BY NIKKI BURKHAMER
Examiner Contributer
Why would a middle school vice-principal camp out in the school’s courtyard for three days? For Matt Comstock, it was to motivate his students and keep his word.
The Bellefontaine Middle School vice-principal made a deal to spend an hour in the courtyard for every thousand booster bars that his students sold. The chocolate bars are used as a fundraiser each year.
When that number reached over 67,000, Comstock’s deal landed him in the courtyard for about three and a half days.
This campout has been the buzz of the entire school. How could it not be? Students walking from classroom to classroom could look out the windows and see Comstock next to his tent, working, conducting meetings, and doing all of the things a vice-principal does.
“I’ve tried to do everything out here I can. There are a few things I have to do inside, like call a parent … and for some things that required the copier. Other than that and going to the restroom, I’ve tried to stay out here.”
He found the courtyard to be a peaceful place to meet with kids dealing with discipline issues, calling it “a nice change of pace as opposed to my office.”
Comstock passed the hours getting caught up on emails and doing some of the school work he doesn’t have time to do on a normal day.
For sustenance, he had a cooler packed full of breakfast and lunch items along with snacks and drinks. His wife brought a hot meal—his choice—and joined him for a meal each night. Then he worked on his laptop until it got dark.
“Down in this area, I think it is darker earlier than out in the real world,” Comstock admitted. “Usually after it gets dark, I sit here for a little bit, then I think, well, I guess to the tent I go.”
Comstock slept in a heated tent for three nights. His time in the courtyard began at 7 p.m. on Sunday night, Oct. 20, and ended around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
Recently, Comstock has dealt with some head and chest congestion along with a cough. Though it didn’t keep him from school, he didn’t feel great. Fortunately, the weather over the last few days was ideal for a few nights of camping. That made it the perfect time to fulfill his deal.
“The weather coming up will not be as nice, and I don’t want to be outside for that, sick or not,” so, he decided, “let’s take care of it now.”
Fortunately, Comstock stayed comfortable during his adventure thanks to a heater and air mattress provided by Amy Treon. Jacqueline Godsey loaned him the sleeping bag.
“Being out here does make me feel exposed. The kids tap on the windows everyday. I thought they would get tired of it, but no.” With a laugh, he added, “I now have empathy for the animals at the zoo.”
Being out in the open like that meant the students were keeping an eye on him. If he went inside, some would confront him, wondering why he wasn’t at his camp.
Over 200 students sold more than 120 bars each. As a reward, they were taken to Dairy Queen for lunch. The school also hosted a special dance for the 250-plus kids who sold 60 bars or more.
Then there were the top sellers—the 22 students who each sold over 500. Their reward will be a trip to Scene 75 in Columbus. Of that 22, three did exceptionally well. Second and third place went to sixth-grader Maddox Davis with 1,040 bars and eighth-grader Elijah Shurelds, who sold 967.
Landing firmly at No. 1 was sixth-grader Alecka Board, who sold an impressive 1,680 booster bars. That makes her solely responsible for almost two of Comstock’s 67 hours outside.
”Booster bar sales have been a middle school tradition for years,” Comstock concluded. “It’s a right of passage for many generations of students.”
In fact, Comstock remembers selling the bars himself back in the 1980s, when each one was wrapped in a McDonalds BOGO Big Mac coupon.
For Comstock, the fundraiser builds a sense of camaraderie within the school while also creating a friendly rivalry between classes and grade levels. And, he added, “This is all made possible by the overwhelming support our community has for the event.”
Though he doesn’t plan to camp out again next year to motivate greater booster bar sales, Comstock will do something. In fact, he’s open to suggestions.
What will he come up with next?
