Nebraska principal sleeps on school roof after fundraising goal met

LINCOLN, Neb. — A deal is a deal. And a Nebraska principal spent a night on the school’s roof to make good on a promise.

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Kevin Naumann slept on the roof of the St. Joseph School in Lincoln, equipped with a sleeping bag, a deck chair, his cellphone, snacks and a lantern, KOLN reported. The principal even had a survival book at his side, just in case, the television station reported.

Naumann promised to catch some zzz’s on the school roof if the St. Joseph’s School Family Association raised more than $30,000 as part of its annual Walk for Christ campaign, the Journal Star of Lincoln reported.

Mission accomplished.

“It was a nice night,” Naumann told the newspaper. “But it did get cooler than I thought it was going to be.”

This is becoming old hat for Naumann, who has been at St. Joseph’s for three years. When he taught at Morley Elementary School in Lincoln several years ago, Naumann slept on the school’s roof after a successful penny drive, the Journal Star reported. He did the same thing years ago when he taught in Missouri, according to the newspaper.

When the goal was reached two weeks ago, Naumann climbed onto a tree lift at 8 p.m. CDT and ascended to the roof. Parents and students checked on him to make sure he did not sneak into the school, and at 10:30 p.m. he decided to turn in for the night, the Journal Star reported.

“I had a deck chair and an old-school sleeping bag,” Naumann told the newspaper. “It did the trick.”

Although Naumann said he fell asleep at midnight and woke up three hours later, he was obligated to remain on the roof until 8 a.m., when the bell in the church’s tower chimed. Naumann took a photo of himself when the sun rose, the Journal Star reported. Then he went to Mass before going to work at school.

With additional donations from local businesses, the school eventually raised more than $100,000, KOLN reported.

Naumann said the school has not determined how the money will be spent, but he said replacing playground equipment, buying new window coverings, replacing a roof unit or paving the school’s parking lot are possibilities.


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