Dana Gurganus South Canton Principal

For as long as Dana Gurganus can remember, she wanted to be a teacher. “Even from a young age, I played school with stuffed animals and imaginary students in my basement.” But it was her fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Rosenberger who really inspired her passion for teaching.

“She was the first teacher I had that looked like she was having fun doing her job and genuinely loved her students. It was that year I decided I wanted to pursue a career path where I loved what I was doing every day. She believed in me and gave me opportunities to strengthen my skills and grow as a leader.”
 
Dana’s fourth-grade experience continues to illustrate why a child is never too young to learn and have a dream. “I believe all students can learn and learn at high levels. It is our job to instill a LOVE of learning within them. Learning can and should be fun! As an educator, I quickly learned that the key to student growth is in differentiating the instruction to make sure their individual needs are met. A ‘one size fits all’ approach to teaching does not grow students. We have to see where they are academically and identify the ways we need to remediate and extend their learning.” And Dana has had several years of helping students to grow.
 
Ms. Gurganus began her career at Monroe Public Schools where she taught first grade for one year before transitioning to NHA. She then taught kindergarten and second grade at Metro Charter Academy for six years, was promoted to dean, and then opened South Pointe Scholars Charter Academy as K-2 dean. She served at South Pointe for four years as K-2 and 3-5 dean. After that, Dana became interim dean at Grand River Academy for four months and transitioned to the principal role when the founding principal retired. She served there for three years before joining us at South Canton Scholars Charter Academy.
 
When Dana isn’t working to help students and teachers become their very best, she enjoys spending time with her family and being active outside. Dana and her husband, Dave, have been married for 13 years and have five children. Their favorite summer pastimes are sitting on their back porch, watching the kids play outside, or spending time in the pool. They are also very active within their church community and travel yearly to do international mission work in Guatemala and Nicaragua.