Maggie’s Monday Mission: Principal for the Day!

     It’s an exciting Monday at Brookwood Elementary School! Grab your coffee cup full of water and walkie-talkie to join 5th-grader Maggie on her adventure as “Student Principal for the Day.”

     Maggie says she was surprised when she got to school and was called to meet with Principal Karen Lillard; she had no idea she would be the principal of her school for the day.

     The Brookwood Schools Foundation hosts an auction with items families can bid on, and Lillard says the "Student Principal for the Day" is the most popular auction item. Money raised through the auction supports innovative grants for teachers within the Brookwood Cluster.

     Maggie’s Monday was packed with events, including morning announcements, meeting with custodians, visits to art and entrepreneurship classes, participation in math and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) lessons, and a behind-the-scenes tour of the school.

“I like math and art. I like being creative and thinking outside of the box,” Maggie says of her selection of classroom visits. 

     Maggie also met with Cafeteria Manager Polly Walker to tour prep stations, storage, and refrigerated areas. She stopped by the health clinic to speak with Jen George, who is a registered nurse, and then joined assistant principals in the lunchroom to decorate for “Glow Day,” a fun lunch event where students wear neon and glow sticks and eat under colorful lights.

“A principal never works alone; there’s a whole lot of people who help us,” Lillard shared with Maggie during their morning stops.

     Lillard says students who get to experience being principal for the day love the opportunity to be in classrooms and meet with students and staff.

     “My favorite part is their excitement of being able to see behind the scenes and experiencing the life of a principal,” Lillard adds. “I love seeing the smile on our student principal’s face.”