Westerville North High School Principal Kurt Yancey and Head Custodian John Edwards learned a lot about the trials and tribulations of each other’s jobs when they switched roles on May 4.
May 4th turned out to be anything but a typical Friday at Westerville North High School. Yes, it was Career/College Destination Day for the seniors, and it was also National Star Wars Day. However, that is not what everyone was anticipating. May 4th was the culmination of North’s “Principal for a Day” contest. The week before Spring Break, North students brought in loose change and placed it in one of 14 boxes that contained the names of various staff members. The winning staff member would switch places with Principal Kurt Yancey, while Mr. Yancey would take up the duties of that staff member. In the end, the school raised $1,937.45 for the Faith Pruden Foundation to battle pediatric cancer, and selected Head Custodian John Edwards as the 2018 “Principal for a Day.”
Principal Edwards and Head Custodian Yancey did a marvelous job switching roles, with Edwards wearing Yancey’s iconic Warrior pullover and Yancey wearing a personalized Westerville City Schools custodial shirt. Their radio conversations back-and-forth were beyond priceless as both called upon each other for advice throughout the day. This was North’s second year for the “Principal for a Day” contest, an idea created by senior Trent McFarland and staff member Ben Hartnell as a fundraising idea for the Friends of Faith Pruden Foundation. “This couldn’t have gone any better!" said Dr. Hartnell. “We can't thank the students enough for their generosity, and we are especially thankful that Mr. Yancey was such a good sport! This will be a day that we remember for a long, long time.”