I first met Jessica Daniels when she was a classroom teacher — and a really good one. She was always finding creative ways to bring lessons to life for her students.
Now that she’s principal of Carson Montessori School, things haven’t changed.
“Mrs. Daniels is kind and she compliments us,” said Emjae Salanoa, 8. “She makes school fun.”
She’s also creative, and maybe even a little crazy.
She challenged students to raise $6,000 for the spring Spell-A-Thon. If they did, she promised, she would sleep on the roof of the school.
“We can choose to be crippled by limited funding or we can choose to make a positive difference,” she said. “This is real-world education at its finest.”
The students rose to the challenge. In the end, they went $1,500 over the goal, reaching $7,500.
Much of the donations came rolling in at the last minute.
“We wanted to make Mrs. Daniels sleep on the roof,” Emjae explained.
She didn’t disappoint.
The principal was raised to the roof in a scissor lift decorated like a tropical island Wednesday evening. The next morning, students were greeted by Mrs. Daniels from her rooftop porch. Children ate muffins during an all-school assembly.
“The students feel immense pride knowing that their hard work has paid off,” Daniels said. “Seeing me sleep on the roof has created the fun and excitement that must be the foundation for a love of learning.”
Money raised during the Spell-A-Thon are going to be used for field trips at the Montessori School, which is a charter school in the Carson City School District. It’s a public school funded through tax dollars.
Field trips are particularly important to the school, which is centered around real-world, hands-on activities.
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Per my request last week, I have received some marital advice from my wise readers. While I have taken to heart most of the tips, some I have had to reconsider — like the one about believing my husband-to-be is always right ….
If you have any tidbits, I’d love to hear them.
Send them to me at terivance@rocketmail.com.
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