Vaccaro Retiring as Del Campo HS Principal

Vera Vaccaro is retiring as principal of after 15 years at the Fair Oaks school that also serves Carmichael.

Vaccaro has a total of 37 years in the , including serving as a physical education teacher at . She announced her retirement earlier this month to little fanfare and Brett Wolfe has been named as her replacement.

"It just feels right," said Vaccaro, whose last day at Del Campo is Thursday. "It's time for me to... give an opportunity for younger people to move into school administration."

Wolfe takes over in mid-July.

"He seems like he'd be a good fit for Del Campo," Vaccaro said. "The best advice I can give him is to come in and get to know people, know the culture of the school and work with leadership."

Vaccaro is leaving the district as it, like many districts around the country, are facing layoffs and program cuts.

"We keep having a shuffling of the deck of teachers and we've had eight or nine counselors in three years," she said. "They lose rapport with the kids... it seems like there has to be a better way to do things."

Vaccaro said she will miss the Del Campo community.

"The culture here is one that celebrates diversity where all kids are welcome," she said. "Traditions make Del Campo such a special place...there is community involvement with ROTC and community service... there's a pride here."

Vaccaro has a trip planned to Kauai, Hawaii in July with relatives to play golf. She said she plans to stay active and spend time with her dog Sam, a half Chesapeake Bay, half lab.

"I love Del Campo; I've spent a great career here," she said. "It's a great place to retire from."

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What will you miss about Vera Vaccaro at Del Campo? Tell us in a comment below.