PORTSMOUTH — Emily Copeland got a trial by fire at Hathaway School Friday morning.

As “principal of the day,” she didn’t even get the benefit of a dress rehearsal as a script was thrust into her hands before she went on the school’s PA system for morning announcements.

Ms. Copeland started by reading a list of good deeds students had done as part of the Feinstein Schools program.

“Connor in kindergarten helped his mom fold laundry,” announced Ms. Copeland, a member of the School Committee. “Elizabeth, in second grade, helped the take the dog out for a walk.”

Then she congratulated four students who had earned a Golden Apple for their service, and invited them to swing by the office to pick up their “special surprise.” After that came birthday announcements — Ms. Copeland would greet those students afterwards, too.

She implored children to “have a a great learning day and remember to make good choices” before inviting them to dance along to the “Friday song” (“Best Day of My Life,” by American Authors). From the main office you could hear the stomping feet of students in Caroline Marino’s second-grade class, located directly above.

Hathaway Principal Lisa Little shared her job Friday with Ms. Copeland, who had won a silent auction during the Portsmouth Public Education Foundation’s annual major fund-raiser recently. (A parent won the rights to be principal of the day at Melville School.)

“(School Committee Chairwoman) Terri Cortvriend and I said, ‘Hey, we’re going to be principals for the day,’ but she got outbid,” said Ms. Copeland with a laugh. “So I lucked out and got Hathaway.”

The exercise was a valuable one, she said, in that it gave her a small taste of what administrators like Ms. Little goes through on a daily basis.

“Terri and I were talking about this and we really thought this would be good training for every School Committee member to shadow an administrator for a day, just to really understand the demands on their time because I don’t think (Ms. Little) has a spare moment,” she said.

Ms. Little was still on the job of course, and guided Ms. Copeland around the school on her rounds. After the morning announcements and celebrating students’ achievements in the main office, they did some informal walk-throughs in the classrooms.

Ms. Copeland was impressed by the principal’s work ethic.

“I heard her schedule for the day and she does not have a free minute, between checking in here, doing classroom walk-throughs, sending out postcards for students who’ve done a good deed — she sends one to every single child throughout the school year,” she said. 

Ms. Little also had a learning meeting with her special educators before checking in with students at lunchtime and meeting with her office staff.

“It sounds like she ends up doing most of her own work at the end of the day, when everybody else is done. She’s clearly keeping everything here at Hathaway moving,” said Ms. Copeland.