recommendations

I am honored to provide thoughts on the exceptional work of Donna Dunson, who used to be my principal. Her passion for education and dedication to students is evident in all that she does. Ms. Dunson has a wealth of experience in the education industry, and her ability to provide personalized guidance and support has been remarkable. She understands the challenges that students face in the college application process and is committed to helping them achieve their goals. I have been impressed with Ms. Dunson’s leadership professionalism, and attention to detail. She has a comprehensive understanding of the college application process, and her expertise has been instrumental in helping me and my family make informed decisions about my future. I highly recommend Ms. Dunson to any family or student looking for guidance and support in navigating the complex college process. Her commitment to student success and her wealth of knowledge makes her an asset to any educational program. ~Michele Lei

Donna Dunson is a visionary leader with immense experience and a work ethic second to none. When she arrived at Lake Wales High, only 46% of the students had post-secondary plans and the graduation rate was 70%; over the next 10 years, she led the school to a 94% graduation rate with over 85% of students with a post-secondary plan and about 15% who joined the work force. Her leadership also led us to be recognized as one of the best school in the US by the U.S. News and World Report.

Donna’s leadership skills are exemplary, those who have worked with her will follow her anywhere she goes. I myself have followed her to three schools and worked under her till the day she retired.  She led by example and she always put students and staff before herself or before any mandate or budgetary constraints. With Donna as my role model, I know I have learned everything about being ethical and professional that I could possibly learn from anyone. She holds everyone to a very high standard but she holds herself even more accountable. She always inspired students and staff to do the right thing even when no one was looking – she is a person with very high integrity and wisdom.

With over three decades of work experience, Donna is a strategic planner, someone who has experience running middle schools, elementary schools and high schools. She is a visionary who was instrumental in bringing the IB program to Lake Wales and planned the expansion of the school from a school of 1100 to almost 1600. She also worked with donor to raise over $5 million to improve the education for our students. Her vision has always been – to bring the best of public and private school education to Lake Wales.

Donna has a unique gift of identifying the strengths of people around her even before they know it is their strength. I have seen her mentor and guide students and faculty to reach their full potential and become the best version of themselves. She believes in people and will do everything in her power to help them succeed. ~Anuj Saran

As both friend and colleague, I shared many memorable moments with Donna Dunson. Her pursuit of Excellence in service to students was equaled only by her commitment to supporting the needs of her teachers and staff. One of the most powerful images that I have of Donna is her work with the Keystone Design Project. Creating a vernacular among teachers and leaders based on the principles of design and placing students at central designer for life after high school. Keystone became a new architecture for education using Structure.Foundation. Patterns, Scale and Symmetry, Proportion, Balance, Coherence, Unity, Harmony, and Contrast for solving and ultimately, Design Thinking.

I am proud of Donna's commitment to educational excellence and her vision for supporting excellence in this next tier of her professional life! ~Dr. Jesse Jackson

In 2005, I met Donna as we began the adventure of opening a startup charter middle school.  I knew from the first meeting that her approach to challenges is fully collaborative and always in forward motion.  Donna has a brilliant mind, a passion for her work, and an unconditional love for those around her.  I have had the honor of working with Donna Dunson for more than 17 years.  I have watched her make so many positive changes in our local education system and most importantly in students’ lives.  She has a special gift for reaching students who are the hardest to understand whether it be students who require more support, students who need to be challenged, or students who are struggling with life outside of school.  I am truly thankful that my children had the opportunity to attend high school under her leadership.  She is simply amazing. ~Leanne Thrift