Gail H. Awakuni has been named the 2005 National High School Principal of the Year.
Ms. Awakuni, 57, is the principal of the 1,950-student James Campbell High School in Ewa Beach, Hawaii.
She has been recognized by the Reston, Va.-based National Association for Secondary School Principals and the New York City-based MetLife Resources—the sponsors of the award—for her efforts to build small learning communities within her school and for her establishment of a rigorous curriculum.
Specifically, Ms. Awakuni began using a block schedule at Campbell High to allow for more staff-development opportunities and more time for students to meet with their academic advisers.
Ms. Awakuni will be given $5,000 for winning the award, which she will formally receive at an Oct. 8 banquet at which U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige is scheduled to speak.
The NASSP is a professional organization that provides leadership programs, services, and other resources to more than 32,000 members worldwide. MetLife Resources, a division of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., is a nonprofit retirement-planning company.
