January 6, 2026
SANFORD — For second-year Principal Wendy Perrell, Broadway Elementary School’s recognition as this year’s “Head of Class” winning elementary school represents more than a significant achievement.
More meaningful, Perrell says, is that it’s the culmination of years of steady work and collective commitment.
Read MoreJanuary, 2026
SANFORD— Why is it advantageous to incorporate student data when developing specific teaching strategies? What insights does data provide that makes it useful in the classroom? Stefanie Clarke, the executive director for Accountability, Planning, & Performance of Lee County Schools, shares why.
Read MoreDecember 11, 2025
SANFORD — As a principal and assistant principal, Aimee Petrarca had already been a part of four “Head of Class” celebrations during her tenure at Greenwood Elementary School.
So when the Lee County Education Foundation — which launched Head of Class in 2010 to recognize the Lee County elementary school with the best year-over-year academic improvement — announced in 2024 the creation of a new Head of Class prize at the middle school level, Petrarca took note.
She even took the newspaper clipping of that story to her new job as principal at West Lee Middle School.
“I cut this out and stuck it on my office door,” Petrarca said.
Read MoreNovember, 2025
Sanford- Employers, when hiring, have overwhelmingly asked applicants to come to the job prepared.
The Lee County Education Foundation, in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Carolina, is renewing its effort to make sure middle school students in Lee County get a head start on that count.
Read MoreSeptember, 2025
SANFORD - The Lee County Education Foundation was honored to be featured at the Sanford Area Growth Alliance’s September Public Policy Luncheon, where Executive Director Wendy Wicker Phillips shared the Foundation’s story, impact, and vision for the future. Since its founding in 2003, LCEF has grown a $1.3 million endowment, distributed more than $2.5 million, and impacted over 10,000 students in Lee County Schools. The presentation highlighted key initiatives that are shaping education locally, including the Head of Class Awards, which celebrate and reward all school staff for student growth; the Temple Sloan Lee County Teaching Fellows Awards, …
Read MoreMay 21, 2025
SANFORD - One, whose early education took place in Mexico, wants her future students to be inspired and feel cared about.
The other, a lifelong Lee Countian, wants to be a “bright light” for her students — just as her late grandmother was.
They’re Susann Gonzalez-Ortega and Isabella Miller, soon-to-graduate students from Lee County High School, who’ll be receiving scholarships of up to $36,000 to pursue teaching degrees, and then come back to Lee County as teachers.
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