STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. -- A Virginia elementary school principal has gone above and beyond his normal job description to spark joy and curiosity during the days leading up to Winter Break. For the past two years, Rocky Run Elementary School principal Nick Roman has turned himself into Ricky, the Elf on the Shelf.
"The last five days before the holiday break, I dressed up as Elf on the Shelf and just hid around the car ride or bus rider loop in the morning for arrival time," Roman said. "It kind of just caught fire. A lot of people enjoyed it. So I figured you know what, why not continue? It's worth the cold mornings to bring some fun and smiles to faces."
Roman said he was inspired to dress up last year in reaction to the toll the COVID-19 pandemic took on his students and staff.
"[I was] looking for ways to bring joy and curiosity back into the school. That's really what it was all about. Just the joy of something different," he said. "The curiosity of where's he going to be next? What's he going to be doing next? The kids enjoyed it, the parents enjoyed it, staff enjoyed it, so why not continue it?"
Roman said he did not share his plan with anyone at the Stafford County school, so he got some strange looks on the first day.
"Pure shock. Nobody knew that it was happening. I didn't tell anybody. I didn't even tell any staff members, I just showed up by the marquee in the morning reading a book and dressed as the Elf. Just motionless and not speaking or looking," he said.
Parent Kelly Blumenthal has been documenting Roman's transformation and sharing his scenes on social media.
"Mr. Roman is one of a kind. It’s very fitting for this season that his first name is Nick because he truly is St. Nick Roman. Not just during the holidays but all year round," she wrote. "He truly doesn’t want any child to have a bad day and will do anything possible to make them smile."
For the holidays this year, Principal Roman asked parents and community members to take some time to thank a teacher.
"Schools around the globe work their tails off, work tirelessly to plan lessons, activities, track data, for students, for teaching and learning, and to be who they need to be as adults in their life," he said. "We appreciate the team effort that we have from moms and dads, guardians, adults at home, sometimes it's big brothers and big sisters, to support us in that and to remember that we are dealing with and teaching underdeveloped humans. That is no small order. Together we make the biggest difference. Thank a teacher the next time you see a teacher. Just thank them for the heart and the effort that they put into their job every day because it's making a difference."
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