One student stands, pie in hand, in front of hundreds of his peers. Just ahead is the principal.
By Jim Smedley
Staff Writer

NORWAY – Doug Bedard’s heart raced and his palms were sweaty.

He heard only some of his final instructions.

The student body of 420 was too loud.

“PIE HIM! PIE HIM! PIE HIM!” the crowd yelled. It had been chanting continuously since Bedard’s name was picked out of a hat to do the honors.

Bedard’s adrenaline was cranking. After all, he was about to fulfill one of the dreams of just about every student at the Guy E. Rowe Elementary School to “pie” the principal.

He was so excited he was unsure of what the crowd was saying.

“I thought they were saying ‘Doug, Doug, Doug,'” he said.

Principal George Sincerbeaux, known as Bo to friends and Mr. S. to the students, took off his tie and dress shirt. He stood in front of the assembly wearing a gray T-shirt that had “I’m going to summer school” written across the front.

He was alone in the front of the assembly – him and a blueberry pie.

“We tried different kinds of pies, but blueberry has the best effect,” Sincerbeaux said.

He should know. Mr. S. has tasted quite a few pies at the hands of students.

He had pie four times last year, when the school was on a quarterly system. This year, he decided to keep the pie-ing to once a year.

Students are honored every trimester as being the most improved. From the dozen or so honored, one is selected randomly to have lunch with Mr. S. Then at the final assembly of the year, a name is selected from all who have been honored as most improved to “pie” Mr. S.

“PIE HIM! PIE HIM! PIE HIM!” the crowd refused to quit.

“Don’t smash it, take extra turns and don’t hit too hard,” Sincerbeaux’s secretary Robin Rolfe explained to Bedard.

She said afterward that last year there was a nose incident because a kid smashed a plate into Sincerbeaux’s nose.

“I really want to do it, but can’t,” Rolfe said. “He won’t let me put my name in.”

Bedard approached Sincerbeaux, who handed him the pie and then sat on a metal folding chair.

Bedard didn’t waste any time. Slowly, he mushed the pie into Sincerbeaux’s face.

“She told me to do one or two turns,” Bedard said of Rolfe’s advice. “I did four or five.

“It felt pretty good,” he said.

Sincerbeaux removed the pie, posed for a couple of photos and wiped enough from his face to be able to see.

“I need a shower,” he said.

The kids were delirious. One of their own, one student who worked hard and improved over the course of a trimester got to pie the principal.

Sincerbeaux started munching the pie.

“I always eat the pie,” he said.

jsmedley@sunjournal.com

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