Dancing Principal Has Last Dance With Students Before Retiring

When Tod Harrison came to Pioneer Public Schools in Chickasha the impact was felt immediately, and now that he’s leaving, he decided to have one last dance.

“He does fun stuff for us, and he has good ideas,” said fourth grade student, Ozzy Dehart.

Coming to the school as Principal and Superintendent, Mr. Harrison didn’t realize how attached he would become.

“Working with just great staff, teachers, supportive parents, not everybody gets to do that,” said Harrison.

After just two short years at Pioneer, for his retirement, he had an idea.

“I knew it was my last two weeks and I wanted to have a little fun and hold off the tears a little bit,” said Harrison.

“He said I have an idea and I need your help, and I want to do this thing the last two weeks of school and call it the last dance,” said Ashley Perryman, whose kids attend Pioneer.  

With that the dancing began.

“It was great, I had a blast, I went out there and danced, it was fun,” said teacher Dena Pike.

Every morning for the last two weeks of school Mr. Harrison would greet the students as they arrived at school with music blaring, inviting them to join him in a dance.

“I mean the older ones are a little too cool sometimes and they are like, I don’t want to, okay I want to, and the younger ones are fully into it,” said Perryman.

“It’s about having fun, and kids enjoying what they do at school,” said Harrison.

As the last dance ends, so does his time at the school that has become his family.

“He is the greatest person in the world,” said Pike.

“It’s nice to end on such a great note at such a great place,” said Harrison.

His last day is now a reality.

“Today was a little overwhelming. That was pretty amazing,” said Harrison.

Mr. Harrison is taking a job with Oklahoma Public Schools Resource Center, working with school superintendents and principals, and Pioneer is one of the schools he will be working with. He hasn’t ruled out the possibility of surprising the school with another “last dance.”