Photo Taken By Barbra Fletcher
South Salem High School has many generations of families walk through the halls, one of those being the Campbell/Fletcher family. Shannon Fletcher Campbell, her husband, Andrew Campbell, their son, Jackson Campbell and their two daughters, Kate and Claire Campbell, went to South. Shannon Campbell graduated from South in 1995 and continues to attend school events to this day.
Shannon Campbell
“I love the South community. I feel like I am a part of something wonderful. I participated in choir and tennis when at South and still love watching those two activities 30 years later,” Shannon Campbell said.
She went to South when the new wing had not been built yet and Leslie Middle School was still attached to the building. One of her favorite memories was when she was an Instructional Assistant (IA) for Mr. DuFault. They did not have anything to do one day, and DuFault took her and the other IA out for Mexican food. South has gone through some changes since she attended.
“South is more diverse than it was when I was there, such a good thing. Also, the Special Education (SPED) classes are more integrated and unified with the main student body. When I was a student, I remember the SPED class, but we never integrated with students from that room. Our loss,” Shannon Campbell said.
Drew Campbell
Drew Campbell is a lawyer and a South graduate. He graduated from South in 1995 and went to Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire and Willamette University for his Law Degree.
“I like the inclusiveness of neurodiverse students and its administration, and from my time, I learned what it meant to study and succeed,” Drew Campbell said.
Drew Campbell’s father also went to South and has been involved with South since he was young. When he went to South, he was involved in football.
“I enjoyed playing football for South because I liked the sport, and being a part of a tradition at South,” Drew Campbell said.
Jackson Campbell
Jackson Campbell ‘21 is a South graduate who currently volunteers at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA).
“Jackson was born with Arnold-Chiari malformation of the brain. At 14 months old, Jackson was not crawling or walking. He had brain surgery at 14 months and almost immediately began crawling. He started walking 3 months later. That said, Jackson was also born with a general cognitive delay, which impacts his ability to learn at the same rate as his typically developing peers. You would not know that though because he seemingly has an unending knowledge about all things Star Wars,” Shannon Campbell said.
Jackson’s favorite part about South was the classes he took, and being with Brennan Young.
“Weight lifting was my favorite,” Jackon Campbell said.
To Jackson, being a Saxon is important because it means he is part of a legacy. His favorite teacher was Brennan Young and hanging out in the Development Learning Classroom, (DLC).
“One of my favorite memories at South was roasting Brennan Young,” Jackson Campbell said.
Kate Campbell
Kate Campbell ‘23 goes to the University of Oregon (U of O) and had previously taken a gap year, and went hiking in Chile. She was heavily involved in the SPED programs at South, along with the choir. In turn, her favorite teachers were Brennan Young and Aubrey Dunham.
“Mr. Young has changed South’s culture for the better, the school is a better place because of him. Ms. Dunham took our music program and elevated it to a level it has never been at before,” Kate Campbell said.
She also played tennis while attending South. She enjoyed her experiences here at South, with Choir and the Unified programs especially. Something memorable for her about the school as a whole was the school spirit.
“It was pretty good. The spirit was usually high, and all the staff were nice, at least, for the most part,” Kate Campbell said.
Claire Campbell
Claire Campbell ‘23, the younger twin of the two, goes to American University in Washington D.C. She plans to join the Air Force and is currently a sophomore there. She was also a big part of the SPED program and choir. One of her favorite moments was her time in the choir.
“Winning Choir state my senior year was really cool,” Claire Campbell said.
She was a part of the choir all four years of high school and learned a lot from her time at South.
“I learned a lot about how to work with people from different backgrounds than me,” Claire Campbell said.
Not only did she learn a lot, but she also enjoyed her work in the choir, and her involvement in everything unified.
“I loved choir because it was competitive, I loved working towards a goal as a group. I liked the intensity of the symphonic choir. I loved Unified because it taught me how to empathize and communicate with people. I literally got a unified tattoo after I graduated,” Claire Campbell said.
