From The Hart

by Montana Hart
This week I’d like to introduce Mr. Jim Cayton, Kalona Elementary School’s new principal. I interviewed him so that the students might learn something new about our principal.
Mr. Cayton was born in Maquoketa, Iowa, and he has two brothers and two sisters. In grade school he played sports and also was the president of the science club. In the science club he helped plant trees around his school.
Mr. Cayton told me he was just a normal kid doing normal stuff. While in high school he participated in football, wrestling, baseball, tennis, drama, student council, and was class president for all four years. He was a busy man.
He attended the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Iowa. During college he did a lot of studying, wrestled at UNI in intramurals, and coached at Cedar Falls High School.
If he could go anywhere in the world, Mr. Cayton would go to Italy because it’s beautiful. He wants to see Rome and also the Vatican.
I asked him what his favorite book was and said the Bible and John Grisham novels. Mr. Cayton’s hobbies are playing golf and watching his three girls, Erin, Courtney, and Emily play sports. The craziest thing he ever did was a bet that he would never shave his head, but he did.
The craziest thing he hopes to to do is sky dive and fly a plane. His favorite food is pizza or lasagna. The one person in the world Mr. Cayton would like to meet is Tiger Woods; he would love to play golf with him and maybe pick up a lesson or two.
Before coming our principal he taught Sociology, Psychology, computer classes, and law at Mid Prairie High School. During the past 10-15 years was when he decided to become a principal, and said the hardest part about being a principal is going to all the meetings.
“It’s a pretty good school. I’ll make some changes that will benefit all the students. I came in with a positive attitude, and I will enjoy being a principal,” he said.
He wants students to know that he will treat them nice and fair and that a principal is not a bad person. He told me if he was not a principal or a teacher he would have wanted to be a professional golfer. I am glad he chose to be our principal.