- January 21, 2026
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In January 2017, teacher Lynn Wolfe used the quiet minutes of the morning to observe the Tara Elementary School parking lot.
She kept kept her eyes glued to the window to see if Principal Laura Campbell had arrived. When she saw Campbell, she hid before a corner, then jumped out to give her principal a scare. Wolfe had a reputation as somewhat of a prankster.
Unbeknownst to Wolfe, Campbell had her hands full and was wearing high heels. Even with the heels, Wolfe said Campbell jumped pretty high into the air when she bounced out.
Before Campbell could land, Wolfe was thinking she had made a mistake. She was hoping Campbell didn't land on her face, with her possessions scattered.
"She landed the jump and she laughed," Wolfe remembered. "I was like, ‘OK, cool, I can keep doing this.’”
Wolfe had worked at Tara since 2003, a few months after Campbell had joined the Tara Elementary School staff. Fast forward to now, and they share a wide array of memories.
They include Wolfe continuing to scare Campbell by hiding under her desk, behnd a door or around a corner.
“For me, I've always wanted to create lifelong learners, but also great memories of elementary school,” Campbell said. “I didn't do any of this alone — building a school where we could find a balance of instruction and creating core memories. I'm most proud because the teaching profession requires sustainability, and there has to be a balance and a joy in the work that we do.”
Campbell has limited days left as principal at Tara Elementary as she has been chosen to be the principal at the new Veterans Elementary School in Palmetto. Her last day at Tara will be Feb. 19. The interim principal for the rest of the school year will be Kali Anges, who currently works as assistant principal.
“My biggest hope is that this school continues to have a balance of joy and a joy for teaching,” Campbell said. “High expectations, but with high support. There's got to be that love for one another.”
Campbell walks five to eight miles a day at school and it is rare for her office door to be shut. The open door policy is especially appreciated by Linda Haluska, the health and physical education teacher, who has been working at Tara since 1992.
When Haluska first met Campbell, she said she was immediately a bright light at the school. She said Campbell always sees the best in everyone — students, families, and staff.
“Sometimes they say that our schools are like flowers,” Haluska said. “You plant the seeds and you watch them grow. Over the years I've definitely seen that with Laura. She was a great seed to begin with, but she has blossomed.”
Haluska said everyone can be better in some way. She hopes Campbell builds upon the success she has experienced.
“I just want to continue to see her succeed at every level, because she deserves it,” Haluska said. “The new school is so lucky and fortunate to have her. I know she will create this great legacy one day.”
Stephanie Martinez, the school advisory council chair, has been a Tara Elementary parent since 2020. She said it was a nerve wracking year for her child to begin school with COVID-19 and all the changes that came with it. However, Campbell helped to make the transition seamless.
“She went above and beyond to help everyone feel safe and confident that the school had everything it needed to deal with and supersede the circumstances.” Martinez said. “She instills confidence and empowers those around her. The Tara community has big expectations of the next principal because Mrs. Campbell has raised that bar very high!”
Angela Davis has been active in the parent-teacher organization since 2021 and has been president for the past three years.
“It was wonderful to feel supported and to see how she supported students and staff,” Davis said. “For me, it was a pleasure and a great learning experience to work with her. She always was calm, cool and collected and she handled herself with grace."
