Mr. Fisher was the principal that everyone would want to have. He was a big man, one with a deep voice, and a great sense of humor. Mr. Fisher was my principal since I was in Kindergarten until I was in Fourth Grade, when our school merged with two other schools. I do not think I would have wanted anyone else to lead my school in my early elementary school years.

Mr. Fisher was not just our principal, he was also our teacher… literally. He did not just strengthen us in our beliefs and discipline us, but he also taught math. I remember when it was my birthday, and I brought in donuts. I went to a random classroom to offer a donut, and found Mr. Fisher teaching math to Eighth Graders. He held up his index finger as a signal to wait, and so I waited about ten minutes to find out that Mr. Fisher did not want a donut. As the principal, Mr. Fisher was always present throughout the whole day, not just stuck in his office. During arrivals and dismissals, whether it was raining or sunny, Mr. Fisher was always outside greeting parents and children, engaging in conversations, and directing traffic. During both lunches, Mr. Fisher was in the cafeteria, walking around, helping children open a snack, lending money, and, most importantly, scolding anyone who had their elbows on the table. Amazingly, he knew everyone’s name.

I can recall a fundraiser that my school once had. If we reached a certain amount of money, Mr. Fisher promised to go out on the roof of the school, and remain there throughout the whole day, and night. We reached that goal, but, sadly, Mr. Fisher could not spend the night out on the roof, fore it had to rain. Mr. Fisher always wanted the best for everyone, trying to find the best solution to our problems, and never giving up on us. He tried his best in everything that he did, and you could really see that. In every student, Mr. Fisher saw success and talent, and he always made us realize that. I remember when I was in the Third Grade and every teacher had to give tickets to a Bluerocks’ game to three students in their class. I was really disappointed to find out that my teacher did not pick me, but as I was returning to class from lunch one day, Mr. Fisher waved me over to the side. My mind started racing with thoughts of “What did I do this time” and “But I didn’t do anything”. I was really nervous, but then I felt really excited when Mr. Fisher handed me two tickets to the same exact baseball game.

As the principal, Mr. Fisher always knew when it was time to have fun, and when it was time to be serious and get work done. Of course, most of the time we were working and learning, but we still had a lot of fun times. From sports, to clubs, to masses and other activities, we were always together as a family. Mr. Fisher frequently reminded us that our education is the most important thing, and he motivated us to keep our grades up and set goals for ourselves. Since we did attend a Catholic School, Mr. Fisher constantly advised and instructed us on our faith, and how to live our lives properly. Also, he always set an excellent example of how to be efficient, successful, and a good person. 

Mr. Fisher was an amazing principal, and teacher. He really cared and looked after his school, students, and staff. I have many memories of Saint Matthew’s Catholic School, and, ironically, most of them are because of Mr. Fisher. After our school closed, Mr. Fisher went on to Saint Mark’s High School to teach math there. Mr. Fisher might have been our principal, but he did not call himself that. He called himself our friend, or, as he would say it, our “Princi-pal”.

Mr. Fisher is my nomination for Teen Ink's Educator of the Year.