Rockwell principal goes to new heights to keep a promise

Rockwell Elementary Principal Laura Kerr sits on the roof of the school. She camped up there as a reward for the students and their EOG tests. Photo by Andy Mooney, Salisbury Post.

Rockwell Elementary Principal Laura Kerr sits on the roof of the school. She camped up there as a reward for the students doing well on their EOG tests. Photo by Andy Mooney, Salisbury Post.

Rockwell Elementary principal Laura Kerr sits on the roof of the school. She camped up there as a reward for the students on their EOG tests. Photo by Andy Mooney, Salisbury Post.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009 7:25 AM |

By Drew Sechler

dsechler@salisburypost.com

ROCKWELL — Laura Kerr climbed to new heights to keep her word Monday afternoon.

"Ms. Kerr is on the roof!" a Rockwell Elementary School student yelled as school let out.

Kerr, the principal at Rockwell Elementary, made good on a promise: When students showed improvement on their end-of-grade tests, she pledged to camp out on the school roof.

"They earned a star while they were taking the EOGs on their test-taking strategies," Kerr said.

Those stars added up and, before she knew it, Kerr was up on the roof.

Kerr, who has been principal at Rockwell Elementary for a year and a half, said students made a big improvement over last year's scores.

"We just wanted to make sure they executed the process," she said.

Kyle Inchardona, a fifth-grader, showed his enthusiasm for his principal.

"I think it's awesome and funny," he said of Kerr's climb to the top.

As students gathered in the school's courtyard, they all yelled to Kerr as she waved back at them from her perch. Cars even honked their horns as they read the signs placed out front.

One student proclaimed, "I didn't think she'd do it!"

Kerr certainly did do it, and if you drove by Rockwell Elementary last night and saw a tent on the roof of the school, you now know it was just the principal following through on that promise.