Charles Blanchard stepped down as principal of Chapel Hill High School on April 1 after announcing his retirement in early February. Chapel Hill High School is losing an administrator beloved by both faculty and students, though the achievements he made in his position have made a lasting impact on the students, staff and community.
Blanchard’s interest with education started with his family. The majority of Blanchard’s family has worked in education, either as teachers or administrators including his father, who was also a principal.
“Seeing the work that my father did, as a principal, kind of inspired me to want to lead in a school beyond my classroom to hopefully have a larger impact on a larger group of kids,” he said.
Blanchard came to Chapel Hill High School in 2018 after working as the executive director of Career and Technical Education for Guilford County Schools. He had previously served as a principal Grimsley High School, James B. Hunt High School, Southeast Guilford High School, Early College at Guilford and Fuquay-Varina Middle School.. He was immediately impressed with the school’s “great academics, great arts [and] great athletics.”
What really intrigued Blanchard, though, was the renovation project to reconstruct the school. He mentioned how he was grateful to work on such a big task, and finishing it seemed to make “all that hard work worth it.”
Blanchard emphasized the gratitude he had for his community and expressed that he will miss “the kids and the teachers, and…the interactions that I get to have with them every day.” He also noted how important it was to him to “make sure our teachers feel like we’re a family and that students feel like there’s something at the school, inside and outside of the classroom that makes them feel like they belong.”
Teachers have appreciated Blanchard’s hard work as their principal. Chemistry teacher Eric Stroffergen said that he has seen many principals at Chapel Hill High School, and Blanchard has been “the best principal I’ve ever had the pleasure to have worked with.”
CTE teacher Garrison Reid appreciated that Blanchard was always “truly invested in the students, the success of the staff, and also the broader community.”
Students also expressed gratitude towards Blanchard. While many are sad to see him retire, they are grateful for the things he has done for the community.
Sophomore Lior Politi noted how Blanchard was always so accepting and welcoming, and Politii made it clear that Blanchard deeply “care[d] about the well-being of [the] community.”
Senior Erik Morales Robero agreed and said that Blanchard “has been a wonderful principal throughout the past four years.”
Junior Analise Ambrozic summed it up succinctly: “Blanchard is Chapel Hill High.”
Even clubs have had an impact on Blanchard’s leadership, with the Robotics Team naming their very own robot “Charles” after the principal.
The search to find a new principal is coming to a close, with Wakefield High School’s principal Malik Bazzell named the finalist for the job. Bazzell walked the building on Wednesday, April 12.
Though Blanchard left on April 1, he ensured that he would be back to hand the seniors their diplomas at graduation on June 10. He also noted that he will try to come back to some events such as the spring musical or even sporting events.
