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Meet the Zone Superintendents: Dr. Charisse Campbell, Zone 1
Fulton County Schools (FCS) has appointed seven Zone Superintendents for the 2020-2021 school year. We have asked each of them to answer six questions so you can get to know them. We are sharing responses from Dr. Charisse Campbell, Superintendent, Zone 1. Dr. Campbell has served as a teacher and leader within charter schools and traditional public schools in Fulton County, Dekalb and New Castle County, Delaware for 15 years. She was named 2016 GSTA Administrator of the Year, 2019 Teach on Project Leader of the Year, and 2020 GCSA Leader of the Year.
Why did you become an educator and who inspires you most?
I was inspired to become an educator by my high school calculus teacher/track coach. He was a heavy-set man that was larger than life in every sense of the word. His loud bellow could beckon you back to the practice fields from a mile away. More importantly he was the type of teacher/coach that students could talk to when life got complicated. He really got to know his students’ stories and he learned to inspire all of us to do more than we thought possible. As a first generation college student that has now earned 6 post-secondary degrees, I am the product of his ability to inspire. I saw that becoming an educator could give me the power to change lives for the better.
What are your hopes as you take on this new challenge of Zone Superintendent? Include anything special or unique to your Zone.
My hope as a zone superintendent is “To Be of Use”. “To be of Use” is the title of a poem by Marge Piercy shared with me by an amazing school counselor. An excerpt from the poem reads:
The work of the world is common as mud…
But the thing worth doing well done
Has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident…
The pitcher cries for water to carry
And a person for work that is real.
I am excited to be a part of Zone 1 and I look forward to supporting our committed team of educators in continuing in their positive growth trajectory.
What’s the top item on your bucket list?
I don’t really have a bucket list. I believe in living the life I want to live every day.
What are your hobbies?
I am a self-described nerd. I love learning! My husband and I even went to a Spanish language immersion school for our honeymoon. Outside of learning, I enjoy exercising and spending time outdoors with my family.
What’s the last song you added to you playlist?
“Better than Blessed” by Louise “Candy” Davis
What’s your favorite book?
Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh. It is a short simple read that helps me re-center as life offers its peaks and valleys.