NEWTON– Kevin Campbell, the principal of Newton-Conover High School, passed away on Tuesday. He was 46 years of age.

       According to various media reports from area newspapers, he had been fighting an eight-month battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS,) commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes nerve cells to stop working, leading to muscle weakness and paralysis.

       The student body was informed at an assembly earlier on Tuesday, and then school superintendent David Stegall sent out an announcement, according to reports.

       Campbell has begun his career at Newton-Conover as an exceptional children's teacher and athletic trainer in the school system, then served as an assistant principal at both the high school and middle school  before becoming an elementary principal.  He became principal at Newton-Conover High School in 2007. He had also served on a couple of North Carolina High School Athletic Association committees.