In his first act as principal for the day, 9-year-old Joey Przedwojewski declared Tuesday “Blazers Spirit Day.”
To show his spirit, and set an example, Joey donned white Trail Blazers shorts and a jersey with Joel Przybilla’s name and the No. 10 on the back. About a third of the Grass Valley Elementary student body joined Joey in wearing Blazers garb and other red, black and white attire.
The proclamation was just one of Joey’s duties as principal. The reserved third-grader couldn’t pinpoint one task he was most excited to tackle — or one he dreaded most — but thought the idea of being the first student principal at the new school was pretty cool.
Joey’s friends were pretty excited too.
“When I told them, they were just like, ‘Lucky!’” said Joey Przedwojewski (pronounced pred-wa-jeski).
Joey’s day as Principal Patricia Erdmann’s job shadow started out pretty easy.
“We just had to go over our schedules,” Joey said, holding a neon green clipboard with the paper outlining his day fastened to it.
But by the time the morning bell rang, Erdmann and Joey were off and running.
The first order of business: Prepare for a school assembly. Joey put up signs designating where the students, ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade, should sit and pulled the American flag out from its hiding spot in the corner of the stage. Then, he waited for his classmates to arrive.
“Ms. Erdmann said there’s a surprise at the end,” Joey said as he waited. He didn’t know what the surprise was but said he favors good surprises.
The zebra mascot that popped out from behind the stage curtain and danced in front of the students constituted a good surprise, he said after the assembly.
During the assembly, Joey led the school in the pledge of allegiance and handed out ribbons to participants in an school art contest. When the assembly came to a close, Joey gave his classmates dismissal directions.
Joey spent the rest of his day visiting classrooms, monitoring students at lunch and recess periods, taking photos of people and things on campus and helping direct riders to their buses. He also made a visit to a kindergarten classroom, where he read stories to his young friends, and had a special lunch party.
“One thing Joey gets to do that I don’t, he gets to sit down with five friends and have lunch in the conference room,” Erdmann said Tuesday morning. “I don’t have that leisurely of a lunch.”
Joey won the chance to try his hand as a school administrator during an auction in October. Joey’s parents had the winning bid of $188 at the Camas Educational Foundation fundraiser. The event raised more than $73,000 that will pay for grants to be used by Camas School District staff and students. Each school in the district offered “principal for a day” in the auction.
“I thought it would be a good opportunity for him to enjoy school more,” said Joey’s mom, Diane Przedwojewski. “To follow around Ms. Erdmann is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Erdmann agreed the principal-for-a-day duty allowed Joey — and anyone else who had the opportunity — to see the school through somebody else’s eyes.
“I think it’s really a nice thing to do, but it’s challenging because I want it to be meaningful,” Erdmann said. That’s why Joey visited his own classroom for an hour while Erdmann attended a meeting, she said.
One of Joey’s final acts for the day was a continuation of his first act as principal. He ended the long day in charge by kicking back in his Trail Blazers uniform and watching his favorite team play on TV.
