After serving as an administrator in North Carolina public schools for over two decades, Charles Blanchard retired from being principal at Chapel Hill High School on April 1, 2023, with the goal of spending more time with his family.
Proconian caught up with Blanchard to speak about the difficult decision he made stepping away from being principal.
“Major life changes are always difficult decisions that involve many different factors,” Blanchard said. “Being a principal requires long hours and weekends away from your family. For me, it was the right time to step away to devote more time with my family after serving as a school administrator since 2002.”
Blanchard said he has enjoyed his retirement and has filled his days doing the things he loves most. “The number one thing I’ve enjoyed doing during retirement is spending more time with my family,” he said. “I’ve also enjoyed going to the beach and seeing more live music, and I’ve also been able to play some golf.”
Aside from spending time with family, taking in concerts and hitting the links, Blanchard is serving as an Executive Coach for High Point University Leadership Academy, working with graduate students who are in the master’s program for educational leadership.
“Obviously, this is different from being an actual principal, but it does give me the opportunity to stay engaged with different schools and teach graduate students about the best job in the world,” Blanchard said.
Blanchard said he still as fond memories of Chapel Hill High School and misses spending time with students and faculty and staff. “And of course, I also miss getting to make daily announcements, Tiger Shout Outs, and telling corny jokes over the intercom,” he said.
Blanchard, who began his tenure at our school in 2018, said he wasn’t sure exactly when he was going to retire, but he did suspect that Chapel Hill High School would be the school he would retire from.
And while Blanchard hasn’t made the acquaintance of Steven Sullivan, who replaced Blanchard in December, he plans to do so.
“I have not met him yet, but I look forward to it,” Blanchard said.
