Principal’s secretary Carolyn Daughton, an instrumental member of the school staff for nearly 8 years, will be retiring this month.

Daughton has been working as the principal’s administrative assistant at Campolindo since January 2012 and helps the school’s operations run smoothly. In addition to supporting Principal John Walker, she provides “public relations and liaison services” and is responsible for coordinating substitute coverage for absent teachers.

Walker spoke fondly of his time working with Daughton. He said, “In so many respects, Ms. Daughton is really the face of the school. She’s often the 1st person that people interact with when they come to Campo.”  During her tenur, Daughton migrated her work station out of an enclosed space used by her predecessors and into the open area immediately behind the front counter of the main office.  She is literally the 1st person most staff and campus visitors see when they arrive during a school day.

Daughton is known for her relentlessly positive attitude and gives high praise to her superiors as well as her colleagues. “I’m going to miss terribly working with John Walker. He has been the absolute best boss I have ever had in all my careers, even before coming to this district. John Walker has a gift of helping people succeed. And that’s what I noticed about him right away. And I’m proud to work for him, I’m beyond proud to work for someone like him,” said Daughton. 

It is easy to find those among the staff who feel the same way about Daughton. “She has taught me so much since I’ve been able to work with her in the office. She has such a great attitude and such a wonderful presence. And she’s so welcoming. I’m just going to miss simply interacting with her everyday because she makes my day, everyday,” said attendance technician Stephanie Sliwinski, who has worked alongside Daughton for the past year. 

While her job often involved mundane district administrative business, she and her colleagues shared laughs and fond memories regularly.  Daughton admitted to being somewhat of a prankster. “I’ve played some pretty good ones on [Walker] before. I just have a lot of really good memories. I think the best memories are just going to be the laughs. There’s been a lot of really fun laughs here,” she said. “I have to say, even though there’s so much to the job and I know a lot of people don’t know how much goes into the job, there’s so much fun that happened around it also that a lot of times it doesn’t feel like work.”

Living life to its fullest is 1 of Daughton’s priorities, and she has already made exciting plans for her retirement. “People ask me what is the 1st thing I’m going to do when I retire and I’ve got a great answer for that: not set my alarm. I can’t wait to go to yoga classes and my gym during the day instead of at night,” said Daughton. 

In fact, with all of her plans, she may need to wake up even earlier. “I have already signed up for classes. I love to paint and draw and write. And I signed up for some night classes, I’m already taking an art class and I’m taking a writing class. I love to cook and bake, I’ve signed up for a French pastry class. I have an adorable grandson. His name is Caden. He is 17 months old and I’m going to be spending more time with him. And I have a granddaughter due in April, so I’m looking forward to that. I plan on finding a place to volunteer, somewhere in between all that,” Daughton explained.

There is hope that this will not be the last that staff will see of Daughton.  She plans on becoming an occasional substitute for the district, filling in for office staff when they require an absence.

While her good cheer and high competence will be missed, Daughton has earned her opportunity to enjoy other things. “She deserves to have a really wonderful retirement; she’s worked really hard for it. And I know that she’s going to enjoy all the time she’s going to spend with her grandchildren and her family,” said Swilinksi. 

“I have been very, very proud to work in the Acalanes Union High School District. I’ve been very proud to have served them, and I hope I’ve served them well,” said Daughton. 

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