On February 6, 2009, Dr. Joe Clark, a visionary high school principal and educational reformer, spoke to a record crowd at the Charley Johns Conference Center in Starke.  All profits go to the Santa Fe College Foundation Scholarship Fund to benefit Bradford County Students attending Santa Fe College.

After two years under the leadership of Joe Clark as principal at Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey, the raucous institution was declared a model school by New Jersey’s governor and Clark was named one of the nations ten “Principals in Leadership” in 1986. Clark also won acclaims in a Time cover story, two 60 Minutes profiles and appearances on television news and talk shows all over the world. President Reagan named him a model educator and offered him a White House post as a policy advisor, which Clark declined. He was the subject of the Warner Brothers film, Lean on Me, with two-time Oscar nominee Morgan Freeman playing him. After seven years as principal at Eastside High, he resigned in 1990 and began making speeches on the lecture circuit.

He believes that “Every day, pride in self and school must be reinforced. Every day, the value of academics must be demonstrated.” And every day, Joe Clark demonstrates, through his shining example, how commitment to youth can make America’s future leaders better citizens and better people.

Click here to see photos from the event.