Broward County Public Schools announced the finalists for
\nthe 2026 Caliber Awards, recognizing exceptional educators and employees whose
\nleadership and service shape student success across the district. The annual
\nprogram honors Teacher of the Year, Principal of the Year, Assistant
\nPrincipal of the Year, and School and District Employee of the Year finalists
\nwho demonstrate sustained commitment to academic excellence, safe learning
\nenvironments, and strong school communities. Finalists are selected from a
\nbroad pool of nominees representing schools and departments throughout the
\ndistrict.<\/p>\n
The Caliber Awards place special emphasis on
\ninstructional leadership and community impact. Principal of the Year and
\nAssistant Principal of the Year finalists are recognized for improving student
\nperformance, strengthening campus culture, and fostering collaboration with
\nfamilies and community partners. These administrators are credited with using
\ndata informed decision making, teamwork, and high expectations to advance
\nschool outcomes while maintaining safe and supportive environments for students
\nand staff.<\/p>\n
Among the 2026 Principal of the Year finalists is Dr.
\nNicole D. Nearor, principal of Coconut Creek High School. Dr. Nearor is widely
\nregarded as a student centered and results focused leader whose tenure has
\nmarked a period of measurable progress for the campus. Under her leadership,
\nCoconut Creek High School earned its first B school grade, expanded advanced
\nacademic offerings, enhanced campus safety systems, and experienced consistent
\nenrollment growth. District leaders and families have pointed to renewed
\nconfidence in the school as one of the most notable outcomes of her leadership.<\/p>\n
Dr. Nearor\u2019s approach emphasizes high expectations paired
\nwith meaningful family engagement. By strengthening communication with parents
\nand building trust with the broader community, she has positioned the school as
\na model for sustained improvement. Her work reflects a broader district focus
\non aligning academic rigor with student support systems to ensure long term
\nsuccess.<\/p>\n
Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science
\nin Biology from Alabama State University, a Master\u2019s degree in Education, and a
\nPh.D. in Education with a specialization in Curriculum and Instruction from
\nCapella University. With more than 28 years in education, Dr. Nearor has served
\nas a science teacher, instructional coach, STEM coordinator, science
\nspecialist, assistant principal, and principal. She has held leadership roles
\nat Coconut Creek High School since 2016 and has served as principal since March
\n2022.<\/p>\n
Broward County Public Schools leaders praised the full
\nslate of finalists for their dedication and impact. Superintendent Dr. Howard
\nHepburn noted that the Caliber Awards celebrate educators and staff who go
\nbeyond daily responsibilities to inspire students and strengthen school
\ncommunities. The district emphasized that each finalist reflects the values of
\ninnovation, service, and excellence that define BCPS.<\/p>\n
The winners of the 2026 Caliber Awards will be announced
\nat a formal ceremony on Friday, February 6, 2026, at 5 p.m. The event will be
\nheld at the Broward County Convention Center and will bring together educators,
\nfamilies, and community leaders to recognize the district\u2019s most outstanding
\nprofessionals.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Broward County Public Schools announced the finalists for the 2026 Caliber Awards, recognizing exceptional educators and employees whose …\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":136718,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[66819,66816,66818,249,251,250,66821,66815,66820,66817],"class_list":["post-136717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-bcps-school-administrators","tag-broward-county-public-schools-caliber-awards-2026","tag-coconut-creek-high-school-leadership","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news","tag-margate-news","tag-margatenews-net","tag-nicole-nearor-coconut-creek-high","tag-principal-of-the-year-finalist-bcps"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}