After more than 30 years in the education profession and four years as Howe Secondary School principal, Nancy Campbell announced this week that she's retiring at the end of this school year.
"It's been an honour to be here, and a good challenge and a good opportunity," she said of her first experience as principal.
Campbell and her husband, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, celebrated the birth of two grandchildren this year so, she said, she now wants to let the newborns "get to know me."
"It has been difficult always living out of a suitcase and being in two different communities a lot of the time," said Campbell. "My plans are basically to reconnect with my family and friends."
Campbell leaves behind a legacy of increased interactivity and co-operation among Squamish's "family of schools."
"I think the whole thrust in education these days is collaboration - people working together - is the way to improve things," she said. "We've been working together with what we call our family of schools, which would be our elementary schools and Don Ross, to meet together with parents and students and educators to say 'OK, what are our common issues and how can we resolve them in a K to 12 way?'"
That spirit of collaboration has also increased within the walls of Howe Sound Secondary itself among both staff and students.
"Our school is working together to be a professional learning community, which has not been the case in the past," she said. "One of the things I always like is when I see leadership evolve, and I have a wonderful staff that I work with - I'm not just talking my teachers, I'm talking about my clerical staff, my custodial staff and my TAs - who really believe in the students, believe in the school and are working hard to make sure the learning of the students is improving.
"And the kids are great too. What I have seen evolve over the last few years is leadership within the kids too. So the students are starting to take the leadership in a whole bunch of different areas."
The school is also encouraged to grow through the immense supported received by the community, said Campbell. She points to local reaction to the theft of the football team's equipment as a perfect example.
"We put out a call and people responded within a day to cover the cost of the insurance deductible so we could replace the equipment," she said.
And that generosity is not limited to singular events, but extends year-round.Every graduation, for example, 76 scholarships totalling $40,000 go out to students wanting to advance in all manner of sectors, whether academic, trades of sports.
"I've never been in a school community where the community gives so much to the school," said Campbell.
Given her personality, said Campbell, she is sure to seek out new challenges in the near future, perhaps as a volunteer. But for now, she'll take the opportunity to kick back.
"I'm going to relax for a little while and enjoy not having so much stress in my life and those are all of my plans for the moment. And you never know what's going to happen tomorrow."
