Students attending Camelot Intermediate School for their fifth-grade year may recognize their new principal. Camrin Vaux, an employee of the Brookings School District for 16 years as of this semester, has filled the Role of principal at Camelot.
“I knew I wanted to teach, and I wanted to be in the education realm. And as I went through my schooling, I always knew that leadership roles were ones that I tried to pursue. And so after a few years after being in the classroom when I went to pursue my master’s, leadership stood out for me in administration,” said Vaux, reflecting on her own education and career pursuits. Prior to her current position, Vaux taught third grade at Hillcrest for two years and first grade for four. After transferring to Camelot, she taught science for nine years and, in March, received a Milken Educator Award for exceptional educators while in that position.
Vaux’s husband, Adam, also works for the school district in IT and her two children, Onica and Ramsey, will be fifth and first graders this fall. Along with her family, Vaux’s career goals have kept her busy while staying active in the school district. She completed her master’s in 2012 “with a cohort of the school district and some surrounding schools through SDSU… and have just continued teaching up until this point, fine tuning leadership skills, volunteering, doing some interning roles and filling in when administrators have been gone in the district for the last several years. And then this job moving into working as the admin is something I have been seeking out for a few years.”
Vaux is all about focusing on what is best for the students at Camelot. Her goals as principal this year are to build a culture that supports learners academically and socially. “I really focus on being a learner-centered atmosphere. So whether I was doing that in the classroom or transitioning into the administrator role, I really want everything to be learner focused and centered on the needs of the students,” she said, recognizing that the staff play a vital role in providing that culture. “Our staff is a very tight-knit family in our building, so continuing to have that family atmosphere with the staff, focusing on what’s best for our students, and just making that environment one that anyone and everyone wants to walk in and be a part of.”
Her strong teaching background is following Vaux into the principal’s seat at Camelot. “As an educator, my favorite thing about being in the school is the kids,” she said. “Building those relationships with those kids, learning about them and serving them has kind of been my focus as an educator and will continue to be my focus as the administrator.”
When asked if there was anything she wants students to know about her, Vaux said, “They can come and see me at any time and know that I’m going to be a person that can help make their day better, can help extend on the joys and successes… I want to be someone that if they need someone to go to that I can be that for them, knowing that I’m another person for them that they can count on during their day.”
Ensuring students feel like they belong is something Vaux hopes students know she and other staff will promote at Camelot, saying she hopes that they feel “they’re becoming a part of our family the minute they walk through the door.”
Vaux hopes students know principals aren’t like how they are often portrayed in films and on TV. “I am always going to look out for what’s best for them, and becoming the best version of themselves,” she said, emphasizing that the job is about being a support and resource for students.
“Right now, I’m highly looking forward to the noise of the school atmosphere being back,” she said, laughing. “It’s quiet right now! … Those faces, you’ve got to have those faces around to do any work!”
As the first days of the 2022-23 school year approach, Vaux hopes that students will know they have a place at Camelot. “I want them to know that they’re going to find their place, they’re going be provided opportunities to be engaged, and they’re going to be able to socialize with their friends and make friends. They’re going to be able to grow as a person, and they’ve always got someone looking out for them.”
On that note, Vaux also spoke on how challenging fourth and fifth grade can be for some students. “They go through so much at this stage… We’re a building where they transition in and transition out so quickly that finding their place and finding their people sometimes can… be more of a challenge. But we always want to make sure that we’re working on, focusing on those relationships so that they know that they have a person at a minimum, if not, a ton of people that they can count on.”
“I highly look forward to this school year working together with the learners and the staff and getting to know the families, having the community aspect,” Vaux said in closing. “I’m really excited to be able to get our families back in our buildings, and let everybody see the awesome things that are happening in our school district.”
Contact Alison Simon at asimon@brookingsregister.com
