Nancy Robertson has spent the last 37 years working with students as a choir director and educator including the last 20 years at Warren Central High School. Robertson was recently recognized for her years of hard work and dedication before her planned retirement in December. 

After being named the Outstanding Music Educator for the state of Mississippi for the 2016-17 school year, Robertson was honored last week as the Outstanding Music Educator for all of Section 3 encompassing Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

“It is the culmination of a long, hard fought career,” Robertson said. “It was totally unexpected. I don’t know how to describe how it felt. I couldn’t believe it.”

Robertson has spent her career working to build her program and follow her motto of “leave it better than you found it.” She accomplished that and more leading her students to 15 years of superior ratings from the District Choral competition and helping to spearhead and raise funds for a new fine arts building and extensive improvements to the school’s auditorium.

“Teaching music is a calling,” she said. “You have to really love what you are doing to make it through the years. It is a battle. You have to fight for your program. No matter where I’ve been, no matter what I’ve done, I’ve always had to fight hard to make my program what it is.”

Outside of her duties at Warren Central, Robertson is the artistic director of the Mississippi boys’ choir and runs a show choir camp in the summer called “Can’t stop singing” that she plans to continue after retiring saying “Quitting everything? Can’t do it. Not yet.”

Robertson is also still working to build the program at Warren Central and leave behind a legacy for her successor to carry on. The program will host an alumni concert in May to help raise funds to replace the seats and curtains in the auditorium and refinish the stage.

“It has been a long time here in Vicksburg and I have seen a lot transform in my time here,” she said. “It is at its highest peak now and I want it to keep going.”

The Section 3 award is given out by the NFHS Music Association. The award recognizes music educators at the high school level for “significant and/or long-term contributions to interscholastic high school music activities.”