BY DANI TIETZ
dani@mahometnews.com
Lincoln Trail’s Celby Ryan stepped out of his fourth-grade student classroom on Monday morning in a green tie and a gray sweater to see what it would be like to be the principal.
Ryan’s parents, Chris and Casey, won the special morning for their son at the Mahomet Area Youth Club Auction on Feb. 22.
When he learned that he would get to shadow Lincoln Trail’s principal, Megan Hunter, he said his “chest exploded” with excitement.
After making his way to the office to find Hunter, he walked with her back to his classroom to meet up with his peers, fifth-grader Kai McCollum and third-grader Karsyn Davis, for morning video announcements.
Hunter said opportunities like this are good for the kids because they get to see their principal in a different light rather than someone they just see if they are in trouble.
“My office is a space where we can problem-solve, resolve conflict and just have conversations,” Hunter said.
“I think this understanding is important so that students feel supported and also know that there is someone there to help them problem-solve and resolve conflict. The classroom teachers don’t always have time to have the conversations necessary because they need to resume instruction. I can help out by helping understand what happened, why and what we can do next time.”
Hunter spent time showing Ryan the ropes on the phone, making “Good News” calls all morning. She said he also “probably walked away knowing that principals rarely eat lunch during lunch time.”
Ryan was happy to return to his classroom for his regularly scheduled time learning and being with his friends.
MAYC’s annual auction, Hats off to MAYC, raised $75,000 to provide scholarships for hundreds of students to attend day camps, like summer and spring break, to attend BLAST classes and Kids Club, and to provide a free after-school program for Junior High students.
As a member of the MAYC board, Hunter said that she was happy to provide the opportunity.
“I’m just glad someone wanted to do it and donated money towards MAYC,” she said.
“I see the benefit that MAYC has for our students in terms of support for days when we are out of school, activities for the summer and help with financial assistance for families with Kids Club and BLAST during the school year.”
