Former Blakely Elementary student named principal of school
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Blakely Elementary School will have a new principal starting this fall, the Bainbridge Island School District announced June 3.
Sam Cameron, former Blakely student and fourth-grade teacher, will replace previosu principal Reese Ande.
“This community first welcomed me as a student, then as a fourth-grade teacher, and has supported me through successes, challenges, and—above all else—believed in who I am. I am so proud to have the incredible honor of rejoining the Blakely family and cannot wait to get started,” Cameron said.
The new principal joins BISD from the Bremerton School District, where he led Crownhill Elementary for about two years. Cameron has about 12 years of experience in the education field, including nine years on Bainbridge and four in Billings, MT as a fourth-grade teacher.
In 2015, the Review reported that former governor Jay Inslee visited Cameron’s fourth-grade classroom at Blakely to assess the students’ Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum. Inslee awarded Cameron “Washingtonian of the Day” for his work in teaching students computer literacy, a commemorative recognition that the state governor offers to influential members of the public.
“Your teacher is one of the leading teachers in the state of Washington because he is leading the way that other schools can learn how to use this technology,” Inslee said.
