Devoted High School Principal Treks 800 Miles to Check on All 612 Senior Students During Lockdown

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A high school principal, feeling bereft after the closure of his school for the virus lockdown, decided to go the extra mile for his students. He donned a decorated face mask and visited all 612 members of the graduating senior class at their homes.

“I get emotional real easy with my kids,” Principal Virdie Montgomery of Wylie High School in Texas told WFAA. “And I just didn’t feel like I was doing enough. It just seemed like the right thing to do.”

On April 17, 2020, Montgomery posted his mission statement on Facebook. “Soon I will begin making home visits to our seniors for just a second,” he wrote. “I will be adhering to social distancing and wearing a Pirate mask thanks to the Haver family. I just want to see you in this capacity as your principal as we enter into this most unfortunate situation.”

Montgomery intended to stay for “a quick ‘Hi’ and maybe a selfie,” and explained that while he knew his mission could last days, he was committed to seeing every student.

Over a grand total of 12 days, Montgomery and his wife covered 800 miles, driving to 636 addresses, eventually locating and meeting with all 612 of the principal’s senior students. Montgomery wore a Jolly Roger-patterned face mask in honor of “Wiley Pirates’ pride.”

At the end of the principal’s first long day of home visits, he took to Facebook once again. “Today I did home visits in the Gables and a surrounding neighborhood. I am obeying the rules of the area that have been laid out,” he said. “Walking in the community is allowed and even parks opened again today.”

Montgomery explained to his followers that he followed a strict protocol; he wore his mask, rang the doorbell, handed each student a card, then took a selfie for posterity. “I would also say that if anyone is not comfortable with this please let me know,” he assured his followers and friends, “and I won’t come or just do not answer the door. I just want to see your kid.”

The dedicated principal described his drive-by mission as “the least I can do” and added that he had received “nothing but blessings” on his first day on the road with his supportive wife.

“Thank you for allowing me to do this,” Montgomery posted. “I am so honored to get to be your child’s principal ... This is my last few days with the Class of 2020 and please forgive the attention I will be giving them.”

According to WPAA, Montgomery lightened what could have been a somber mood by greeting each student with a Snickers bar in his hand, telling them that one day they will look back on their experience of lockdown and “snicker.”

“I delivered that joke nearly 600 times,” the principal admitted. “So it’s pretty lame!”

One senior, Savannah Skinner, was over the moon to receive her visit. “I’m not always in the best mood because it’s been a while since I’ve seen anybody,” she said. “So it just brought a smile to my face and it made me really happy.”

Besides checking in on his graduating senior class, Montgomery has also taken to filming daily lockdown updates on his YouTube channel, aptly titled “Corona Chronicles.”

The principal eventually hopes to reward his 2020 senior class for their bravery and patience with some semblance of a normal graduation ceremony. “I’m so, so, so, so very proud of them, the way they’ve handled everything,” he said.