Principal for a Day

sale . Corinth Elementary kindergarten student Hannah Bray enjoys lunch outside May 19 with principal Brenda Sharts. sale Corinth Elementary student Hannah Bray sat outside on bench enjoying a 4-year-old's idea of a well-balanced meal.

After polishing off chicken nuggets and chocolate milk, Bray spent time attempting to flush birds out of a tree before heading back to Friday's role as school principal for a day. The kindergarten student spent the day shadowing regular principal Brenda Sharts after raising the most money for the school's Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

Bray gave a quick answer when asked why she wanted to be a school principal.

"I want to be in charge," she said.

The highlights of the kindergarten student's principal duties involved operating the school intercom and getting to carry around a walkietalkie. She went with Sharts to visit school classrooms in the afternoon when she finished doing what every kindergarten student does after lunch.

"She had to go back to her classroom so the principal of the day could take a nap," Sharts said.

Nap time is one thing school sale principals would like to have. Naps aren't an option at this time of year, particularly with schools completing state tests and preparing for end-of-theyear activities.

Sharts scheduled the principal of the day activity Friday on a day when students were not involved in taking the state's Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test. During testing, Sharts' responsibilities with testing security require her to spend the majority of her time in the school hallways monitoring classrooms.

Students took PACT tests in science and social studies last week before participating in field tests of new test items developed for future editions of the PACT.

Testing is one of the more stressful activities school principals are responsible for this month. Other duties involve preparing certificates for an awards day program, supervising school activities and closing out the school year.

"We had a lot of fun today. It was neat to see school from a 4-year-old's perspective. We did have to structure the day a little differently because of Hannah's age," Sharts said. "She did get to see a lot of what a principal's day is like at this time in the school year. Maybe she will want to try it when she gets older."