HANOVER — High School Principal Justin Campbell recently announced plans to step down in June, ending a nearly eight-year tenure in Hanover.

Campbell, who is in his mid-40s, has accepted the principal’s position at Middlebury (Vt.) Union High School, which recently received approval to offer International Baccalaureate program diplomas.

“This curricular framework is one that has long intrigued me professionally,” he said in an email on Monday. “This, in combination with a number of personal/familial reasons, drew me to (Middlebury).”

Campbell, who was working remotely because of COVID-19 school closures, said he’s proud to be part of a team in Hanover addressing mental health issues, obtaining better training for social emotional learning and increasing support for children “in the middle.”

“I miss seeing our students and staff,” he said. “I hope I have the opportunity to tell them goodbye in person. But, of course, we all need to stay apart right now.”

“We’re going to miss Justin. He’s done a great job,” Superintendent Jay Badams said in an interview last week.

“He’s been a great instructional leader,” Badams said. “He’s absolutely wonderful with students.”

Campbell, the former director of academic studies and chemistry teacher at Milford (N.H.) High School, was chosen in 2012 to lead Hanover High School.

He succeeded Deborah Gillespie, who retired after 15 years at Hanover High, with the last 10 as principal.

Campbell brought with him a “can-do attitude” that drives students and teachers to excel, according to former Dresden Superintendent Frank Bass.

Educators were particularly encouraged to branch out and try new things, said Bass, who visited the school nearly every day before stepping down in 2017.

“It was really exciting to get to just look in classes and see what’s going on,” he said in a phone interview.

Bass also characterized Campbell as a “master delegator,” who hired talented people.

“I wish him well. I enjoyed working with him,” said Bass, now the Concord School District’s interim superintendent. “He really is a bright light.”

Social studies teacher Liz Murray also commended Campbell for helped educators try new things.

“This can always be scary and change is tough, but Justin wanted us as a community to think more critically about what we were doing and if the status quo was okay or could be better,” she said in an email. “We took a closer look at homework, our schedule, and what our vision of a graduate would look like.”

Many of those items are still a work in progress, Murray said, but Campbell got the ball rolling.

Murray, president of the Hanover Education Association, also credited the principal for a willingness to meet and discuss tough issues.

Campbell is known to many as a “student-centered” principal who makes sure to walk the halls and engage with students, added Bill Murphy, a longtime Hanover High social studies teacher who ran in New Hampshire’s presidential primary.

“He’s there every morning welcoming the kids to school and I just think that that is a great way to get things going,” Murphy, who has been teaching for more than five decades, said via phone.

Murphy said that Campbell cares about the school, and is known to worry about the student and staff welfare.

“I think that even he has referenced at times waking up and worrying about how things are going to work out for our schools,” he said.

Badams, the superintendent, said the district will post Campbell’s position soon. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, an interim principal may be appointed and search may be postponed until the next school year.

“It’s an attractive position. The district is strong,” Badams said. “I would think there would be a high degree of interest.”

Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.

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