Santa Barbara principal camped out on school’s roof as reward to student
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The principal of Franklin Elementary School in Santa Barbara spent the night on the school's roof as a reward to students.
Principal Casie Killgore promised students in May that she would camp on the roof if they raised the school's state test scores above 50 percent.
Thursday evening, students, families, teachers, and staff gathered to watch Kilgore make herself at home on the roof.
"Here I am tonight and I'm going to, you know, complete the promise and sleep on the roof," said Killgore. "They know I hate camping, so for that, they think they got me on this one."
Franklin was one of the several schools that saw test score improvements in preliminary California English and Math test results according to the Santa Barbara Unified School District.
Test scores are still being finalized, and final numbers will be released in October.
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If you're looking for the Principal of Franklin Elementary School in Santa Barbara Thursday night you will have to go to the school's rooftop.
It's all about a promise.
Casie Killgore told her students that if they could raise their state test scores 50 percent, she would spend the night on the top of a school building.
The students responded and exceeded the challenge by surpassing the state and district averages.
It was a big comeback after the COVID years when students were learning remotely and some were struggling.
Killgore said, "They were setback emotionally. And they're also setbacks academically. And it's big . It's progress. But it's also just a big moment of benchmark to sit there and say that these students are now back to where they need to be, and also not just academically, but also socially, where they're able to look at each other and smile and hug and play games and have pickup sports and really be students and be kids again. "
The deal with the students had three choices. "In May, we had a student vote. I would either hold a snake, which I'm terrified of snakes, or I would kiss a donkey or I would sleep on the roof. So overwhelmingly, the students vote about 73% that they wanted me to sleep on the roof," said Killgore.
One of the 62 teachers said the comeback was hard but they took it on. "We were able to do great things. And we're at a point right now when we are doing really well," said Pedro Guillen a 6th grade teacher. "We had to make sure they were ready and they understood that. And so everything that we did was work after work after work after work, and we got to a point where it's now. It's like a routine and they know it."
A sixth grader told us his scores when he finished fifth grade and they were impressive.
Carlos Hernandez said, "Last year I was in seventh-grade level for math, I think fifth or sixth grade for English."
For Killgore, she heads a school that has been honored in the past for exceeding expectations. Her staff "really works hard as a team to push them to those levels and really make them able to go to junior high, which is the goal that they're academically ready for a secondary system. That will get them to college entrance."
Killgore will go up at 5:30 on Thursday afternoon with a kick-off party. "So I'm going to sleep on the roof and then I'll stay here till tomorrow morning and welcome them all back on Friday morning before Labor Day weekend. "
Mark Alvarado will perform music and food will be served for anyone attending to cheer Killgore and the students on into the coming year where they plan on getting higher scores.
