Principal for a Day

I'm a fan of New York City's Principal for a Day program, which I've taken part in for several years. This year, I was matched up with MS244, a school in the Bronx that opened in 2005. The event happened to be covered by Kate McNeil, a reporter for the Riverdale Press, a local paper. Here's an excerpt from her article:

... "At the New School for Leadership and Journalism, MS 244, Time magazine reporter Jeremy Caplan took the helm as principal on Oct. 18. His term limit? Twenty-four hours. After lunch, the seasoned journalist gave tips to a class of eighth-grade girls studying the difference between soft and hard news. Mr. Caplan told the group of youngsters he didn't know his career path until the end of college so they have "plenty of time."

"The number of journalism jobs is very small," Mr. Caplan said. "But the skills you learn in journalism are important in any profession." MS 244 Principal Dolores Peterson said her students loved having Mr. Caplan visit because "middle school students like to establish relationships."

"They had no idea what a real reporter was like," she said. "It became real for them today." Mr. Caplan suggested the students visit the Time & Life building in Manhattan to see a real newsroom. "I see this as a long-term partnership," he said..."