Julie Campbell, who has been teaching social studies at NDA for 31 years, is a Golden Apple nominee again. . . .an announcement that surprises no one. 

Campbell teaches United States History and Government, Sociology, Child and Family Studies, Child and Family Studies II, and World History. 

“I tell everyone that Julie Campbell is the wisest woman I know,” said English teacher Carolyn Brown.  “When someone comes to me seeking advice, and it’s a challenging question for me, I send that person to Mrs. Campbell for her wisdom.”

Brown and Campbell work together, along with Mrs. Sarah VanGrunsven, Frau Laaksonen and Mrs. Holly Hinch, to organize and produce the Academy Awards Show.

“Mrs. Campbell is amazing working with the participants.  She suggests a plethora of ways for them to improve their acts, and in many ways, she is the one who makes the Academy Awards such a success,” said Brown.  “I wish everyone could come to a rehearsal and watch her interact with the contestants.”

No wonder she said building relationships with students inside and outside of her classroom is the most rewarding element of her teaching.

Campbell’s reaction to her nomination was self-effacing:  “I think each teacher needs to be thanked and appreciated for what they have done, but I do not think they need an award.” 

When Campbell was younger, she would enjoy working with people and grew up with her father being a teacher, so the role model to her hard work in the classroom was her parents and siblings. 

The most challenging part of teaching, she said, “is meeting each individual student at their intellectual level.”

A St. Joseph alum, Campbell has seen all four of her own children graduate from NDA, and one of them, Ms. Eliza Campbell, is now her teaching colleague–and also nominated for the Golden Apple!