Photos by Rick Thompson Pax River Executive Officer Capt. Andy Macyko shows kindergarten students the instructions for making a leprechaun during his time as ‘‘Principal for a Day” at White Marsh Elementary School. He also got to brush up on his kazoo skills during music class (inset photo)

Ives chose Spring Ridge because many of the children from Pax River attend there. ‘‘I wanted to go to Spring Ridge because of that,” he said. ‘‘I also had seen and heard bits and pieces from parents and others that there have been very significant improvements over the past couple of years.”

He continued, ‘‘I had a number of reasons why I wanted to go, and my day there fulfilled all those reasons.”

It started before school began, as Ives joined one of the periodic meetings between Principal Maureen Montgomery and the teachers. ‘‘It was a data meeting very comparable to when I sit down with my program directors and departments for an update on what’s going on,” he said. ‘‘It was the teachers telling her the progress on meeting goals. Each teacher had to do that, and she was taking copious notes. I was struck by how the teachers knew how each of their students were doing.”

Pax River Commanding Officer Capt. Glen Ives and Spring Ridge Middle School Principal Maureen Montgomery talk with two seventh grade students during lunch break. Ives was ‘‘Principal for a Day” at the Lexington Park school.

That was followed by Montgomery’s daily rounds. ‘‘She goes to every class,” said Ives. ‘‘She is also very careful about being in the hallways whenever classes change. They coordinate it to limit the number of kids who have to be in the hallways. They have the classes on a staggered basis, so there’s only one five-minute period when you have all sixth, seventh and eighth graders in the hall at one time.”

Ives was ‘‘struck by the diversity. In a middle school you see every flavor, color, size, shape and personality of student. It’s astonishing.”

The school has made significant progress in meeting its Adequate Year Progress (AYP) goals under the No Child Left Behind law. In 2006, the school was below AYP standards in four areas, plus attendance. In 2007, it is below AYP in only one standard and meets it in attendance, according to Maryland Middle School Assessment data.

Ives’ verdict on the day: ‘‘Based on what I have seen — my day at Spring Ridge confirmed it — if my three boys were in middle school, I would have no hesitation to have them go to school there.”

Macyko wanted to spend his day at an elementary school, and afterward called his experience ‘‘delightful,” saying he ‘‘witnessed dedication to the children’s safety and well-being in a very positive environment. They were well-behaved, ready to work hard and be nice, and were respectful to their teachers.”

He celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with arts and crafts in a kindergarten class, and in the other grades saw ‘‘the children’s excellent reading and problem-solving skills, team activities and much more.” Macyko even got to participate in the fifth grade music class, where ‘‘they gently reminded me how to play a kazoo.”

All in all, he stated, ‘‘The children’s attention was focused and their curiosity stimulated with small group activities that kept them on task.”

Macyko, who will succeed Ives as commanding officer later this year, said, ‘‘I look forward to continuing our strong relationship with the St. Mary’s County Public Schools through the many educational partnerships such as STARBASE Atlantis; the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Program; Read with Me; and the Personnel Excellence Program.”