Swapping out

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Students take on teaching jobs for the day

DEERING — A tradition of well over a decade continued on Thursday at Dawson-Bryant Elementary School, as students stepped in and took on the duties of their usual mentors.

The school had its annual teacher for a day event, with the winners taking on the positions, which were auctioned off earlier in the year at the campus’s fall festival.

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Winning the big job this year was Hunter Bruce, of the fifth grade, who took over for the day from principal Monica Mahlmeister.

Talkative and enthused about his job, he reviewed what he had done so far, as of lunchtime.

“I added 10 minutes to recess,” he said. “And I walked around to classrooms to see what they wanted for state testing.”

He said the classes told him the answer was candy.

Looking ahead to the rest of the day, Bruce said he had a goal of visiting each of the school’s 30 classrooms and offering a compliment.

“To say a nice thing in each,” he said.

In addition to the principal position, some of the roles filled on Thursday were the librarian, the gym teacher, the computer teacher, the art teacher and teachers for individual grades.

Mahlmeister said they had expanded the day this year and, altogether, students took 15 positions.