The work of a school principal is difficult. Sometimes, it may require a bit of acting to motivate the troops.
Trimmier Elementary School Principal Beckie Avery made clear Friday, as she made her way to the stage, that she wasn’t acting as she stepped into a “Fear Factor” assembly.
“I barely slept last night,” she told the audience of students and staff members gathered in the cafeteria.
After the school raised $2,278 for the local United Way fund, easily above the $2,024 goal, Avery was bound by her own bargain to put on a blindfold and touch whatever her creative staff put in front of her.
She didn’t want to.
As students cheered and laughed, the frightened principal made her guesses.
The action was reflected on a screen so everyone could see.
The first item was oatmeal mixed with peaches – a slimy concoction, Avery said.
Next, she placed her hand on something soft that seemed alive. She guessed a cat. It was a rabbit.
She also reached out and handled a squid and an octopus before ending with a feathered something that ended up being a chicken.
In the middle of the event, Avery used her free pass and brought up a substitute contestant.
The “lucky” one was special programs facilitator Mayda Montero-Bonilla, who reached out to touch what she guessed hopefully was a lizard.
It was a Columbian red-tailed boa constrictor. A snake.
The horrified and grateful principal said it was “divine intervention” that kept her from handling a reptile.
“I was literally very scared,” she said of the anticipation of the Fear Factor event. “I had no idea what to expect. I thought they would want to top last year and that made me nervous.”
Three years ago, Avery agreed to kiss a goat. Next, she kissed a (not real) dinosaur. Last year, the staff came up with the Fear Factor idea and it was a hit.
Of course, it’s all for a good cause.
“They work really hard, and do such a great job,” she said. “This is a way to help give back to the community and (the United Way) helps some of our own students.”
During the activity, a fifth-grade leadership group called the Tiger Alliance held up signs when the principal guessed correctly, identifying each item.
One of them, Jessalyn Martinez, praised Avery for agreeing to the fun assembly.
“I think it’s really great,” she said, “especially for the little kids. They get excited to see the animals. She is very brave and outgoing. The United Way is a way to give back to the community.”
This year’s KISD United Way Campaign giving at the time of the recent celebration included the following:
Totals
High Schools: $9643.33
Middle Schools: $5244.74
Elementary Schools: $42,470.03
Departments: $3844.36
Campuses at the Bronze Level: $1000 - $2499
Pathways Academic Center
Chaparral High School
Killeen Career Center
Liberty Hill Middle School
Rancier Middle School
Fowler Elementary
Trimmier Elementary
Mountain View Elementary
Harker Heights Elementary
Alice Douse Elementary
Peebles Elementary
Clifton Park Elementary
Meadows Elementary
Cedar Valley Elementary
Willow Springs Elementary
Haynes Elementary
Clear Creek Elementary
Timber Ridge Elementary
Venable Village Elementary
Ira Cross Elementary
Skipcha Elementary
Central Office Staff
Transportation Staff
Campuses at the Silver Level: $2500 - $4999
Shoemaker High School
Killeen Elementary School
Nolanville Elementary School
Saegert Elementary School
