In her first month as Grant High School principal, Carol Campbell dealt with a scheduling meltdown, a parent protest over Back to School Night and dancing so lewd it forced her to shut down Homecoming.
As she looks ahead, she will be responsible for shepherding the school through a two-year rebuilding that will send students to another campus. It’s clear that many are worried that Grant could lose students with other options, including those who can go to private schools.
Still, Campbell couldn’t seem more serene.
“It’s been an easy transition so far,” she said. “The work is great.”
Campbell believes her 31-year career as an educator has led her to this job. Campbell is returning to Grant, where she taught science from 1998 to 2007. Her two sons graduated from Grant. Campbell then went to Newberg as principal of a small high school. In 2011, she returned to Portland Public Schools as Benson High principal. In June, Superintendent Carole Smith asked Campbell to take over at Grant after Vivian Orlen unexpectedly announced she was leaving as principal and returning to New York.
“I can’t think of a more fortunate career path,” she said.
It could take all her skills to be successful. Leading Grant is challenging, in part, because of a well-educated and vocal parent population, said Shannon Montgomery, president of the Grant Booster Club.
“It’s not a job for sissies, that’s for sure,” Montgomery said.
That became clear when Campbell decided to make a change to Back to School Night. In past years, parents followed their child’s schedule and spent 10 minutes in each class, listening to presentations from teachers. This year, Campbell wanted more of an informal open house, with parents free to wander and talk individually with teachers. Even those familiar with the school, like Montgomery, were surprised at the uproar among parents.
Campbell said she has a thick skin. And as she welcomed parents that night, she seemed comfortable even as she addressed the controversy.
“This is either the first thing I mess up at Grant High School,” she told parents, “or the first thing that goes right.”
But so far, most of the reviews have been glowing. After working with Orlen for two years as president of the Grant PTA, Monique McClean was sorry to see her go. But she’s already become a fan of Campbell.
“Carol’s been incredibly open, very willing to listen,” McClean said. “She’s calm, thoughtful and intelligent. I think she really sees the big picture, but is attuned to details to make things work.”
Orlen was from the East Coast and said what was on her mind. That could rub people the wrong way. The biggest obvious difference between Orlen and Campbell is their communication style. Jamie Zantler, who teaches English and Social Studies and is a union representative, said he has more clarity on his role and what Campbell expects.
“I know more about what’s going on administratively than the entire time Vivian was here,” Zantler said.
Parents agree that Campbell is more approachable. She sends out an email every Friday to parents titled “Did You Know?” “In fact, they had to discourage her from giving out her cell phone number,” Montgomery said. For Campbell, the reason for the communication is simple.
“I don’t feel like I’m the holder of all the knowledge,” she said.
In an interview in early October, Campbell said she wants to build on what makes Grant a good school. That includes its diversity, strong sense of community, rich curriculum and experienced teachers.
The priority that she most often mentions is bridging the gap between school and college or work. That means bringing more professionals and businesses into Grant to talk to students about their futures. That was one of her successes at Benson. Already, she is developing a relationship with several businesses, including Walsh Construction.
She’s also concerned that, although the student body is fairly diverse, most teachers are white.
Campbell also wants to work on the achievement gap that had been a priority for Orlen. Some parents had thought Orlen didn’t make AP and advanced classes for high-achieving students enough of a priority. But others, including Campbell, reject the idea that the two are competing.
“For me, it’s about instruction,” she said. She wants to emphasize teachers’ professional development and is working on a doctoral dissertation about teachers helping other teachers to become better.
In meetings with parents, she addressed two other dust ups early in the school year. The district’s class scheduling system, Synergy, caused all kinds of problems. Campbell said staff liked to refer to it as “Sin-ergy.” She also said she shut down the Homecoming dance early, at about 10:20pm, because of lewd dancing. Campbell said she met with the school’s leadership class and they are working on solutions. If it means that there are no more Homecoming dances, Campbell said she’s OK with that, although one solution might be an approved music playlist before the event.
Every meeting seems to add to Campbell’s to-do list. At October’s PTA meeting, Campbell got questions about bullying, cheating, cell phone policies, dress code and social media.
But the elephant in the room often seems to be the rebuilding.
Last year, voters approved a $482 million construction bond measure for Portland schools. The district will spend an estimated $95 million to rebuild Grant. The campus will close after June 2017 and not reopen until fall 2019. The most likely scenario is that Grant students will use the shuttered Marshall High campus in Southeast Portland for those two years.
Campbell is obviously concerned that parents will send students to other schools rather than have them attend Grant. What makes Grant successful, she said, is not the bricks and mortar. It includes the staff, activities and parents. And you still maintain your family even if your house is being remodeled, she said.
Campbell told parents she plans to create several committees soon after Jan. 1, 2014 to start planning for the rebuilding.
One of the major issues will be the size of the performing arts auditorium. Campbell is already campaigning for a smaller, but higher-quality auditorium. She would prefer one with seating for about 500 and better acoustics, lighting and other “bells and whistles,” she said, than seating for 1,500.
Although Campbell is becoming fluent in architecture and construction, her real passion is helping teenagers. She loves that they have high energy, but are also capable of conversation and deep thinking.
“I believe kids are inherently good,” she said.
That attitude is apparent to those who work with her.
“I think Grant is a great school,” Zantler said, “and I personally feel like it’s in fantastic hands.”
(For more information on Carol Campbell and an excellent profile, see the September 2013 issue of the Grant Magazine at www.grantmagazine.com.)