Sarah Hembree | Cultivating a Community of Learners

FETC Edition

February 27, 2023

Sarah Hembree is the principal of Elizabeth Cobb Middle School, a progressive public middle school in Tallahassee, Florida. Under her leadership, Cobb meets the unique needs of adolescents through compassion, strong relationships, curiosity, and a lot of humor.

With over 20 years of experience in secondary education, Sarah is passionate about seeing students through their journey of adolescence. During her tenure at Cobb, she is re-envisioning the idea of discipline, leading daily community-building activities, and supporting families through ongoing education and partnership. When students feel safe, seen, heard, and held in loving community, middle school turns out to be a much richer experience than the terrible cliché we’ve all come to know. With the right mix of support and engagement, Sarah knows we can tap into everyone’s superpowers and help them grow into their full potential.

Unlocking others’ potential doesn’t end at the eighth grade. Sarah mentors experienced educators seeking to take on a leadership role or make their next career move. Aspiring leaders seek out Sarah’s guidance because they value her expertise in giving ongoing, actionable feedback and supportive coaching; building relationships through trust and purposeful interactions; curriculum design based on individual-student need; developing long and short-term strategic plans, and fostering an environment where every employee is valued.