APPLES Mentor of the Year Surprised with Award

The School District of Lee County is proud to congratulate Susan Barnes for being named the 2025 APPLES Mentor of the Year. The School District of Lee County’s APPLES Mentor of the Year program celebrates the dedication and impact of mentors who invest their time and expertise in developing first-year educators.

“I mentor because I believe in this profession,” Susan Barnes said. “Teaching is the most important profession in the world. I want good teachers, I want to be able to help them, and I also want to learn from them. Building relationships in and out of the classroom is essential. I want my mentees to succeed and love what they do.”

Ms. Barnes is a Global Perspectives teacher at Lexington Middle School. She is in her 27th year of teaching, 21 of those at Fort Myers High School and the last six at Lexington Middle. Barnes currently mentors two first-year teachers.

“Ms. Barnes is amazing at building relationships, creating a mentoring schedule for follow up and always models best practices,” said Michelle Edwards, Assistant Principal at Lexington Middle School. “She is always willing to try new teaching methods as well as stay after school to work with these teachers. As she works to establish her own classroom, she is willing to help her mentee's create engaging lessons and demonstrate classroom management strategies. She demonstrates the highest values when it comes to teacher engagement in the environment and compassion for new learners.”

The School District of Lee County’s APPLES Program (Accomplished Professional Practices for Lee County Education System) offers a multi-tiered system of support to new and beginning teachers. The APPLES Mentor of the Year recognizes the work and dedication of mentors serving first-year teachers for their time and expertise in building the capacity of their first-year colleagues. The nominees are individuals who have demonstrated exceptional skill and dedication in the performance of their jobs, thereby earning the respect and admiration of students, teachers, administrators, coworkers, parents, and the community.

This recognition was made possible through the generous sponsorship of Suncoast Credit Union, whose support helped expand the program to include both district and regional honorees.The School Board of Lee County recognized Ms. Barnes for her award at the June 3rd action meeting.