Mr. Campbell is the new assistant principal in the second-floor subschool, meeting the demand for a new administrator as the Centreville High School (CVHS) student body continues to grow. He has had years of experience as an assistant principal, having worked as one at Sandburg Middle School and Key Middle School. Before that, he was an English teacher at Sandburg, as well as one at the Eagle Academy for Young Men in the Bronx. Mr. Campbell has been an educator for 14 years, ten of which have been at FCPS.

Originally from upstate New York, Mr. Campbell grew up in the small town of Elmira. He obtained his undergraduate degree from State University of New York (SUNY) Geneso and his master’s from Columbia, going on to UVA’s Curry School of Education for his administrative endorsement. While his career began in teaching English,  a new leadership role as department chair head inspired him to pursue being an assistant principal. He hopes that his time here at CVHS will give him a “new opportunity to work with some new leaders and in a new area to continue [his] own growth and development as an administrator.”

Curious to see if he had any favorite moments over the course of his teaching career, I asked him if there any memorable moments that stand out to him. “Tough question, because there are so many great moments that come with teaching and with working with kids in general. But a couple that stand out: when I was teaching at Eagle, I was a senior class adviser and worked specifically with students who were in danger of not meeting graduation requirements. I was able to make sure that 30 kids who were at risk of not graduating on time made it to the stage that June. I also have a very fond memory of waving goodbye on the last day of school to the last group of kids I ever taught at Sandburg as the buses left campus.” On the opposite end, one of the biggest challenges he has faced was when he moved to New York City at 22 years old to attend graduate school and began his teaching career; it profoundly changed him as a person by teaching him patience and resilience. In both the good and the bad, he draws inspiration from his wife (who is an educator as well), and past and present colleagues whose passion and creativity help to energize him.

Outside of school, he has a wide range of interests; first and foremost is spending time with his two young children. Additionally, he is music-obsessed, always listening to new music, playing the piano, or singing. Mr. Campbell also is an avid runner, enjoys reading, and loves to cook. As a fellow bookworm myself, I could not help but ask him what some of his favorite books are. He is always reading something – some of his favorites include classics like Catch-22, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and ­To Kill a Mockingbird, while some newer favorites are A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Let the Great World Spin, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, and The Fortress of Solitude. To get to know him a little further, I posed another interesting question: if he had to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, but all his human needs were taken care of, what three items would he want to have with him? His response was: a piano, a laptop for music, reading, and games, as well as a good friend.

One of the first things that struck me about Mr. Campbell was how warm, caring, and inviting he was. Being a runner in the subschool during the mornings, he was one of the first people to take the time out of his day to get to know me and has never failed to ask me how I am doing each time I’ve seen him since. Already a linchpin among our team of administrators, CVHS is delighted to welcome him into the fold!