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Longtime Paraprofessional Reaches a Crescendo with Excellence in Teaching Award

Note: This is one in a series recognizing winners of the 2022-23 NHA Excellence Awards, a program that honors educators, deans, and administrative teams across our network.

Cassandra Campbell worked in banking and performed the National Anthem during the most recent glory days of the Detroit Pistons. But it wasn’t until she became an interventionist at Linden Charter Academy that she felt she had found her calling.

Linden instruction paraprofessional, Campbell

Campbell, an instruction paraprofessional, has been at Linden for 22 years and recently was honored as an Excellence in Teaching winner as part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA) Excellence Awards for the 2022-23 school year.

“I enjoy the connection and the relationships that I built with our students and our staff,” Campbell said. “It really doesn't feel like a job, it really doesn’t. I came here for my kids but I ended up being here for all of these kids, and they’re all my kids to me.”

Linden instruction paraprofessional, Campbell

She first came to the school as a parent with her children attending Linden years ago. Because of her singing prowess that led her performing for several years at Pistons games during the “Goin’ to Work” era that included a run to the 2004 NBA title led by Hall of Famers Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace. She also was asked to sing the anthem during her son’s basketball games.

As the years went on, Linden’s principal approached Campbell about working at the school. She turned the offer down at first but grew to like the idea of her time off coinciding with that of her children. That decision has paid off for her and the students at Linden, which has outperformed the district for 14 years.

Linden instruction paraprofessional, Campbell

Naturally, Campbell is known for incorporating music into lessons. It clearly has made an impression, as friends, old co-workers and bosses, and former students who now are adults spoke of her impact during the Excellence Awards announcement, and kindergarten students sang a song for her.

“It was a huge surprise,” she said. “It was very nice.”

Linden instruction paraprofessional, Campbell

It was a fitting celebration for someone who has made a difference for so many others at Linden. Campbell has enjoyed seeing children she taught return to the school with families of their own and has had that love reciprocated by being invited to weddings and graduation events.

“I want them to gain a love of learning and to think it’s fun, not a chore and something that they don’t want to do,” she said. “They don’t even know that they’re learning but they're learning. I just wanted it to be an enjoyable experience for them. They’ll continue after they leave me.”

Linden instruction paraprofessional, Campbell

Keep up the excellent work, Mrs. Campbell!

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Linden Charter Academy
Linden Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Flint, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.

Visit Linden Charter Academy's blog to read more stories like this.