Bissinger follows through on unique bet after record-setting collection
Students at Elizabeth Haddon Elementary School have been raising money for the American Heart Association’s Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart activities each year for the past 17 years.
For the past several years, students banded together and raised more than $20,000 toward the cause of heart health. The total raised this year was a school record of $24,345, and it put Haddon’s principal, Gerry Bissinger, in a sticky situation.
Bissinger, prodded by Haddon phys ed teacher Jen Wisniewski, agreed to be duct-taped to the wall in the cafeteria if his students reached that 20K goal. It was nothing new for Haddon’s head man, who gladly participated in similar challenges in previous years.
“Each year as part of the Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart, we’ve had some kind of incentive for the kids to raise money. So, I’ve had my head shaved twice, I’ve sprayed my hair red, I’ve worn silly outfits. I figured this is one of the last things to give a try,” Bissinger said.
“When Jen mentioned it to me I thought, ‘oh yeah, sure, we probably won’t raise quite that much,’ and I nonchalantly agreed to it, and sure enough, before I knew it, she said in a couple weeks, we’re gonna do this.”
During the middle of the day on March 20, Bissinger followed through on that bet. To the delight of students and staff gathered, he was secured to the wall with hundreds of individual, brightly-colored tape strips.
Wisniewski played emcee to the proceedings, calling up students four and five at a time over the course of two separate lunch periods. Bissinger, enjoying himself, nonetheless playfully teased his students with the threat of extra homework as they stepped up to strap him to the wall.
Earlier in the week, Wisniewski presented AHA Awards of Excellence to the top class and to each grade’s top fundraisers. After that, she revealed her new russet-colored hair style as part of the celebration, and music teacher Michael Hecker joined in the fun by submitting to a buzz cut, to honor the students’ unexpected effort.
“It’s been fun. It’s all for the kids and it’s not the most comfortable thing, but I’m getting through it. It’s a unique perspective (looking out on the lunchroom while being suspended by tape). And it makes this all worth it, seeing them and their smiling faces come up here and throw pieces of duct tape up here,” Bissinger added.
“This went much better than expected. Every year (the kids) surprise me. We have raised over $20,000 the past five years straight. The original goal was set at $30,000 to get the music teacher a buzz cut, and they raised over $24,000 trying to get to that,” said Wisniewski. “Every year, they managed to pull off more and more surprises. Gerry has to get credit for being such a good sport.”
There was only one thing that didn’t go according to plan. Bissinger, originally supported by standing on two chairs, was unable to remain stuck to the wall for more than a few seconds when the chairs were removed, before the tape gave way and he landed — safely — on the floor after a drop of roughly 18 inches.
“I have my ideas. I have put other principals on the roof before, we’ve come to school in formal attire, tuxedos and fancy dresses,” Wisniewski said when asked what might be in store for next year’s donation celebration. “Maybe we’ll have a camp out on the roof, or he’ll spend the night at school. You never know.”
