Camas School District announces new Camas High principal

Camas School District Superintendent John Anzalone has announced the hiring of Camas High School’s next principal.

Kelly O’Rourke, a principal in the Clark County School District in Nevada — where Anzalone worked prior to taking over as Camas’ schools superintendent on July 1 — will lead the district’s largest high school at the start of the 2022-23 school year.

Camas School Board member Tracey Malone said she believes O’Rourke is a “wonderful match for the Camas community.”

“She will bring a spirit of collaboration and rich experience leading inclusive, welcoming school environments,” Malone said.

In the district’s news release announcing her hiring, O’Rourke said she was honored to lead the high school “alongside a dedicated staff, spirited student body and supportive parent community.”

“I look forward to learning about the rich traditions that have proven to build excellence in education and work to increase the trajectory of success,” O’Rourke stated. “I advocate for hard work, accountability, transparency and clear communication.”

The school district’s news release said O’Rourke has worked as a school principal at elementary, middle and high school levels, and “has a proven track record of unifying diverse school communities through genuine collaboration with students, staff and parents.”

“We are excited to welcome Kelly to Camas and have staff, families, and students learn more about this engaging leader known for her leadership that promotes organization, discipline, focus and flexibility,” Anzalone stated in the news release.

O’Rourke will be the third person to lead Camas’ largest high school in the past three years. She will replace Camas High School Principal Tom Morris — who told school district administrators this spring that he wanted to return to his former role as the school’s associate principal. Morris moved into the role of Camas High School’s interim principal in February 2020, after then-principal Liza Sejkora resigned following a national backlash over a Facebook post disparaging basketball star Kobe Bryant hours after a helicopter crash claimed the life of Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others. Camas School District leaders named Morris — who had been with the district for 25 years — the official principal of the high school in the spring of 2020.

Related Stories