CABOT, Ark. — Each Thursday at Cabot Middle School North, the students are fired up because they know it's not your typical day— it's Chicken Tender Thursday.
Principal Micah House calls it the best day of the week and has noticed a big change in his students.
"Chicken Tender Thursday is much more than just about me. Chicken Tender Thursday has been going on in Cabot for a long time,” he explained. "I have seen so many more kids ditching their lunchboxes and grabbing chicken tenders."
Even if students opt to bring their lunch, they still get a meal and show courtesy of Principal House. Every Thursday he sings a parody of a different popular song to get the kids excited for lunch.
Student Selah Adeir said she loves the announcements.
"They’re always super funny and always talking about chicken tenders or the smell in the hallway,” she said with a smile.
5th-grade teacher Amy Frye feels the same way and explained that the energy is infectious.
"When they start singing along and they see us start singing, they absolutely love it,” she said
Principal House sings anything from country to Disney songs. In fact, it’s almost a fairytale how House ended up leading this school. He originally started in the custodial department.
"I’m coming up on 15 years from working in the custodial department that put me through school. Spent 4 years as an assistant principal and now I’m the principal of Middle School North,” he explained.
The school’s leading man is filled with a love of positivity, making his students smile, and of course, poultry!
“When you get behind an intercom with almost 900 kiddos, you have a lot of influence. I want to make sure anything we say and do is going to build positivity and culture. Just make people smile,” Principal House said.