By Jeff Hall
Tom Lanier and Jim Campbell
Pickerington’s high schools are under new leadership starting this school year, as new principals step up at both Pickerington North and Pickerington Central. Tom Lanier and Jim Campbell have both raised children in the district and are excited to represent the town they lovingly call home. Both take over with an eye on transitioning students and families back to a sense of normalcy after a challenging few years.
Staying Central
Tom Lanier, the new Central High School principal, is as passionate about Pickerington as anyone. He and his wife, Ann, chose to come to Pickerington almost 30 years ago for the great schools and community bond.
The whole family has close ties to Pickerington Local School District: Ann is a first grade teacher at Toll Gate Elementary, and all four of the Lanier children graduated from Pickerington schools.
“When you’re living in Pickerington, you get all the amenities and benefits of the greater Columbus metropolitan area and it’s balanced with still kind of that small town, small community feel of being there for one another,” Lanier says. “I think that’s what makes Pickerington special. We come together and we’re there for each other.”
Lanier is replacing Stacy Tennenbaum, who will become principal of Fairfield Elementary. Lanier was a lead assistant principal at Pickerington High School North and, for the last five years, has been the principal at Westerville Central High School.
His love for his community is reflected in a passion for building personal relationships with both students and staff in his district.
“The challenge is, it’s a matter of time and effort to get to know people,” Lanier says. “It’s a very positive thing and exciting thing to get to know people, new people, and get to work with them in
a different way and help them build the system that’s in place to be successful.”
Lanier looks forward to rebuilding and fostering the sense of community that was hampered by the pandemic and resulting mix of online and in-person classes. Still, he credits his experience during the pandemic at Westerville for giving him valuable insights about meeting students’ unique needs and expectations.
“Today’s students demand a little bit different of a type of approach,” Lanier says.
He emphasizes that the nearly 2,000 students enrolled in the district each come with their own needs. As principal of Central, he hopes to give kids the chance to focus on and pursue their passions.
“If you want to be in this job, you’ve got to have a growth mindset and know that you have a chance to make a difference in somebody’s life,” Lanier says. “That’s why I love what I’m doing. That’s why I’m excited to get up and go to work each morning. I’ve got an opportunity to make things better.”
Northbound
Jim Campbell has a knack for connecting students with their passions. He put those abilities to use as principal of Pickerington Alternative School from 2018-22 and will do so now at Pickerington North. He plans to meet every student individually to help them however he can.
He’s working to build up programs that assist students who choose not to attend a four-year university after high school graduation. That’s a continuation of work he’s done with Fairfield County Workforce Center, which connects students with apprenticeships that prepare students for the workface and count for credit toward a high school diploma.
Campbell hopes to impress upon students the value that a degree from North holds and ensure that they receive an education that prepares them for future careers and a lifetime of learning.
“I want them to be proud of being a Pickerington North student,” he says. “I think the best thing about high school is there can be a lot of opportunities for students to have school spirit and really be engaged in what it’s like to be a Pickerington student, and I want them to be proud of that.”
Like Lanier, Campbell believes the COVID-19 pandemic taught him and other educators more about the foundational needs of their students. He emphasizes the need to listen to students and recognize their abilities to be active in their education and serve as leaders.
“I know that, just in my short period of time meeting with some of our student leaders, there’s more that they can bring to the table that we need to allow to happen,” Campbell says. “There’s nothing more powerful than establishing the philosophy that everyone can be a leader and allowing those voices to be heard.”
Campbell has two children in Pickerington schools and his wife, Kelly, is an English teacher at Lakeview Junior High. The family has called Pickerington home for more than two decades, and
Campbell looks forward to continuing the high quality of education he’s come to know in the community.
“When I first came to Pickerington, I saw the supports and the roles that the administration played in helping educators reach their potential,” he says. “I truly believe that that is still occurring today.”
Campbell has a mantra he uses to help guide him as an educator: “What’s best for students, we make happen.”
Tyler Kirkendall is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
