As the school year raced to its conclusion last week, several Huntington students had an opportunity to serve as Principal for a Day in their respective school. It was a thrilling experience for the youngsters and one that none of them will forget anytime soon.
The students gained the opportunity to serve in a special capacity after winning a raffle. They all came dressed for the part, looking like mini-school executives.
At Southdown Primary School, third grader Ethan Meza Arevalo and first grader Calder Lyon had an opportunity to work alongside Principal Scott Oshrin and learn some of the ins and outs of what goes into insuring the school operates smoothly.
“The children assisted in all aspects of running the building in their leadership role,” Mr. Oshrin said. “They did the announcements, toured the facility, supervised lunch periods and checked in on the teachers.” They even enjoyed a special lunch with Southdown’s principal.
The rest of Southdown’s students reacted positively to the two young administrators. Mr. Meza and Ms. Lyon put their heads together and made a joint decision to cancel homework for every student and class in the building. “Everyone cheered as they made their announcement over the loudspeaker,” Mr. Oshrin said.
At Flower Hill Primary School, first grader Domenico Leotta and his second grade sister, Alessandra were the Principals for a Day. They deftly handled a variety of tasks, from checking on classes and seeing students in action throughout the building and across the outdoor grounds, to presenting pencils to those celebrating a birthday.
“It was a very special day at Flower Hill,” Principal Lucia Laguarda said. “We had our third grade moving up ceremony and also had two very special students serving as Principal for the Day.” Mr. and Ms. Leotta kept quite busy from the opening to closing bells. There’s little doubt they both went home exhilarated, but exhausted.
Washington Primary School also had a pair of sensational young leaders running the show from the principal’s office. Kindergartener Ethan Martin and third grade Devin Splendorio were cheered by their classmates when Principal Marsha Neville announced via the public address system that the pair would be serving in a special capacity.
Messrs. Martin and Splendorio were very visible around the building throughout the day. Mrs. Neville took time explaining to the duo the various duties associated with the job and then assigned them each some tasks to carry out. They could be found in hallways, the cafeteria and gym, classrooms and even out on the playground.
“Ethan and Devin were wonderful to work with and they learned a lot about a principal’s job,” Mrs. Neville said. “It was a fun day for everyone around Washington School.”
