HVE Students Eat Up New Principal’s Personality

Students at Happy Valley Elementary never know what to expect from Principal Sarah Jones.  In her first year as the school’s lively leader, she’s already directed morning drop-off traffic dressed as a giant orange traffic cone. After the kids exceeded their annual jog-a-thon fundraising goal, their principal spent a day wearing an inflatable, colorful unicorn costume, complete with a long horn and bushy tail. Then on “Formal Day” during Spirit Week, “Miss Sarah” walked the halls in a fancy bridesmaid dress as if it was just another day at Happy Valley.

“She is the most kindest principal in the whole world,” summed up second grader Theodore Lui.

Yet even if Happy Valley’s surprised students never know what will come out of Jones’ closet next, they all know one thing for certain: Their principal cares very deeply about each one of them as more than just a student. Need proof? Just check the cafeteria, where Principal Jones meets groups of eager eaters most days to fulfill her goal of personally eating lunch with every single Happy Valley student before Winter Break. Yes, all 489 of them.

“My goal is to learn all their names and for them to see that the principal’s office is not just a bad, ‘you’re in trouble’ place,” explained the personable principal. 

In between burrito bites and chomps on chips, Miss Sarah’s special guests share plenty of heartwarming nuggets about their daily lives, which Jones scribbles on her scratch pad.

“Hey Miss Sarah, did you know my church is having a holiday play and I’m the narrator, so I’m writing all the scripts?” asked fifth grader Niko Skoro.

“I went to the mall over the weekend but I mostly just fought with my brother over the phone,” chimed in classmate Hailey Naung.

Jones smiles and nods along during each conversation as she gets to know students. “I like to build that relationship. They love it because it’s quieter and calmer in my office, and I always like to ask them, ‘What makes your teacher super cool?’”

“The younger kids are hilarious,” she laughed. “Like one of them said about their teacher, ‘She’ll help you whenever you need help…unless you’re lying and she knows all the lies of the entire world.”

No lie-- Jones also keeps a list of student sentiments to share with each teacher. “And the feedback has been super positive when they receive my little lists.”

Second grade teacher Olivia Shaw can’t say enough about what a positive impact the school’s new principal has made in just her first few months on the job. “When I received an email with feedback that my students gave her about what they like about school and about me as a teacher, it really filled my bucket,” said Shaw. “I cried when I read it. The fact that she was thinking about kids and them having a good time learning about her, while making teachers feel good too, just speaks to who Sarah is.”

Jones says she’ll have eaten with all 489 students by mid-December, and it hasn’t taken long for kids from all grades to warm up to the caring culture she’s building throughout the two-story school.

“I really like our school because there’s always so much going on,” said Nuang. “Whether it’s a giant fundraiser or something small at recess, there’s always something going on that’s exciting.”

Will Jones cycle through students again after the break? “Just once a year,” she chuckled. “It’s a big time commitment, but it’s worth it to learn their names and get to know them.”

And students and staff love getting to know Miss Sarah as well. “She’s doing phenomenally in her first year,” said Shaw. “We just love her and she’s been a great addition to our school. We are all Team Sarah.”

A team that’s building an inclusive school culture one lunch at a time.