Four hardworking students at Aquebogue Elementary School in the Riverhead Central School District recently earned the opportunity to serve as principal of their school for a day after winning a book reading contest.
To earn the position, each student was required to read 1,000 minutes over the summer and keep track of their progress on a chart that they returned to school in September. All students who completed 1,000 minutes of reading were then entered into a “principal for a day” drawing.
The winners for Cohort 1, Machaela McGrady and Ariella Zacena, were celebrated on Oct. 13. As principals, the students visited with a virtual second grade class, learned how to use walkie-talkies and held a meeting with interim Superintendent Christine Tona where they discussed what makes their school special.
Cohort 2 winners Ryan Shields and McKayla Bozza-Carroll served in their principal positions on Oct. 15. They visited a kindergarten classroom and complimented the students, met with nursing and security staff, and wrote a script and filmed a short video encouraging next summer’s readers to accept the 1,000 minute reading challenge.