Randall Elementary School in Madison, WI

"Home of the Randall Raccoons"

Nominated by Tina Sugar

Students celebrate their favorite principal’s birthday. John Wallace inspires his students every day to be the best they can be during his morning announcements. (Credit: Tina Sugar)

Our elementary school is a place where everyone loves to be. We are a grades 3-5 school with great students, wonderful teachers, and the most amazing principal, John Wallace. Our children come to school ready to learn and show us their talents and hard work each and every day.

My school doesn’t just have wonderful families and dedicated teachers, we also have our amazing principal, John Wallace. Each morning, Mr. Wallace comes on the speaker to speak to our raccoons. He shares with us his “words of wisdom” and each day our students gratefully listen to him. He tells them to believe in their dreams and the dreams of others. He helps them heal when our world is hurting and celebrates with them when they’ve done well or worked hard to meet a goal. Our morning announcements include the lunch menu and a pledge to our country, but it’s more than just that because Mr. Wallace talks to each of our classrooms like he’s talking directly to each student. Mr. Wallace teaches them how to be good people, care for one another, and how to make not only him proud but also parents and teachers proud of who they are and what they do. Our students adore Mr. Wallace and his kindness, humor, and ability to see life through the eyes of our children while teaching them about respect, responsibility, and love.

His legendary sign off is, “The choices you make today, shape your world tomorrow. Thank you Raccoons!”

The Kindness Mural and What It Represents