Evening of Excellence: Angie Dawson

Support Staff of the Year // Making memories with her husband, Mrs. Angie Dawson poses with her Evening of Excellence Award that honors her hard work and dedication to her role at Coronado. At this event, exceptional teachers, support staff, and administrators were recognized, and Mrs. Dawson was one of them. (Photo Courtesy of Angie Dawson)

On March 23rd, the 2026 Evening of Excellence took place at the KA Theatre at MGM Grand. The Evening of Excellence is an annual event that recognizes hard working people from all roles in schools. At this event, teachers, support staff, and administrators gathered together in hopes to be honored for their hard work and dedication to yet another year at their respective schools in CCSD. Each award was categorized based on the schools and roles of each nominee. Amongst the many awards at this ceremony, one of them was the Coronado High School 2026 Support Professional of the Year Honoree, which was earned by none other than Mrs. Angie Dawson. 

Mrs. Dawson works as the Curriculum Secretary at Coronado High School. As the Curriculum Secretary, she does a lot of the background work to make our school function the way it must. A lot of the work that she does supports other roles in the school such as the teachers and administrators, which ultimately helps to educate and bring success to Coronado’s students. In her role, she helps administrators ensure that the instructional material being provided to students is in order and adequate to meet the needs and standards of the school district. Additionally, she sometimes helps with finances, meetings, and advising students to make sure that everyone is on track for a great school year.

“Most of what I do is behind the scenes, but one thing I do that is a bit more visible is create the Cougar Connection newsletter that goes out monthly to all students and families,” Dawson said. The feedback from our families has been overwhelmingly positive, and I am proud of the progress we’ve made in strengthening communication and closing gaps across our school community.”

She’s known around campus for her beautifully decorated room, filled with colors and photos, especially of her grandchildren. Besides that, she is also known for providing academic support. She helps a lot with class scheduling for students and organization of those schedules. In addition to that, she also helps with coordinating curriculum, amongst other tasks for staff and administrators. There, she is given the ability to help encourage students and help them to reach their highest potential while in high school. Although most of her work is behind the scenes, it is essential to the function of the school and the well-being of the students. Mrs. Dawson notes the joy she gets from doing her job and the people she works with, particularly being able to work with Assistant Principal, Mr. Kalinowski.

“My goal is for everyone to feel welcomed and comfortable when they come into our office for assistance,” Dawson explains. “People often compliment our office for its homey, pleasant, and inviting atmosphere, which truly makes me happy. I want every guest to leave feeling respected, satisfied, and confident they received the best possible service.”

Along with the academic aspect of her job, in her role, Mrs. Dawson also contacts parents and helps with the academic planning for students and coordinating graduation ceremonies each year. In her role, she acts as a link between the students and the administrators/teachers as well as a link between administration/teachers and the parents of students at Coronado. By using her incredible communication skills, and hard work, she helps to ensure that communication between all parties is seamless and helps to ensure that they are all mutually helping one another and operating the way they need to. 

“I began my time at Coronado in the Activities Office, where graduation was one of my primary responsibilities,” Dawson added. “Although I’ve since moved to the Curriculum Office, I continue to manage a large portion of the behind-the-scenes graduation work. While it is time-consuming and requires a great deal of coordination, I genuinely enjoy collaborating with counselors and supporting our graduating students to ensure commencement is as seamless and special as possible. Being part of such a meaningful milestone is incredibly rewarding, and I am grateful to work alongside such an amazing team at CHS.”

In learning more about her role, it is extremely evident that Mrs. Dawson is an essential staff to the success of our school and everyone in it. Even with a role so huge, accumulating lots of stress at times, her heart for her job and for the people at Coronado is even larger. Mrs. Dawson notes how blessed she feels to work with the impressive and amazing students she meets at Coronado, and how much more blessed she is to be able to work with the wonderful staff and administrators that work here as well. Loving others has made this job more than a job for Mrs. Dawson, and because she cares so much about these people she loves, she continues to do exceptional things in her role at Coronado.

“Being a team player and stepping in wherever help is needed is extremely important to me. Customer service is my top priority,” Mrs. Dawson explains. “I strive to provide a positive, helpful, and kind experience for every staff member, student, and parent I encounter.”

While Mrs. Angie Dawson is not someone you may see everyday, or feel the impact of what she does everyday, at Coronado, her role has a domino effect. Everything she does has an impact on the parents, teachers, administrators, and students. The wonderful thing about staff like her is the care she puts into her job and understanding she has about the level of responsibility she has in the school. Due to this, she continues to excel and help countless people through her hard work, integrity, positivity, and teamwork. Given this, it is no surprise that she earned the Coronado High School 2026 Support Professional of the Year Honoree Award this year, and if anything, it shows us not only to appreciate Mrs. Dawson, but to treat her with the reward of respect and love that she deserves as she operates and provides the same for everyone else as an integral part of our school each and every day.