Fifth-Grader Principal for a Day at Shipley's Choice Elementary School

Submitted to Patch by Shipley's parent Lynn Harmeyer, photos by Deidre King.

Shipley's Choice Elementary School's (SCES) annual Principal for the Day event on Tuesday found fifth-grader Zybo Marchetti wearing a tie and looking very in charge.

Zybo placed a silent auction bid for the coveted status at the SCES Fall Festival.  

The Principal for the Day works beside SCES principal Rocco Ferretti the entire school day to see what the roles and responsibilities are as being the principal at SCES.  

"Having a student be the Principal for the Day is always great fun for me. It lets the students really see what the role of the principal is beyond being the greeter of the car riders and a man sitting in the office," he said.

"As we walked through classes, my principal [for the day] gets to learn about what information I can gather about teachers and students in my quick classroom visits," said Ferretti, adding that he discussed Zybo  the kind of work that a principal does - answering emails, monitoring expenses, approving field trips, planning faculty meetings and special events, Ferretti said.

"I could tell that Zybo was gaining a better appreciation for teachers and for the role of a principal. He also didn't know that I was responsible for our building 24/7 and that sometimes I have to answer the burglar alarms, even on the weekends, " said Ferretti.

The fifth-grader shined with the younger students while in his role as acting principal. "Zybo's interaction with the kindergartners was outstanding," he said, adding: "Zybo encouraged them to work hard on their lessons and to listen to the teachers."  

The experience of having a student take on the job for a day also enlightens the principal who then might make some changes stemming from their suggestions. 

"I always learn from my Principal for the Day," said Ferretti. "Zybo suggested a neat way that we can adjust our recess and lunch times a bit and it might give the children some additional time for recess and also help the students behave better and become more responsible in the cafeteria."  

"Zybo is one of those students who has such a friendly personality and everyone was happy for him to be the Principal for the Day," he said, while whispering to him to make it a no homework day. 

Ferretti also said he was proud of Zybo for inviting his younger sister to have lunch with them in the office.

Zybo said he learned a lot, including that every door to the outside was locked, all the time. Zybo also  assisted with a fire drill - perfectly executed throughout the school.