Can a person love a school?
“Yes, I love Duclos School,” said principal Richard Cameron.
Cameron will be retiring at the end of this school year, after serving Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS) for 34 fruitful years.
“I certainly enjoyed being a teacher for all of these years,” Cameron expressed.
With a very humble beginning as a substitute teacher in the Bonnyville and Cold Lake area, Cameron eventually got a contract with Lakeland Public Schools, which later became NLPS.
Cameron was born and raised in Bonnyville, he went to Fort Kent for his elementary education, later graduating from Bonnyville Centralized High School in 1978.
“I really had an interest in education, in learning myself and what could I do to bring that enjoyment and love for learning to other people and children,” explained Cameron.
Realizing his passion and fondness towards teaching, he went to the University of Alberta in 1994 and earned a degree in Bachelor of Education.
Before he became a successful principal at Duclos School, Cameron worked at various schools as a teacher, assistant principal, and director of system improvement.
He explained, “I wanted to move on and try new things. That’s probably why I ended up being in a variety of different schools and taught to different grade levels.”
Cameron said the decision to go into administration and become a principal was to bring his own experience, talents, and interests to others.
Being a principal means having a more active role with teachers, parents, and the staff.
“It’s a very different kind of work in education,” Cameron said. “We just know and appreciate the roles we have in our lives and what a difference we can make for them by bringing that love of learning and developing those important early skills that’ll set them up for success later.”
His desire to learn more lead Cameron to pursue a master’s degree in leadership from Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC.
Over the early years of his career as a principal, Cameron went through the Northern Lights Leadership Academy for training in administration within the school division. Around the same time, in 2005, he participated in a National Staff Development Academy for an intensive training in leadership and school administration.
Cameron, 58, has continued teaching over three decades because he simply couldn’t give it up.
“I continued on because of my own love for my work. My age was never a factor. I just felt that I was really enjoying it and I have really strong attachment to this school. I just wasn’t ready to retire,” he expressed.
“I still have an enthusiasm for my work. I love to have fun, I love to laugh and ensure that’s part of our school experience for children and staff that we are at a happy place.”
Even though he wants to continue teaching, Cameron and his family are ready to move on with the next chapter of their lives.
Duclos School plays a significant part in the life of both Cameron and his wife. They have great travel plans after the retirement and he feels that due to the work schedule, both of them never had the opportunity to travel around.
He said, “I have never been a person who felt grudged of my time as a teacher or as a principal. If I have to give time to my school and to my job, I did it happily and willingly, because I understood that was my job and responsibility.”
