Coronado High Principal Wins National Education Award

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — One of Scottsdale's high school principals is the recipient of a national award for educational leadership.

Amy Palatucci, the principal of Coronado High School, is the winner of Jobs for America’s 2020 National Educational Leadership Award. The nonprofit helps kids stay in school and acquire academic, personal, leadership and vocational skills to help them find success after high school.

Coronado High students meet with local business leaders to explore career options, tour college campuses, and receive guidance with college and career planning.

“Ms. Palatucci has been instrumental in making sure the Coronado High School program continues to thrive,” JAG Arizona President Graciela Garcia Candia said in a statement. “She is a powerful advocate for her JAG Coordinator and students, working to give them every opportunity to succeed.”

JAG Arizona nominated Palatucci and her win was announced at the national organization's annual National Leadership Awards event, which was held virtually this year.

In 1980, Coronado High School was one of Arizona’s first high schools to create a JAG student program. Forty years later, 30 students belong to the Coronado JAG program, according to a news release from the Scottsdale Unified School District.

“I am proud of our students every day, and thankful for the opportunities and experiences that JAG affords them," Palatucci said in a statement. "The connections that JAG makes with them are life-changing and immeasurable.”