Solvang School Principal Dare Holdren Spends the Day on the Roof
By Alice Mullin
They say you should find a balance of work and play, and perhaps no one has found a better balance than Solvang Elementary School Principal Dare Holdren. Last Thursday, Principal Holdren spent the entire school day on the roof of the cafeteria, much to the delight of the students.
“If you can’t have fun as the principal of an elementary school, you’re in the wrong profession,” Holdren said from atop the roof.
Early on Thursday morning, a few minutes before classes began, Holdren climbed onto the roof to greet his pupils. A desk was set up for him on the flat roof of the cafeteria, overlooking the playground. Holdren brought with him three items: a laptop, a megaphone, and a picture of his daughter to keep him company.
“Attention all children, your principal is now on the roof. If you need me I’ll be right here,” he told them, using the megaphone to get the message across.
He spent the next few minutes being interrogated by the kids, who asked him some important questions such as, “How are you going to get down?”
“Oh my goodness I didn’t think of that!” Holdren responded.
The elementary school principal spent most of his day doing work on his laptop, but he did take a break to watch the students participate in outdoor competitions which included the ever-exciting wheelbarrow race.
This particular day of fun and excitement was to celebrate a great school year at Solvang School and Holdren commended the students on their hard work throughout the year. The students have all finished their testing and he said that he wanted to celebrate the students for “trying their hardest.”
This is not the first goofy stunt that Holdren has pulled during his first year as the principal of Solvang School; he also participated in a slip and slide activity during Breast Cancer Awareness month.
“We want school to be fun,” Holdren explained.
Principal Holdren doesn’t mind doing goofy things for the students; in fact, he enjoys it.
