanked her teachers for instilling in her a sense of pride to become a better student. Brown recited a poem she wrote in honor of the school’s Head of Class recognition.

The school will be home to the large version of Lee County Education Foundation’s “little scholar” Head of Class sculpture for the next year; a smaller version of it will be retained by the school.

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION

The Lee County Education Foundation was formed in 2003 by a group of community leaders to raise money to support innovative, research-based educational programs to help Lee County Schools produce outstanding graduates well prepared for the 21st century workplace and success in life. The Foundation has directly invested more than $1.3 million in a variety of initiatives to serve teachers and students. Those include the flagship “Head of Class” project, which recognizes the district’s top performing elementary school with a cash gift of $75,000 to be shared by the winning school’s faculty and staff, and a $50,000 prize at the middle school level, thanks to a partnership with the Earnest & Ruby McSwain Worthy Lands Trust. The Foundation has also teamed with the Sloan Foundation to create the Temple Sloan Lee County Teaching Fellows Program, a “build-your-own” forgivable loan initiative designed to help develop a pipeline of dedicated and trained individuals who are excited about the teaching profession and ready to become teachers in Lee County.

Pictured: Broadway Elementary School’s Principal- Mrs. Wendy Perrell