If you happened to walk past the principal’s office at the Brown or Glover schools last week, you might have done a double take.
Third-graders Grace Cummings and Georgia Olson were in charge at the Brown and Glover, respectively. The two students won the third annual Principal for the Day raffle organized by the nonprofit Friends of the Marblehead Public Schools.
The two girls led morning announcements, visited classrooms and ate lunch with their “real” principals and a buddy of their choosing.
“My favorite part of the day was having lunch in the principal’s office with my friend,” Cummings said. “I also got to observe my sister’s kindergarten class.”
Brown Principal Mary Maxfield gave Cummings straight As.
“Grace was an excellent principal,” Maxfield said. “She worked hard, helped children and made everyone feel safe and happy. If she chooses to be a principal someday, she will surely succeed at it.”
In the morning, Maxfield asked Cummings how she was feeling and Grace replied, “A little nervous.”
Maxfield quickly responded, “That’s OK. I was nervous on my first day, too.”
At Glover School, Olson was eager to take charge.
“I’m most excited to supervise the first grade classrooms,” she said.
Friends of the Marblehead Public Schools raised $4,000 through the raffle. The money will be used for grants for the 2024-25 school year. The grant process opens mid-December for any community member who has an educational enrichment idea.
Grants for the 2023-24 school year included funding for social-emotional learning books at Brown and Glover, coding bots and Glover and an enhanced preschool playground at Glover. For more information, go to friendsofmarblehead.org.
Editor Leigh Blander is an experienced TV, radio and print journalist.