In what finally feels like the start of a more normal school year, Camas students are returning to classes with a new school principal at the helm: Ms. Kelly O’Rourke. 

Like the new district superintendent, John Anzalone, O’Rourke came to Camas from another Clark County – the one that covers Las Vegas, Nevada. Now O’Rourke is hoping for a great school year and a smooth slide back into normalcy.

“My husband was appointed superintendent of Corbett school district in February. When the CHS position opened up, I applied, and here I am,” said O’Rourke. 

She says she was very picky in looking for jobs that would take her away from the Las Vegas area.  “CHS is a lot like the last high school I was principal at. It seemed ideal,” said O’Rourke.

While the student body seems to be very focused on the reinforcement of a dress code, O’Rourke is looking ahead at this school year as a complete refresh. 

“No masks, no Covid restrictions in place, and no social distancing. Kids seem to be very happy with this normalcy, and I think it’s going to be a good year,” said O’Rourke.

She brings 23 years of teaching and administration experience to the job, and she already has shared various ideas on how to improve the CHS experience.

“I think that students need to feel that they are part of the school community. I would hope to see more students involved in clubs and things they’re interested in and just jump in with two feet. I think that high school memories are very important and they stay with you for your whole life.”

She intends to prioritize building consistency across campus from the instruction students receive to hall passes to the hot-button dress code. 

“I would also like to focus on bringing out more of the non-athletic events and highlighting those more and making them more prevalent on social media so that when the DECA kids, for example, win a competition it’s all over [social media],” said O’Rourke.

While teaching in Las Vegas, O’Rourke supervised 27 different principals and taught or supervised students of all ages. During this time, she learned what works in a school and what does not and plans to incorporate these experiences into CHS.

“I think that for me what I’ve noticed is that you have a fantastic student body of spirited students who are genuinely caring. You have staff members that are dedicated to the process. What’s missing is the consistency of expectations,” said O’Rourke. “The expectation is that the admin will be walking through the halls and interacting. The more staff and students interact, the more relationships you build. The stronger relationships they have, the stronger the students’ relationships become.”

O’Rourke is very excited to bring change to the way the gears of CHS grind, but she admits too many changes cannot be made immediately but rather gradually as the year progresses. 

“You can’t make decisions without stepping back and really looking at the big picture. You make decisions at the moment, but for the most part, it’s shared leadership. A school runs effectively by a strong student body, a strong staff, and a strong admin team, and with all those things you [have] got an amazing school.”

One of the main issues she noted during the first week back to school was the lack of support from students towards others.

“I feel like one of the issues is that the students don’t have each other’s backs. Students need to feel that someone has their back and someone is there to support them throughout the process. I think it’s the same for the staff. They have come back very positive and very happy and they just want to feel supported, that’s all. There’s a lot more that needs to be reflected on since we’ve only been in for one week.”

O’Rourke plans to enforce an “open-door policy,” meaning that any student who thinks that something needs attention or a student needs something, they can come into her office at any time and talk about it with her.

Communication is key with O’Rourke, and she plans to encourage communication all year.