Above and beyond: Assistant principal reads to students several times a week during pandemic

MARIETTA, Ga. — Fourth grader Jameson Lee often has his head in a book. More specifically, for his generation, a tablet.

“Definitely. I like to read a lot,” Jameson said.

Even though a year’s worth of pandemic has thrown a curveball at Murdock Elementary School in Marietta, nobody fell behind on their reading. For a year now, assistant principal Marc Renna has scheduled a few nights a week at 7 p.m. sharp to read stories to his students. He broadcasts them live on social media, no matter where he happens to be.

“I’ve read in bulldozers. I was able to read at the ocean,” Renna said.

He even read while on vacation at Walt Disney World on a roller coaster.

“Some people gave me a look. Why is this guy carrying books in a backpack at Disney?”

He has a huge following. Twice a week, students and their parents can’t wait for what many call “Renna Time.”

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“In the middle of everything else going on in his life, he was making sure the kids at Murdock knew he was there for them,” parent Megan Lee said.

“It’s been a fixture since day one. One of the things I tell my students is I’m here until we’re all back together,” Renna said.

Lee says he couldn’t miss it for the world.

“It means a lot to me. It also means he cares about us and he loves us a lot. He wants us to stay safe. I always tune in,” Jameson said.

The official one-year anniversary of “Renna Time” is next week. Renna says he is open to suggestions on where to read from.

Disney park passes sold out during spring break (NCD)

Cox Media Group