WGN Flies Over Grass Lake School to celebrate principal’s overnight on the roof

Cheers and jumping were part of the morning wake up for Principal Ryan Wollberg at Grass Lake School. Dressed in his Chicago Bears Onesie with a Packers cheese hat, Wollberg waved at the students as they arrived at the school. Overhead a WGN helicopter flew over to highlight the school for their successful fundraising for the start of the year. The morning broadcast on WGN included a bird's-eye view of Wollberg’s tent at the top of the school building along with a colorful welcome to WGN in chalk on the ground to celebrate the coverage.

The event was precipitated by a challenge from the principal to the student body. He offered to give up his comfy bed and sleep on the roof should the students raise $9,500 in popcorn sales. A total of 227 supporters, 18 different states and some serious hard sales and the students at Grass Lake exceeded their goal: they hit $13,647 in sales. Among the many ways the PTO will be using the money earned includes student enrichment, staff appreciation and community building as well as donating over 100 popcorn products to health care workers.

The sleepover was tied into the PTO evening event where Wollberg read a bedtime story to the kids and then ascended up the Antioch Fire Department ladder to the roof. He descended the same way after the flyover. The students are thrilled to have exceeded their expectations as well as the principal.