MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio — It's Monday morning at Mayfield Middle School, and much like most schools, students head to class, take their seats and the bell rings to start the day. Then they hear over the loudspeaker, "HERE WE GO BROWNIES, HERE WE GO!"
Something not typical for most schools, but this has become a regular occurrence for students at Mayfield Middle School.
"There's a lot of energy that goes into that," laughed 8th grader Kingston Merchison.
"I don't think it can get any louder," said student Tyler Carcelli.
The man behind the mic? Their principal, Paul Destino.
"I just started to do the victory Monday to get them going and get the hype up for kids to truly love their hometown," said Paul Destino.
And not only has he ignited the kid's love of their hometown, but also their love of coming to school.
"He makes it feel like a family," said Kingston.
Usually, it's Mr. Destino bringing the noise, but on this day, his school family brought the noise and the love for him.
They surprised the 17-year principal with an all-school assembly to congratulate the educator for being named Ohio Middle Level Associations, Educator of the Year.
"A total surprise!" laughed Destino.
A shock for Paul, but if you look at how he's impacting students, you'll see no one is more deserving.
"He cares for everybody. So caring and kind and helping every person become the best version of themselves," said Carcelli.
While Mr. Destino's loud antics are fun, at its core, he is making school a place where students want to be.
"It makes me feel like I should be here," said Kingston. "I'm really blessed to be in this school."
"We work hard, but we also work hard academically," said Destino. "My number one goal in this building is to create a culture that is perfect for learning. You have to take care of the heart first. When you take care of the heart with your kids and your staff everything else falls into place."
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above previously aired on 3News on Sept. 14, 2022.