By Jim Newell
Review Editor
LAKE ORION — There was a Nuss on the Loose at Blanche Sims Elementary and only the kids’ holiday cheer could save their beloved principal from perpetual petrification.
Whether swinging from a tree branch (on a swing, of course, not by his arms!) or taped to a wall in the school, for the three days before the holiday break Principal Ken Nuss needed some holiday magic from the students to free him.
Although, it was Christmas magic that first got Nuss into this predicament in the first place.
“Our principal has been turned into an Elf on the Shelf!” Lucy Harris, a Blanche Sims PTO parent, informed The Review.
Harris shared with The Review the location of the epic poem that tells the tale of how Principal Nuss, sitting peacefully at his desk one fine December day, heard such a clatter from the schoolyard that he sprang from his seat, rushed out and saw…
A despondent holiday elf sitting in a pine tree.
The poor little fella related to Principal Nuss that he needed more holiday cheer and shared a plan to bring forth the holiday spirit from each and every Blanche Sims boy and girl.
For the three days before winter break, Nuss would be turned into an Elf on the Shelf, strategically placed at some location in the school.
Each day, the students would have to find Nuss and release him from the magic spell so that he could once again become their principal and return to his daily duties.
As the poem goes:
The only way to undo this magical spell,
Is for every student at Blanche Sims to yell…
“We all have Holiday cheer!!”
The heroic students rose to the challenge and thus, Nuss was freed each day and, finally, free to enjoy his winter break thanks to the kids’ exuberant exaltations – may they continue all year long.
“They thought it was the best thing ever. I think the parents enjoyed it more than the kids,” said Erica Lentz, Blanche Sims secretary and holiday helper.
Visit the Blanche Sims PTO Facebook page for the complete poem and more photos of Nuss on the Loose.