KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
January 12, 2019
Compiled by Ariana Pezeshki
After 33 years of devoting her life to special education, Amy Campbell, Elementary will be formally dedicated to a living legacy. Join Katy ISD to honor her legacy of helping children and dedicating her life to education at Campbell Elementary School.
Amy Campbell's Legacy
Katy Independent School District’s Amy Campbell Elementary will be formally dedicated to a living legacy. After devoting 33 years of her life to special education, retired educator Amy Campbell continues doing what she loves best…helping children. Several days out of the week you will find her at the school which now displays her name on the marquee. Ms. Campbell is known for her contagious smile as well as her immeasurable devotion to student education.
She is best known for piloting the LIFE skills (Living in Functional Environments) program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities which started in 1987. At the same time, she and a fellow teacher began the Occupational Lab, a place where students completed jobs for local businesses. As if that wasn’t enough, she even obtained her school bus driver’s license in order to personally take students into the community to learn hands-on job skills. Today this program continues in every Katy ISD high school and is called the Work Based Learning Program.
Campbell Elementary School opened on August 15, 2018 and located in the Cross Creek Ranch subdivision.
Dedication Ceremony of Amy Campbell Elementary School
Amy Campbell Elementary
3701 Cross Creek Bend Lane
Fulshear, TX 77441
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Program in the gym
Reception immediately following
Interview with Katy Magazine
In 2018 Katy Magazine Interviewed Katy ISDs newest namesake, Amy Cambell, about her passion for education. She said,“my first thought was that I wished I could tell my mom who passed away in 2014. She would have been thrilled," says Campbell. "I was so shocked that the district was considering naming the Elementary school after me, but after I got over the initial shock, I started getting excited. Campbell says she is delighted to be part of the Katy ISD legacy and see all the students that will pass through Campbell Elementary.
Throughout her career, Campbell invested in ways to make daily school activities more relevant to everyday life for her students. She understood the need for them to be respected members of the community and to engage in activities that enrich their lives throughout their entire life. Her ability to combine innovative ways of teaching with a sense of security and patience were vital to her success with her students.
Campbell’s biggest strength was the way she instilled a sense of confidence, self-esteem, and perseverance in students. She was extremely concerned with the outcomes for those with disabilities. That concern led her to collaborate with other colleagues to explore avenues for students to do work-related jobs in local businesses.
Katy ISD Career Accomplishments
Campbell received her Bachelor's degree in Elementary and Special Education from Sam Houston University and began teaching in Katy ISD in August of 1982, where she was an adaptive behavior teacher for Katy High School at the original Odessa Kilpatrick School in Old Katy. After that she taught at Katy High School as a Life Skills and Work Based Learning teacher, and then James E. Taylor High School as a Life Skills and Work Based Learning teacher.
Helping Students with Developmental Disabilities
During her career in Katy ISD she helped pilot the LIFE Skills program at Katy High School and along with a colleague ran the Occupational Lab where students with intellectual and developmental disabilities learned work-related skills by doing small jobs for area businesses.
Later, she worked with another teacher to expand the Vocational Adjustment Class (VAC) to establish partnerships with businesses that allowed staff to bring the students into their place of business to learn work skills in real life situations. The program name was later changed to the Work Based Learning program and now exists at all Katy I.S.D. high schools.