School leader for a day
Collegiate third-grader makes the most of opportunity
Third-grader Sarah Shapiro walked into Topeka Collegiate head of school David Hudspeth's office and stopped in her tracks.
"Are you in my chair?" she asked Hudspeth.
Their faces broke into wide grins.
Sarah was head of school on Friday. Her parents purchased the treat for their daughter during a school auction a year ago.
The two started the day by greeting parents and students at 8 a.m. Next, Sarah led an all-school assembly and showed off a golden retriever puppy that will be sold at this year's auction, which will take place Feb. 24 at the Ramada Hotel and Convention Center.
"We knew Sarah would enjoy this experience," said her mother, Barbara Shapiro, who followed her daughter Friday with a camera.
Hudspeth joked with Sarah that she had 35 phone calls and 60 e-mails to return.
"It's nice to have the day off," he said with a laugh while sitting with Sarah in his office.
Turning more serious, he said: "This is a great leadership opportunity. She's done a wonderful job."
After performing recess duty together, Sarah and Hudspeth visited classrooms and Sarah handed out candy to her peers.
Sarah also visited her teacher Jackie Schumann's classroom with family friend Hurst Coffman, a lawyer who lives in Topeka. Coffman shared his experiences with Sarah's classmates and friends.
To round out Sarah's experience as head of school, she and four of her friends went to lunch with Hudspeth at El Mezcal and then went to The Toy Store to select $50 in educational items for Sarah's class. She selected books and a game.
Her main goal as head of school? The same as Hudspeth's.
"We try to make the school a little better each day," she said, reiterating what Hudspeth whispered into her ear about what he thought his most important task is as head of school.
