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Education

‘Ding’ Darling awards $33,000 for environmental studies scholarships

“Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge this summer awarded $33,700 in conservation education scholarships to 14 students from the surrounding five-county area. During its 16-year history, the DDWS Environmental Scholarship Program has awarded a total of $233,200 to deserving students. Eleven donors sponsored the 14 scholarships this year. In lieu of the traditional physical awards ceremony, DDWS invited scholarship recipients to send a video to share their school and career plans with donors. The Richard Bailey Scholarship, named in memory of a longtime refuge ...

Lee County School Board approves administrative appointments

The School District of Lee County this week announced that the School Board has approved two new administrative appointments that will form part of Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier’s cabinet. Dr. Jennifer Cupid-McCoy is joining the School District of Lee County in the newly created ...

Back-to-School Summer Luau & School Supply Drive Saturday

The Gulf Coast Town Center, in partnership with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, is having a free family-friendly event this Saturday in the courtyard from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Back-to-School Summer Luau Bash & School Supply Drive will feature live music, games, roaming characters, face ...

Free breakfast, lunch provided for all students

Students who attend one of the 80 traditional schools and four special centers of the Lee County School District will again be provided free breakfast and lunch this upcoming school year through the Community Eligibility Program. Food and Nutrition Services Director Kandy Messenger said the ...

School Board OKs proposed $2.1 billion budget

The School Board of Lee County gave a unanimous nod to the proposed $2.1 billion 2022-2023 budget during its first budget hearing Tuesday night. The budget supports 118 schools and almost 100,000 students. The proposed budget, $2,135,684,823, includes $1,051,816,419 for the General Fund; ...

School District’s Proximity plan highlights transportation challenges

Transportation is the high ticket component driving the need for an elementary school proximity plan, discussed in great detail this week by the School Board of Lee County. Work began with Davis Demographics for the proximity plan in 2020, so the district could better meet the needs of the ...