Philip Campbell
Teacher
Portland High School
Portland, TN

What’s the best piece of advice you would give to someone starting Jostens Renaissance in their school?
Our overall theme at Portland High School is “Don’t Stop Believing.” Those three words played a huge role in the development and continual improvement of Jostens Renaissance in our school. People are going to be skeptical and see it as the latest program in the world of education, but we all know that Jostens Renaissance is so much bigger than that. Find ways to make highly visible, tangible changes in the beginning and be strategic and purposeful in your recognition of ALL stakeholders. Most importantly, when the going gets tough: Don’t. Stop. Believing.

How has Jostens Renaissance impacted you, personally and professionally? 
Jostens Renaissance has completely transformed who I am, both as a person and as an educator. I wake up every day and I can’t wait to get to school. I am constantly seeking ways to make our school better and ways to provide our students and Staffulty with new opportunities. I am constantly seeking knowledge on becoming a better educator and sharing that knowledge with my colleagues. I have been able to impact countless people, both adults and students, that I would not have had without my involvement with Jostens Renaissance. I have had opportunities to work with and around some of the absolute greatest educators in the country because of Jostens Renaissance. Everything happens for a reason, and my involvement with Jostens Renaissance is living proof of that.

Tina Dietrich
School Counselor/Renaissance Coordinator
Fountain Woods Elementary School
Burlington, NJ

What has Jostens Renaissance impacted the most at your school(s)?
Definitely the culture and climate. We actually have parents cry on the last day of school when they know their kids are leaving to go to the next building. Ask anyone who has been around the district and they will tell you there is a completely different vibe when you walk into Fountain Woods. People feel welcome and the energy is positive.

What the best piece of advice you’ve received?
To ignore the negative people who want to bring you down. For every parent that complains in our school their are 879 other ones that are happy! That’s who to focus on.

What’s the best piece of advice you would give to a new teacher?
RUN! Just kidding. I think it is important to get to know your students if you are going to teach them effectively. Someone recently asked me what I teach and I said “I used to teach Spanish”. Their response was “no you didn’t, you taught children.”

What’s the best piece of advice you would give to a student?
Our Renaissance theme always incorporates the word BELIEVE.  I tell them if you BELIEVE in yourself everyone else will too!

What is the funniest thing that’s happened to you as an educator?
I had a group of 9 year old girls in my office recently and one said if another girl kept acting how she was acting she was going to grow up and be a crazy cat lady and never live with a boy.

How has Jostens Renaissance impacted you, personally and professionally? What role has it played in your life?
My Renaissance Program is my heart and soul. From the first time I visited fellow hall of fame member Steve Bollar’s school to find out what Renaissance was, I was hooked. I knew our school needed this program and that it could make a difference. With my job, I get to deal a lot with the negative. Renaissance keeps me grounded. Nothing is sweeter than the reaction of a student who is not expecting to be recognized get excited. Or a student who worked to earn a recognition and finally did. Their excitement is contagious and it keeps me going. It makes the negative stuff during the day disappear. I can’t imagine working with kids and NOT having Renaissance. It’s rewarding to be a part of something that “matters”. I feel like this is what I was born to do.

Jennifer Gates
Principal
Clifton Middle School
Monrovia, CA

What has Jostens Renaissance impacted the most at your school?
A change in behavior campus wide both academically and socially and an increased level of motivation for students to improve grades and attendance.

What the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Do not let what I cannot control consume me. Focus on what I can control and keep on keeping on.

What’s the best piece of advice you would give to a new teacher?
Never forget how much you can impact the lives of students. Sometimes you will not feel the impact of this until years later but never let this alter your level of commitment and motivation geared towards making a difference.

What’s the best piece of advice you would give to a student?
Life is about opportunity: the harder you work, the more opportunity lies ahead and this will allow you to find your passion.

What is the funniest thing that’s happened to you as an educator?
Being mistaken for a student my first year teaching 8th grade (I didn’t think I looked like I was 12 years old)!

How has Jostens Renaissance impacted you, personally and professionally? What role has it played in your life?
Jostens Renaissance dramatically changed who I was personally and who I was as a teacher when I committed to beginning the program at Monrovia High School eleven years ago. It allowed me to see the small accomplishments in people and make the effort to recognize them no matter how big or small both in my classroom and personal life. I truly believe the exposure to Renaissance restored my faith in people and affirmed that relationships and human connections are one of the most important aspects of life. I knew this movement would be contagious if I gave my all to create a system that focused on these relationships to find the good in people and to give them a moment to shine for all of their efforts. Renaissance became an integral part of my life and I am so proud of all of the students and teachers who believed in the vision and worked so hard to create the many rituals and celebrations in existence today. I have many students who are grown up and have taken the principles of Renaissance and incorporated them into their professional careers. This for me, is the biggest reward of all time!

Previous Hall of Fame Inductees