Principal on a roof
Prince Street Elementary principal spends a night on school’s roof after students raise more than $7,000 for community cleanup
Prince Street Elementary school principal Erin Johnston spent the night camped out on the school roof as part of a fundraising challenge her students were involved in regarding a neighbourhood cleanup.
You’d expect to find footballs, Frisbees, maybe the odd shoe on the roof of a school.
The principal camping out in a tent? That’s a new one.
But that’s how Charlottetown school principal Erin Johnston, a.k.a “Ms. J,” spent Wednesday night.
It’s all part of a fundraising challenge that sees Prince Street Elementary School students canvass the community to collect sponsorships for a neighbourhood cleanup. The funds go toward the purchase of extra educational materials for teachers and students that aren’t funded by the Public Schools Branch.
This is the fourth year for the event, and it seems the kids have become masters at dreaming up incentives for themselves — and most of the ideas tend to revolve around their principal.
“Each year, it seems that a sly group of students or a class comes forward with a challenge,” said Johnston before she settled in for the unique camping experience Wednesday. “It’s actually quite lovely. It’s not a bad spot to have a little rest. (But) I don’t think the Public Schools Branch would be too fond of a campfire on the roof.”
The first year’s challenge involved Ms. J kissing a goat if the students raised $8,000 or more. Goal met. Goat smooched. Last year, Philip Brown of Prince Street Elementary’s Home and School got to be principal for the day if the students raised a certain amount.
They met that goal, too, and Brown got to be the “fun principal,” allowing the student body to indulge in ice cream, chips and candy. This year, the goal was $7,000 to have Johnston sleep in a tent on the school’s roof overnight, though the principal wasn’t quite sure how that idea came about.
“It was a group of Grade 1s and they’re a creative bunch, and I’m sure they had a little help from their teacher,” she said.
“I do not know how they came up with that.”
It’s a good thing Ms. J isn’t afraid of heights because the kids brought in around $7,100.
If they’d raised $8,000, Brown would’ve had to pitch his own tent on the roof.
But, as fate would have it, Brown also ended up having to spend the night up there along with Ms. J — although Johnston specified they would be on different campsites.
“They didn’t quite raise $8,000, but Mr. Brown is such a good sport that he’s been convinced to join me on the roof, although I can tell you he will not be sleeping in my tent,” said Johnston. “He can bring his own tent, or he can sleep under the stars.”
Jokes and odd challenges aside, Prince Street Elementary students have raised about $30,000 over the four years, putting them among the top of their class — and you can’t beat the view from there.
“(They’ve raised) over $7,000 every single year,” said Johnston. “That is unheard of for an elementary school of this size for something as simple as a community cleanup. It’s impressive.”