David Crowley smiled when a 6-year-old student at Washington Park Elementary showed the Cincinnati councilman a sign he made.

        The sign read: “I love you grandma.”

Cincinnati Councilman David Crowley serves as “Principal for a Day” at Washington Park Elementary School. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

        Mr. Crowley, acting as a principal for the day, along with 40 other CEOs and community leaders at Cincinnati Public Schools Wednesday, patted the boy on the head and asked, “Did you make that for your grandma? All right!”

        It was only after he walked away that Mr. Crowley learned the student had found his grandmother dead a few days earlier. Mary Goodwin Corbin, the school's principal, said she wasn't sure who will care for the boy, who lived with his grandmother.

        “There are so many knocks they take that aren't their fault,” Mr. Crowley said. “I have more of an appreciation than ever for the role of the teacher.”

        That's part of what organizers hoped to accomplish in the second annual “Principal for a Day” program.

        “We wanted business and community leaders to go behind the headlines and discover the treasures and challenges that exist inside,” said Maria Cholak, director of Partners in Education, a program of the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative.

        Mr. Crowley saw both the challenges students face and the accomplishments at Washington Park, an Over-the-Rhine school where 96 percent of the 450 students are African-American.

        Part of Mr. Crowley's day was spent in celebration for a class where every student passed the writing proficiency test.

        He also helped students with long division, visited the social worker's office — it has a washer and dryer to clean clothes for students who can't do that at home — and tossed around a basketball with students at lunch.

        “By being aware of what goes on — the good and the bad — we can improve,” Ms. Cholak said. “If we want a strong Cincinnati, we need everyone to support Cincinnati Public Schools.”
       

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