Baton Rouge High's McCann named Principal of the Year | Business

Baton Rouge- Friday, July 20, was a big night for Nanette McCann, principal of Baton Rouge Magnet High School.  That was when she was named the 2013 State High School Principal of the Year by the Louisiana Department of Education. Almost 300 educators from across the state recently were honored in Baton Rouge that night at the Sixth Annual Cecil J. Picard Educator Excellence Symposium and Celebration, which was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Teacher and principal of the year regional finalists received a $50 guest room gift certificate from Crowne Plaza Hotel, a restaurant gift card for dinner for two, a $50 discount coupon from H&R Block, an engraved glass paperweight and $500 from Dream Teachers.

The state-level winners of the teacher and principal of the year also received Community Coffee for one year in the school lounge, two tickets to Blue Bayou Water Park in Baton Rouge from Coca Cola, an ActivSound 100 System with four speakers from AXI Ed Solutions, a leather laptop bag from Pearson's Travel, a $100 gift certificate from School Aids, a $100 discount coupon from H&R Block Tax Preparation and $2,500 from Dream Teachers.

“I’m very honored to represent our hardworking faculty and staff in their efforts to help our students perform to their fullest potential every day,” McCann said.  “I am proud to represent the state of Louisiana as its High School Principal of the Year.”

McCann was named Regional and East Baton Rouge Parish School System principal of in the spring semester.  She has been in charge of the roughly 1,200-student Baton Rouge Magnet High School since 2002.  The school will be re-opening this year as a totally renovated and updated school site after a year of construction.

Previously, McCann was assistant principal of Tara High School, an administrative intern at Baker High School and Writing Center coordinator and English teacher at Capitol High School.  She holds a Master of Education degree from Southeastern Louisiana University and a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana Tech University.  Also named the 2010 National Principal of the Year by Magnet Schools America, McCann was the 2008 Louisiana Regional II Principal of the Year, 2005 YWCA Woman of Achievement in Education Award winner, 2004 Sue Hefley Educator of the Year, 2007 Region II LACUE Administrator of the Year and the 2009 Reading Renaissance Extraordinary Educator.