MASON, Mich. — While schools are out, many principals and teachers have been stepping up to the plate to supply their students with the education they would have if schools were in.
One Mason elementary school principal is doing the same by providing his students with bedtime stories and a long list of other educational material during this break.
"It's nice to see him adapt and still give us that sense of community and that he still cares," Carrie Nuffer, a mother of two students from North Aurelius elementary school said.
She, like many parents and staff members at North Aurelius elementary school, are pleased with the effort their principal Michael Prelesnik, has been putting into additional material for students.
Prelesnik says it's because he loves what he does.
"Because the kids weren't in school I thought it would just be cool to connect with them each evening. So, I started on Monday night, just reading a story," Michael Prelesnik, Principal of North Aurelius Elementary School said.
Prelesnik says he loves being a principal and when the school had to temporarily close due to the Covid-19 virus, he wanted to keep that interaction between staff and students. He says that's where the idea to read bedtime stories on Facebook came from.
"The role has definitely changed. At school, during the school day, the principal is out and about interacting with the kids in the lunchroom. Now, that the kids aren't in school I still wanted to find a way to connect with the kids and give them some sort of normality to what's going on right now," Prelesnik said.
He says the bedtime stories started off as an idea he had but quickly turned into something bigger. He says now students, parents and staff log-on to Facebook lives to have conversations and enjoy the stories together.
"He's making it fun. Every day at 8 o'clock he reads all the kids a bedtime story and posts it on Facebook and they can comment, they can like it and heart and I really think that's fun," said Alison Nuffer, a fourth-grader at North Aurelius elementary school.
Parents say the online bedtime stories are really benefiting them.
"It makes bedtime a little bit easier, it's apart of the new bedtime routine. They still see their friends that they can't see right now. So, it's made a big difference just to have a little bit of community still going on right now," Carrie Nuffer said.
Prelesnik says while he likes to read fun stories, he also tries to incorporate important topics that will help students understand what's going on.
"We've also talked a lot about Covid-19 and we've read some stories. We read a story last night about social distancing that was written for elementary students. I've talked about washing your hands and we have some materials that I share about how to wash your hands," Prelesnik said.
The governor says schools are will remain closed until April 13th. So far, she hasn't confirmed if students will go back at all this school year.
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