This State High administrator is PA’s assistant principal of the year. Here’s why
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- State High’s Danielle Ambrosia is Pennsylvania’s 2026 Assistant Principal of the Year.
- Ambrosia became one of the school’s four assistant principals in 2021.
- She is now a candidate to become the National Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year.
A State College Area High School assistant principal was recently named one of the top administrators in Pennsylvania.
Danielle Ambrosia, State High’s ninth grade administrator, is the Pennsylvania’s 2026 Assistant Principal of the Year, the Pennsylvania Principals Association announced Monday. Ambrosia, who serves as one of four assistant principals for the high school, is now a candidate to become the National Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year through the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
“As an assistant principal, I have the privilege of working in the spaces where small moments add up to big impact,” Ambrosia wrote in a statement. “This award reflects the everyday moments and wins created by our students, staff and families. I am grateful to work alongside them and amplify the work that makes our school what it is.”
The Pennsylvania Principals Association cited Ambrosia’s work improving student safety and strengthening school culture as key factors behind her recognition as the commonwealth’s top assistant principal. Ambrosia has collaborated with other administrators to introduce new school-wide events, host mental health summits and serve on State High’s rapid response team.
Additionally, Ambrosia helped introduce State High’s Student Safety Ambassadors program, which pairs students with school resource officers to share safety information with peers, share details for drills and emergency procedures and develop leadership skills in public safety and service.
Ambrosia also collaborated with State High educators and administrators to strengthen its Multi-Tiered System of Supports, the core framework that provides support and interventions for students in need. Those efforts largely centered on student groups experiencing peer-to-peer conflicts, anger management challenges and difficulty with behavioral expectations. As State High’s ninth grade leader, Ambrosia leads weekly interdisciplinary cohort meetings in which teachers, counselors and administrators plan how to best support students.
“Danielle’s passion for her students, her school and her fellow administrators highlights the vital role each member of the administrative team plays in creating a thriving school community,” wrote Eric Eshbach, executive director of the Pennsylvania Principals Association. “I am thrilled that Danielle Ambrosia has been selected to represent the Pennsylvania Principals Association as our 2026 Assistant Principal of the Year.”
Curtis Johnson, superintendent of the State College Area School District, said Ambrosia’s award recognizes her sizable impact on State High and its community.
“This is an exceptional and well-deserved honor that reflects Danielle’s dedication, leadership and unwavering commitment to our students, staff and school community,” Johnson wrote in a statement. “Danielle’s work exemplifies the values we strive to uphold across the district, and her recognition brings pride to our entire school community.”
Ambrosia’s award is the latest honor received by a State High administrator in recent years. Laura Tobias, the high school’s principal, was Pennsylvania’s 2025 Principal of the Year.
Ambrosia joined State High’s faculty as an English teacher in 2009 and became one of the school’s assistant principals in 2021. She previously served as State High’s varsity cheerleading coach from 2010 through 2018, an equity teacher leader from 2018 through 2021 and a professional development associate in Penn State’s Professional Development School from June 2019 to 2020.
Ambrosia earned her bachelor’s degree in secondary education, her master’s of education in curriculum and instruction and her school leadership certification from Penn State. She expects to obtain her doctorate in educational leadership later this month from Drexel University.
The Pennsylvania Principals Association’s membership includes roughly 3,300 elementary, middle school and high school principals, assistant principals and other educational leaders. The National Association of Secondary School Principals is expected to announce its national award winners in July.
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