Jets VP is principal for the day at his old school

New York Jets Senior Vice President of Business Operations Matt Higgins returned to his old elementary school, P.S. 46, as the “Principal for the Day” on Thursday, October 16.
Principal for the Day is an annual event held by PENCIL, an organization that coordinates partnerships between public schools and members of the business community throughout the year.
“I’m on the board for Principal for a day and I’ve always wanted to come back in some capacity,” Higgins said. “This is a great opportunity for me to reach out.”
A former resident of Bayside, Higgins transferred out of the school in 1984. He has been with the Jets for five years now, and his duties include overseeing the business of the team, including revenues, sales, marketing and public relations.
“I was very excited because it was somebody with a personal connection to the school, which is always something very special, and I was looking forward to it,” school Principal Marsha Goldberg said of the partnership. “I too am looking forward to a very exciting partnership.”
Goldberg said that all of the students were looking forward to Higgins’ visit and that they had many questions for him. She said that one student came in very excited after having seen Higgins on television.
“I think to them it’s very exciting and he’s a wonderful role model,” she said. “It will show them all the possibilities you can do with an education.”
Higgins said that he was particularly interested in seeing how the school has evolved to serve disabled students. He said that at this point he wasn’t sure exactly how he’d be getting further involved with the Bayside school, but was sure that they would “come up with a lot of really great ideas.”
“I think its not volunteerism to get involved; it’s like a gift,” said Higgins, adding that it was a privilege to see how the school runs and see the bright faces of the children. “Now that I have kids, [I] realize how critical this juncture is in their development.”
For more information about PENCIL and becoming involved with it, visit www.pencil.org.