Principal of the Day
Jamie Carter could hardly believe his luck.
He had entered the school contest as a joke. All he had to do was write one sentence explaining why he’d make a good principal.
“Because I’d make every school lunch pizza and have longer recesses!”
He never expected to win. But somehow, he did.
On Monday morning, Jamie marched into school wearing a hoodie, a clip-on tie, and his big brother’s sunglasses. Mrs. Clark, the real principal, handed him a shiny clipboard and said with a grin, “Good luck, Principal Jamie. Try not to break the school.”
Jamie grinned back. “Easy.”
His first acts as principal were wild. Pajamas were now allowed all day. Recess was extended to two hours. And best of all: pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The students cheered. The teachers groaned.
By 10:00 a.m., things were falling apart.
In the hallway, the pizza delivery guy accidentally crashed into a student from recess. Mr. Thompson, the math teacher, declared, “I’m done!” and sat in the teacher’s lounge.
Then came the worst news of all: Nibbles, the class hamster, was missing.
“Check the vents!” a student shouted.
Jamie ran through the school with a butterfly net. Meanwhile, the cafeteria ran out of pizza. Kids were arguing over crusts. In the gym, dodgeballs flew like meteors. In the hallway, students raced around on rolling chairs, crashing into lockers.
Jamie sat in the principal’s chair and sighed. “This is a disaster.”
Finally, after an hour of searching, Jamie found Nibbles hiding behind the vending machine, happily nibbling a gummy bear. Gently, Jamie scooped him up.
Back in the office, Jamie made some changes. Pajamas were canceled. The teachers returned to class. Pizza was replaced with regular school lunch.
The teachers cheered. The students groaned.
At 3:00, Mrs. Clark returned.
“Well?” she asked.
Jamie handed her the clipboard with a tired smile. “Being principal is harder than it looks.”
Mrs. Clark nodded. “Good lesson.”
Jamie stretched. “Tomorrow, I’ll just be a regular student again.”
He paused.
“But maybe I’ll run for lunch monitor.”
