Dr. Joyce Lewis-Lake

Dr. Joyce Lewis-Lake, former principal, Franklin Middle School, Minneapolis

Lewis-Lake received her master of arts degree in 1980 and education specialist degree in 1981 from St. Thomas. She was the first black female St. Thomas graduate to become a secondary school principal. Lewis-Lake is credited with building the Harvest Prep program, which is now one of the most successful charter schools in Minnesota. Her commitment to low income minority students is best exemplified by the fact that she moved her family from a middle class neighborhood to a new home built in the heart of the north side - the most troubled neighborhood in Minneapolis - to be closer to the students she cared so much about and to serve as a role model. She was a longtime leader in the Minnesota Alliance of Black School Educators. Lewis-Lake passed away in 2004.