“This is organized chaos,” Barry Espil, principal of West Cottonwood Middle School, informed me as we sat in the back of the seventh-grade science class during my brief tenure as “principal for a day.” Students laughed and talked as they distributed stacks of papers to each other. Each gathered their pile of cumulative school work to assemble in a portfolio which parents would see at a parent night.

The activity seemed anything but chaotic. Students were having a good time, getting the work done and engaged in the process — evidence of a lesson well-planned and implemented. Sitting under a ceiling of colorful, dangling DNA double-helixes and salmon swimming around the lights, I soaked up the exuberance. It felt good to momentarily exchange my world of words and computers for laughter and learning.

This year marks 15 years the Principal for a Day program has been in place. Put on by the Shasta County Office of Education, its purpose is to build a bond between school and the community and show community and business leaders what kinds of challenges the schools face today.

My morning “briefing” with Mr. Espil before I headed into the trenches was a good overview of the school’s programs, successes and ongoing challenges. As I’d already heard, declining enrollments are nibbling away at ADA (Average Daily Attendance) figures, which in turn nibble away at school funding. The Cottonwood Union School District doesn’t seem to be quite as hard hit with this problem as other districts, but they did lose 33 students last year.

Espil pointed out that “split families” can be yet another source of challenge for students as they struggle to succeed in school. Those kids need individualized attention from teachers and administrators — no small task, especially when added to regular school workloads.

I was impressed with the school’s computer lab, which offers about 30 computers for students to do research for assignments. Internet access these days is a must for students of all levels, for academic and future business success. I watched a couple of fifth-graders effortlessly navigate their way to Louis XIV on the Web, reminding me how far technology in schools has come in just the past few years.

All the teachers and staff I met while visiting West Cottonwood were enthusiastic and welcoming. The classes I saw in progress were full of energetic teachers and engaged students. We’re fortunate to have such high quality education in our community.

Next week, I will have the added honor of being Principal for a Day at the newly built North Cottonwood Elementary School with Principal Mark Boyle. That school has taken the 3rd through 5th grade students from West Cottonwood, leaving the latter with some much-need space for their 6th through 8th graders.

I look forward to seeing this newest addition to South County schools and making something fun out of construction paper and glue.