Wilson to retire as assistant principal
Longtime assistant principal savoring retirement where a week is six Saturdays and a Sunday
Assistant Principal James Wilson stands outside of the entrance to prom this year. “I think all in all as an administrator in all the years I worked, I see students all the time that remember who I am and I remember who they are and it gives me a good idea that I have made some impression on their lives,” Wilson said. Photo by Celeste Montes De Oca.
July 19, 2018
Assistant principal James Wilson announced his official decision to retire from his position at the Trustee’s Awards Night on May 17.
“McCallum was a family,” Wilson said. “This is a family, and I have looked forward to coming here every day. I’ll miss the students, staff, co-workers, and the activities because McCallum is a nice community and a parent-supported school. The activities we have are rewarding, and I will miss that. I won’t stay away. I will come back to enjoy the activities; you will see me periodically.”
Wilson said he most enjoyed seeing students shine in their extracurricular activities outside the traditional school day.
“[My favorite memories are] when we are able to venture away from the school,” Wilson said. “When students are representing McCallum by doing UIL competitions and the football games are always fun to watch. Everything that McCallum does is an rewarding experience that I am able to be apart of.”
After he retires, Wilson plans on traveling and enjoying his time off.
“A person told me that once you retire you have six Saturdays and one Sunday every week,” Wilson said. “Which means that you can do most things that you have not been able to do during employment. I do feel that traveling, gardening, volunteering, assisting, and McCallum will always be part of me so I will come back to McCallum and kind of assist in anyway I can. I would like to visit Canada, and I would like to travel back to Europe and Alaska. I do love the North Western part of the United States, having lived in California for some time, I loved the scenery and geographic area so traveling to Oregon, Washington, Montana and Wyoming has always been a pleasure.”
Wilson’s advice for students would to be active in the school community.
“I would say, ‘Be all you can be,’” Wilson said. “Get involved, get active, strive for the best, and remember don’t take no for an answer. Just do whatever you strive to do, and of course you’ve got to burn the midnight over to get good grades and that’s the end result. The sky’s the limit so you can be anything you want to be, you just have to apply yourself and make a commitment.”
