Administration

Mr. Steve Smith, Principal

Steve Smith is the Principal of L.A. Ainger. Steve grew up in Englewood and attended Englewood Elementary,  L. A. Ainger and Lemon bay High School. Mr. Smith is a proud alumnus of Florida State University and received his master's in educational leadership from the University of South Florida. 

Mr. Smith taught for many years before becoming an Assistant Principal at Heron Creek Middle School. Mr. Smith also opened up Woodland Middle School in North Port as the Assistant Principal there. Mr. Smith was the Principal /Director of SKY Academy Venice and SKY Academy Englewood for seven years before returning to Lemon Bay High School as the Assistant Principal. Mr. Smith comes to L. A. Ainger with over eighteen years of Administration experience.

Mr. Smith is married to his loving wife Anne Smith who has also been a local educator for over 20 years. They have three children, Alyssa, Carly and Drew and most recently Granddaughter (Coral Rhea Pickett). All three of the Smith children attended local Englewood schools as well. 

Steve is very involved in the local community and enjoys health, wellness and athletics. Mr. Smith enjoys spending time with his family and making a difference in the community as many students and staffs lives as possible! "There is no better feeling than running into former students/ staff and hearing how much you have done for them!" " I truly feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to serve the people of the Englewood Community!"

Ms. Stacy DeWolfe, Assistant Principal

Stacy DeWolfe is the new Assistant Principal at L.A. Ainger middle school.

Stacy shared her time growing up in upstate NY, Brooklyn and Charleston SC. She graduated from Charleston Southern University where she played volleyball for 4 years and helped win the Big South Championship. Stacy received her Masters in Leadership from University of West Florida and did her graduate math studies at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Ms. DeWolfe started teaching in 1996 at an alternative placement high school in downtown Charleston, made her way to a private school in St. Pete and eventually came to L.A. Ainger in 2000 teaching 8th grade math.

In 2004 Ms. DeWolfe started teaching math at Lemon Bay high school and coaching the girls volleyball team winning silver in the state of Florida in 2007.

Most recently Ms. DeWolfe has been the Dean of Students at Lemon Bay High School under Mr. Smith for the past 3 years and she is engaged to be married to Chef Hoffman who heads the culinary program at Lemon Bay High School.

Ms. DeWolfe brings with her over 20 years of experience both living and working in Charlotte County and hopes to continue to make a difference in the lives of our younger community members and support the Charlotte County families she knows so well.

Ms. Jaelyn Scott, Assistant Principal

Welcome to LA Ainger Middle School! Meet your Assistant Principal, Jaelyn Scott. Jaelyn has taught at both the elementary and middle school levels with her latest experience being here at L.A. Ainger Middle School. She has a wide range of experience with teaching students from various levels and backgrounds including ESE, Gifted, and ELL students. She is committed to
maintaining a safe, supportive, and academically rich environment where every student feels valued.

Mrs. Scott grew up in North Canton, Ohio and obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Inclusive Early Childhood Education from Bowling Green State University. She then moved to Florida and started her teaching career in Charlotte County at Kingsway Elementary. She taught at the elementary level for 3 years before transitioning to teach math at the middle school level at L.A. Ainger Middle School. Throughout her career she has taken on various leadership roles including being a Canvas Champion, Tutoring Coordinator, Instructional Leader/Department Head, PBIS Coordinator, and Head Boys Soccer Coach. She obtained a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Western Governors University. She holds many certifications including Elementary Education, Primary Education, Middle Grades Mathematics, Exceptional Student Education, and Educational Leadership. She also holds numerous endorsements including those in Prekindergarten Disabilities, Reading, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), and Gifted education.

When Mrs. Scott is not at school, she enjoys spending time at home with her loving husband (Michael), dog (Athena), and cats (Stormy and Shadow). She enjoys reading, playing cards, boating, and spending time with family.

Mission Statement: Educational leader dedicated to creating a positive, welcoming school environment that promotes collaboration, high expectations, and student achievement.