Book 'em, Amie: Fourth-grader spends day as principal because she reads so much


MENIFEE -- When kids dream of being principal of their school, many envision soda coming out of the drinking fountains, ice cream and Popsicles being served in the cafeteria and recess all day long.

That wasn't the case when 10-year-old Amie Garcia took the helm at Callie Kirkpatrick Elementary on Friday. Things ran pretty much as normal at the Menifee campus.

In fact, if Amie had her way, her 800 schoolmates would have spent the day reading.

That's because Amie, a fourth-grader, earned the distinction of being Principal for the Day by accumulating 700 points in the Accelerated Reader program.

In Accelerated Reader, students take tests on books they have read, earning points based on their scores. Most schools, including Kirkpatrick, offer rewards as students gather points. Pizza and parties and bookmarks and pencils are among typical prizes.

Before Amie, no one had earned the ultimate prize at Kirkpatrick -- being the school's principal for a day.

As principal, she opened the Callie Connection, a schoolwide gathering at the beginning of the day, introduced two performances of "Robin Hood," visited some classrooms, supervised lunch and attended a volunteer award celebration.

She didn't, however, use her new power to punish any classmates or declare the day homework-free.

"I still want to be a teacher, but it was really fun being a principal," said Amie, whose mother, Jill, is a teacher in Moreno Valley.

Amie has accumulated her points by reading 157 books -- a total of 4,638,731 words -- and taking a test for each. And that's not counting the books she reads outside the program.

"I just love to read," Amie said. The Harry Potter and Redwall series of books and "The Chronicle of Narnia" are her favorites.

Teri Schmolesky, who oversees the Accelerated Reader program for the school's Parent-Teacher Association, said 90 percent of the campus participates. The hope is for children to score 200 to 300 points, with an average of 150 to 200, she said.

"Seven hundred is really an accomplishment," Schmolesky said. "You know how many books you have to read to get to 700?"

Although Amie's father, Roberto, said he often has to pull her away from a book when the family needs to go somewhere, don't think she sits with her nose buried between the pages all the time.

Amie is an accomplished softball and soccer player and also plays the piano and participates in the school's Gifted And Talented Education program.

Kirkpatrick Principal Lynn Hanke, who stepped aside for Amie on Friday, said it takes self-motivation to accumulate so many points.

"It has to come from within," Hanke said. "Her initiative is incredible. That's why she excels all over the place."

Hanke also praised the PTA, which oversees the program and purchases books, tests and prizes.


