A Bird's Eye View: Stoughton Principal Puts Office On The Roof

STOUGHTON, MA — When Dawe Elementary School Principal Robert Cancellieri was still a kid attending Hansen Elementary, his principal Edward Quigley would sometimes dress up as Mickey Mouse. Cancellieri said it was something he would remember for the rest of his life. And now, he's making similar memories for his own students.

Last Friday, Cancellieri moved his office to the roof and spent the day up there after the students exceeded their fundraising goal for the PTO by 113 percent.

Students participated in the school's "Booster-thon Fun Run," by getting pledges from family members for running laps on an obstacle course with a DJ blasting music. The PTO will use the money raised to pay for field trips, assembly events and some will go towards a new playground, Cancellieri said.

Cancellieri said this was his third year doing something fun for the students if they managed to reach their fundraising goal. Last year, a bucket of slime was dumped on the school's gym teacher, but the principal said he always tries to one-up what was done from the previous year.

"I was trying to wrap my brain around what we could do that was cool, so I decided to spend my day on the roof," Cancellieri told Patch.

Once the principal made his decision, there were some logistics to work out. Cancellieri and school staff came into to school early at 6:15 a.m. and used a pulley system to get a table, his laptop and the U.S. flag up to the roof.

"We made it look like a principal's office," he said. "It was chilly up there. The day before was that extremely wind day, so I was a little concerned, but it calmed down."

When the students were settled into school, Cancellieri called every one outside for a game of "Simon says." The winners won a lunch date with the principal. The contest ended in tie with eight third-graders.

As for the rest of Cancellieri's daily responsibilities, he used a a two-way radio to communicate with the faculty. Any business calls he had to make with people outside the school were taken on his cellphone. Besides using the restroom, Cancellieri spent the entire day on the roof, and students jokingly gave him a hard time when he did have to get down.

"When I got down to use the restroom, I came down to kids saying 'Why aren't you on the roof?" Cancellieri told Patch.

When asked how he plans to one-up his time on the roof next year, Cancellieri said he had already gotten a few suggestions from students. The most popular idea was for him to spend a night camping on the roof. Cancellieri said there may be some permit issues and some other things to sort out first, but he was open to the idea. He said he loves giving students these types of memories.

"It was cool to reflect upon and realize these kids will always remember their crazy elementary school principal that went on the roof," Cancellieri said.