ALISO VIEJO : Principal Named for New High School

A Santa Monica school administrator has been named principal of the planned Aliso Niguel High School, which will be the first in the state to contain a high-tech video information network when it opens in September.

After a nationwide recruitment campaign, the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees named Denise Danne as principal of the new school that will serve students in Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel.

Danne, who is assistant principal of Santa Monica High School, will assume her new position today.

Capistrano officials said Danne will bring extensive knowledge of school reform and current trends in teaching and learning strategies. She is also an advocate of multicultural education and is fluent in English, Spanish and French.

Danne said she is excited about the “once in a lifetime” opportunity to open a new school. “The idea of being in a new community that has shown a lot of support for the school already is exciting,” she said.

The high-tech information system designed for the school is also challenging, Danne said. “I love the idea of the community being so open to new instructional ideas,” she said.

Danne has eight years of experience as a high school assistant principal at Culver City High School and Santa Monica High School.

She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in French from UCLA and an educational doctorate in institutional management from Pepperdine University.

She has also taught for the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Las Virgenes Unified School District, Burbank Unified School District and Glendale Community College.