Dr. Janet Campbell easily gets in over 25,000 steps a day, which is more than 11 miles. But she isn’t getting those steps in from running 10Ks or half marathons.
Dr. Campbell, who’s been the principal at Annie Burnside Elementary School for six years, doesn’t spend her days sitting in her office. She’s always moving from hallway to hallway and classroom to classroom with a standing desk by her side that she considers her true office. Even when she’s visiting classrooms, she’s stepping in place as she talks to the students. Sometimes, the students will step in place with her.
Dr. Campbell says the steps she takes every day encourages her students and staff to be healthy. “If we keep our heart healthy, we’ll in turn continue to grow academically,” she said.
Not only are the steps keeping her healthy, but
they’re also helping keep Dr. Campbell visible to her students and staff.
“I’m in the classrooms from the time I get here to the time that I leave. I can’t be a support for our staff or students if they never see me,” she said.
Dr. Campbell also stays visible by learning lessons along with the students. For example, in one fifth-grade class, the students are doing an ELA (English language arts) unit about “Because of Winn-Dixie” by Kate DiCamillo. During the lesson, Dr. Campbell asked for a copy of the book to read herself.
“Our staff is so prolific and knowledgeable that there are times when I’m raising my hand trying to answer a question or get clarity about what they’re teaching. The math and ELA the students are learning is different from how I was learning it when I was a little girl,” she said.
Dr. Campbell is not only a product of Richland One, but her mother was a kindergarten and pre-kindergarten teacher at Hyatt Park Elementary School for more than 20 years. Dr. Campbell says her mother encouraged her when she was child to pursue a career in education.
“I just had that passion for helping children grow socially, mentally and emotionally,” she said.
Dr. Campbell attended Crane Creek Elementary School and Alcorn Middle School before graduating from Eau Claire High School in 1990.
