In his waning tenure, Justin Cameron helps plan CMS’ next chapter
The longtime principal has chosen to spend his final weeks preparing those around him for what comes next.
On a July morning, with students gone for the summer and the school hallways still, Principal Justin Cameron sat at a conference table discussing upcoming programs.
Beside him in the Ellen Garrison Building at Acton Middle School were Assistant Principal Olive Bradford, incoming interim Principal Dan Hausermann, and K-8 Assistant METCO Director Andre Thomas. Their conversation moved to Lighthouse, an initiative intended to support returning students after extended absences.
Cameron remains principal through July 31, but the meeting made clear a transition was underway.
“Dan’s leading this,” he said, handing the conversation to Hausermann, who explained how the program will provide struggling students with academic and emotional support.
The moment showed how the longtime CMS principal has chosen to spend his final weeks here: preparing those around him for what comes next.
Onward and upward
Cameron, who has been principal here for nine years, is leaving Acton to become director of student services for Ashland Public Schools.
He began his career in special education, became a seventh grade teacher, and eventually spent 15 years as a principal. In his next role, he’ll oversee services for students from early childhood through age 22.
“I only have eight years left until retirement,” Cameron said. “I’m looking to end my career in the area that I started [in] 25 years ago.”
He said he feels he’s leaving CMS on solid footing.
Construction on the new middle school building has wrapped up, and Cameron said CMS teachers have been recognized for strong MCAS performance and Playbook, an anti-discrimination and bias-prevention program.
Cameron’s last year also brought scrutiny.
The regional school district settled with the U.S. Department of Justice following what DOJ said was “a series” of antisemitic incidents “at both the high school and middle school levels.”
An eighth grader also publicly alleged CMS staff restricted him from wearing a keffiyeh at school to express support for Palestine. The district said the student was not prohibited from wearing the scarf and that no disciplinary action was taken against him.
While Cameron mostly wanted to talk about his team, his team was eager to congratulate him.
Bradford recalled arriving at CMS in 2019 only to see schools close months later because of the pandemic. “We thought it was going to be two weeks,” she said. “We were starting from scratch on what school was going to look like.”
She remembered Cameron and other district leaders mapping out hallway traffic patterns and classroom procedures as they worked to bring students back into school.
“If you do not have a strong leader in place who cares about people and works like mad himself,” Bradford said, “it won’t get done.”
An eye to improvement
Bradford believes Cameron’s greatest contribution has been his perspective. “Justin looks at each kid and thinks about how to make things better,” she said.
Thomas said Cameron “always helped our students be in the front of the line” and “made [events] accessible for our students.”
Hausermann, who will step in as interim principal beginning August 1, praised Cameron for fostering a school culture where leadership extends well beyond the principal’s office. He said ideas come “from walking down the hallway by a teacher who says, ‘I had this idea,’ and you’re like, ‘That’s brilliant. Let’s do it.’”
That culture, Hausermann said, gives him confidence as he prepares to lead the school over the coming year.
Parting words
While colleagues credit Cameron with helping shape CMS over the past nine years, he points instead to the educators around him. His advice: Listen to staff.
“The only thing that teachers need is support from the administration,” he said. “Once they have that support, this school will continue to thrive.”
As Cameron prepares to leave, that confidence may be his legacy.
“I know everything will stick, because every good idea was born from the mind of a faculty or staff member here at the middle school,” he said. “All they need is the support of the administrative team.”
