Early in the morning on Monday, Aug. 6, for the first time in months, the campus at Camp Verde Unified School District was full of children. Summer vacation is over.
“I missed the kids so much over the summer,” said Camp Verde Elementary School Principal Britta Booth. “They’re my favorite part of the job, and seeing them back makes this my favorite day of the year.”
More than 1,500 children filled the halls of Camp Verde’s three schools, joining nine new teachers, four new paraprofessionals, a new nurse and an occupational therapy specialist on staff.
In addition to the new staff members, the new school year brings with it changes in school administration. Camp Verde Middle School Principal Danny Howe was elevated to administrator-in-charge late last year, and this marks his first full year taking charge of the whole school district.
“I’m probably more excited today than I have been in 28 years because I’m leading the charge,” Howe said. “I feel like I can make a difference.”
In addition to the change in the district’s overall administration, the new school year comes with the elevation of Camp Verde High School’s athletic director Mark Showers to principal.
“I’m looking forward to the whole thing,” Showers said. “It’s going to be different for me in that in my former role, I was focused on athletics and those student activity kinds of things. Now I will be involved with that, although we have a new athletic director, Dan Wall, but I’ll also be involved with the teachers in the classrooms and curriculum development, working with parents and counselors and schedules and just all the different things that pertain to the position of principal. It’s a new challenge and I’m excited to get started.”
“I’m excited for all the new administrative changes we’ve made,” said CVUSD board member Eric Lawton, who also has a son in 10th grade. “I think the students are going to feel more at home and more at ease because it’s people they know and trust.”
With changes in administration, Howe said he sees it as his goal to maintain some level of consistency for students, and to make students feel safe at school.
“The biggest change this year is going to be customer service,” Howe said. “As a board and as an administration, we’re building a culture of trust. It’s an attitude thing — building relationships with students, parents and the community.”
On the morning of Aug. 1, the CVUSD staff met for a kickoff event to welcome teachers and support staff back to work after the summer break. Howe emphasized the importance of school in being a welcoming place for students, especially children coming from difficult backgrounds.
Speaking before the assembled staff members in the Philip England Performing Arts Center, Howe highlighted the importance of all the different parts of the school community in making that happen. He singled out the bus drivers as an important part of the process.
“You might be the first ray of hope in a kid’s morning, and you might be the last smiling face in the afternoon, so leave them with a good attitude,” Howe said.
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551, or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
