Paul Revere Principal Dr. Shuntell Anthony checks the middle-school facilities before school opens.
Photo: Rich Schmitt/CTN
By LAURA ABRUSCATO
Contributing Writer
Dr. Shuntell Anthony has had many roles with Los Angeles Unified School District throughout her lifetime: K-12 student, parent, special education teacher, administrator and now principal of Paul Revere Middle School.
“Hiring Dr. Anthony as principal of Paul Revere was the best decision the school could have made,” said Tom Iannucci who retired after six years as Revere principal in June. “Dr. Anthony is an exceptionally talented individual who will lead Revere forward with great ability and energy.”
Anthony was an assistant principal at Revere for six years before becoming the school’s principal this month. “Tom was a great teacher and leader,” she said. “I learned a lot from him and he’s a mentor.”
School begins Monday, August 14, for the
school’s sixth through eighth grade students.
Photo: Rich Schmitt/CTN
A native of South L.A., Anthony graduated from Westchester High School. She received her bachelor’s degree from UC Davis, a master’s degree from Cal State Northridge and her Ph.D. in education from USC.
Beginning her career as a special education teacher at Manual Arts High School, she then worked as a coordinator at Carson High School, and in the district’s charter division before coming to Paul Revere.
Anthony first encountered Revere as a parent when her oldest child Chris attended the school. “[P.E. teacher] Mr. Foxson introduced him to track and field and he went on to run for the state championships in high school.”
She and her husband Spencer Campbell, a soon-to-be retiring park and recreation supervisor, live in the South Bay.
In addition to Chris, a Houston Baptist University graduate who is now a personal trainer and educator, her family includes daughter Simone, a graduate student at the University of Illinois, Chicago; son Kole, who attends Sacramento State; stepson Trey, a UC Irvine graduate who is getting his master’s degree in social work at Claremont Graduate Institute; and stepdaughter Joy who attends Old Dominion.
Anthony enjoys the middle school age group and seeing the students’ growth during their three years at the school. “They have so much energy and they’re full of positivity. They come in and their backpack is bigger than they are, and by eighth grade, they have it down and they’re ready.”
She also appreciates the parent involvement at Revere. “I want to continue the great partnerships with parents and families. I look forward to working with PRIDE,” she says of the Revere parent booster club.
“I have an amazing staff,” Anthony says of the school’s teachers, administrators and support staff. “The staff is very committed. There’s a low turnover rate and they come every day from all parts of L.A. to work here. I love the family feeling.”
Some of her goals for the school include making sure all 1,750 students have access to high-quality instruction, improving test scores, eliminating barriers and providing social emotional support. The school has two psychologists and a full-time psychiatric social worker.
Anthony is also interested in pursuing more partnerships, such as the one the school currently has with UCLA for math and science.
She appreciates Revere’s high expectations and is looking forward to seeing happy students when the school year begins on Monday. “We want them to have a connection on campus and make good choices.”
Dr. Shuntell Anthony meets with teachers before school opens.
Photo: Rich Schmitt/CTN