Redmond Principal Spends Day on Roof to Reward Fundraising Efforts

Evergreen Middle School Principal Sean Cassidy admits he wasn't thinking about the weather when he offered to spend a day on the school's roof if students raised more than $40,000 in an annual magazine sales fundraiser.

The deal was arranged in mid-September when the Puget Sound region was enjoying unseasonably warm and dry weather. Today, Cassidy followed through on his end of the bargain by sitting atop the roof for more than five hours—amid occasional raindrops and temperatures that barely climbed above 50 degrees.

Cassidy, who spent much of his time working under a tent, said the biggest challenge was keeping his fingers warm enough to type. But he said some minor discomfort was a small price to pay for students' collective efforts at raising some $43,000—nearly double the $24,000 brought in last year—for the ASB fund, which provides money for athletic teams, after-school clubs, assemblies and other activities.

"It was a real buzz around the school today," he said.

Students and fellow staff members used a homemade pulley system to send Cassidy his lunch and pass along papers for his signature. He came down from the roof only once, to attend a 30-minute meeting, and said he conducted all his other regular business from the roof—which included hiring an instructional assistant over the phone.

"All in all, it was pretty productive," Cassidy said.

The principal, currently in his first year at Evergreen, said he's already begun thinking of other ways to motivate students, and would like to explore the possibility of using similar means to encourage academic achievement.

"If it turns into motivating kids, I'm all for it," he said.