He was a happy loser as students and other supporters won the wager but not the happiest of campers.
“This is what I learned: Roofs are hard. I should have used an air mattress,” said Sippel with a chuckle. “It was a long night and my old bones were not happy with me at all.”
The $10,000 goes to a fund used by Sippel and Central Academy’s teachers during the school year to cover the costs of student special events, celebrations for good attendance and pizza parties and other student-oriented activities not covered by the school’s annual operating budget.
The most recent funds will go to the school’s first “facility dog,” which is different from a therapy dog in that the Labrador retriever that will be assigned to only Central Academy – and be cared for full-time by a teacher. The dog will help comfort and entertain students.
The dog is scheduled to arrive in January.
Losing these sort of bets with the 360-student school, which has graders K-6, isn’t new to Sippel, a 17-year school administrator veteran.
Last school year’s wager in the spring for a $5,000 goal saw him lose and he had to shave his head in front of his students.
“I have a summer of family pictures to prove it. It grew back very slowly throughout the summer.”
The recent, fall walk-a-thon’s pay off for raising $10,000 saw Sippel pitch a tent on the roof over the school’s front entrance. The following school morning saw him greeting arriving amused students from up high.
The notion to entice the youngsters with his chilly, rooftop exile was “a lame brain idea of mine.”
“I didn’t want to shave my head again with winter coming, so I had to think of something so the kids would be incentivized to raise money. And if anything brings humiliation or discomfort to the principal, they are on it.”
Middletown’s Superintendent Deborah Houser was happy to hear of Sippel’s nocturnal adventure for a good cause.
“Mr. Sippel’s commitment to sleeping on the roof after students met their fundraising goal shows his remarkable sense of creativity and dedication to his students and school community,” said Houser.
“His gesture helps encourage our students to achieve their goals, and reach for new heights, both literally and figuratively.”
For future fund raisers, Sippel said two ideas are now definitely off the table.
“I have a year to think about it so I’m taking my time but it will not involve roofs or shaving, that much I know.”
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