John Rue

John Rue joined Campbell Hall as a high school English teacher in 2009. In addition to his teaching role, he worked with students to create the school’s first and only satirical magazine, The Campbell Soup. Much loved by the community, the publication ran for several years.

John’s passion for equity in education soon led him to develop a public partnership program that leverages Campbell Hall’s resources to help underserved students in the San Fernando Valley along the college and career pathway. Launched in 2014, the mission-aligned Campbell Scholars Program (CSP) is now firmly entrenched in the school, with many Campbell Hall students, alumni and faculty working in the summer enrichment portion of the program. The program’s impact is borne out by the success of its participants, with scores of scholars from the initial cohorts on track to graduate from college and scores more positioned to follow their lead.

Because of his belief in the mission of Campbell Hall and desire to further the impact of the Campbell Scholars Program, John designated the school as a beneficiary on a life insurance policy he obtained from TIAA CREF. This simple gift planning strategy allowed him to allocate future funds, at no additional cost to him today, to a charitable organization of his choice.

“I chose to work at Campbell Hall because it’s a school with a soul,” says John. “Central to our mission and purpose is a social responsibility to the broader community. I am most proud of Campbell Hall for its commitment to helping underserved students through the Campbell Scholars Program. The enduring work of this program impacts not only the participants but their families as well, creating lasting generational change. Knowing this program and Campbell Hall would endure, I wanted to leave a legacy for the school and the community to demonstrate my belief and confidence in an institution that is building something of meaning for the future.”