Haslett principal gets special surprise from elementary school students

• For National Principals' Day, students and staff at Ralya Elementary School in Haslett came together surprise principal Erin North.
• Watch the video above to see that special moment caught on camera!

(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)

As the school year finishes up at Ralya Elementary School in Haslett, students and staff prepared a special surprise to show their admiration for one deserving member of the community.

"I don't really get emotional about stuff. This is really nice. Thank you," said Erin North, principal at Ralya Elementary School.

Students from Ralya Elementary gather in the gymnasium on Wednesday, they've been keeping a secret.

May 1st is National Principals' Day, and they've prepared a surprise for Ralya Elementary School Principal, Erin North.

"I was told I was coming in for an assembly for a local business to award a check for a grant that was written," said North.

Instead, North was presented with a video put together by teachers and students across the school to celebrate her.

Multiple students read kind words, then presented North with flowers, and gifts.

"It was definitely unexpected and so it was appreciated," said North.

Erin North has served as principal at Ralya Elementary for the past five years. She says it's her connections with students and staff, as well as the little moments that make her job special.

"I'm just so grateful, because it really is the people that make this place so special," North said. "You do things and you don't really know that people notice, but they do and so it's just really, really nice."

Desiree Waters, a social worker at Ralya Elementary, came up with the idea. She says it took about a month to prepare, and the whole school worked together to show their appreciation.

"Mrs. North is a part of everything, she creates events for us, she organizes everything, and I thought it would be nice to celebrate her," said Waters. "It's one small step for everybody right, it's one act of kindness, it's one thing that you can do. You don't have to have money, you don't have to give gifts, but telling people thank you and we appreciate you and we love you makes all the difference."

Nakee is a 5th grader who joined classmates in showing appreciation to his principal. He says North has helped him succeed in his time at Ralya.

"She's caring, if a student is falling down she'll lift them up," said Nakee. "She'll ask them what's going wrong and she'll solve the problem."

Desiree Waters said that she thinks this surprise event builds camaraderie in the school, being a team effort to put it all together.

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