By Kyle Coppola
Stepping Out for Education Brings Amazing Energy and Big Wins!
The dance floor was electric this past weekend as “Stepping Out for Education” returned with two nights of high-energy performances, enthusiastic crowds and standout talent, all in support of local education initiatives put on by Education Foundation of Lake County.
Local community members gathered for the annual fundraiser, which pairs community members with professional dancers in a spirited competition reminiscent of Dancing with the Stars. This year’s event delivered both dazzling routines, incredible energy and big wins!
Friday night’s winners included:
-
Top Male Dancer: West Germeroth
-
Top Female Dancer: Marlene Straughan
-
Audience Choice: Marlene Straughan
Saturday’s spotlight shone on:
-
Top Male Dancer: Ariel Rolon
-
Top Female Dancer: Allyson Berry
-
Audience Choice: Marlene Straughan
(Marlene Straughan took home the 2025 Mirror Ball at the 19th annual Stepping Out For Education event.)
The weekend culminated in the announcement of the 2025 Mirror Ball Champion and in a fantastic finish, Marlene Straughan took home the top title, earning her the Audience Choice Award on both nights and the overall winner.
The event organizers expressed thanks to all dancers, sponsors and attendees for making the event a success.
Congratulations to all the winners!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
