‘Twas two nights before Christmas, and inside the school, the principal sat hiding, perched on a stool.
Staten Island Technical High School’s Mark Erlenwein is the state’s principal of the year. But he’s also the princip-elf on a shelf.
Erlenwein tucked himself away in a display case in his high school’s hallway, while dressed as an elf. In fact, he was so well tucked away — and the students were so focused on where they were going — some walked right on by. But not without getting a dose of fake snow, from a machine Erlenwein controlled from his perch.
What You Need To Know
- Staten Island Tech is one of the city's most prestigious and competitive high schools
- But principal Mark Erlenwein, the state’s principal of the year, says it's also important for students to cut loose and have fun
- So he organizes festive events for the holidays to help kids unwind
“My motto is work hard, play harder, because their version of work hard is really hard,” Erlenwein sad of his students. “So we have to show them that it’s ok to have some fun, and to make that fun active and possible by making it happen.”
Down the hall, members of the glee club sang holiday carols as the classes changed. And after a quick costume change, Erlenwein blew up a giant inflatable snow globe in the school’s cafeteria.
“I love inflatables. If you take a look at my office, you’ll see there’s probably about five or seven different inflatables, a twelve foot skeleton. So what’s better than an inflatable than to be inside the actual inflatable?” he asked.
Erlenwein says that activities like this are an opportunity for some of the students at this specialized high school — who are super focused on their success — to enjoy just being a kid.
“I think that one thing I love about Tech is the way we take the pressure off with other activities. There’s a real sense of community here and the work’s not so bad when you’re doing it with people that you’re close with and people that are supporting you through it,” said 17-year-old senior Michael Varriano.
Erlenwein and a colleague climbed inside for a snowball fight, of sorts, complete with wrestling championship belts.
“This is a school with a lot of students who are always trying to be — to get A pluses, and study for tests. And it can be stressful sometimes. So these days make it a really amazing experience to come to Tech and like de-stress,” 17-year-old seeior Mariella Reynoso said.
Guidance counselor Cathy Ecker says these kinds of antics help reduce the pressure and bring kids together.
“It’s a great way of connecting with everyone, especially after COVID where everyone was so isolated and kids felt very alone, now there’s a big connection in the school,” Ecker said.
It was all capped off by a performance from the marching band through the school hallways during class.
“The only goal here today is just to have fun,” Erlenwein said.