COUNTYWIDE : Shop Meet for 5,000 Principals

It was a buyer’s market Monday for school principals at the Anaheim Convention Center.

In one corner of the exhibition hall, a salesman was hawking Edible Toys, the “tasty teacher’s tool” that helps children grow their own salad fixings in four days.

On the other side of the room stood The Achiever--1991, the ultimate, noiseless school desk with a durable hard plastic top and dual entry (a youngster can climb into his seat from either side). And in yet another corner, principals skipped banana-colored jump ropes in exchange for free souvenirs.

“Boy, I feel like a kid again,” huffed Karl A. Hughes, a principal from Grand Island, Neb., as he leaped three inches off the ground.

Hughes was among 5,000 principals from around the United States ogling the latest educational tools and toys on display at the National Assn. of Elementary School Principals’ 70th annual convention, being held this year in Anaheim.

There, sales representatives from 270 companies pitched items ranging from Velcro catcher’s mitts (‘you can’t help but catch the ball!”) to tactile magic markers (“you can feel what you draw”) to school jewelry (“buy it for the memories”).

Most principals do almost all of their school-related shopping and browsing at the annual convention, where they learn what’s hot and what’s not among educational learning aids and play items, said Kelli Jones, the gathering’s exhibit coordinator.

“The principals come into the exhibit hall and they are instantly transformed into kids,” Jones said. “They’re all wide-eyed and and want to buy everything in sight.”

Popular booths included anything having to do with computer software, products for fund-raisers, and critical-thinking textbooks.

With school budgets tight throughout the country, principals are looking for the best buys for the least money, Jones said. Since the convention’s opening day last Saturday, principals have been forming lines out the door to walk past the booths, Jones said.

At the Virco school furniture booth, The Achiever--1991 stood atop a cloth-covered table. Virco representative Stan Nixon greeted principals by introducing them to the “toughest school desk you ever saw.”

“It’s noiseless,” Nixon said. “It’s also got a top you can’t deface. Kids can’t beat it up. It’s a great desk.”

By early Monday afternoon, Merlin Klein, a principal from Beaver Creek, Minn., and his wife, Kathy, a second-grade teacher, each carried a shopping bag full of catalogues and products from the hall.

Klein is on a shopping mission to find playground equipment for his school. But while looking for the appropriate jungle gym, Klein found himself a pair of Walking Striders, the lastest fad for principals who want to relieve stress. Striders, which resemble ski poles, help principals keep their arms in constant movement while they patrol their school grounds.

“Back at school, we get tons of brochures from companies selling their products,” Klein said. “But I always throw them away because I can’t see what I’m getting. Here, I can see the books and feel the equipment that are being sold. That’s much more valuable for me to do.”

Several yards away from the Kleins stood sales representative Sol M. Gabayson, who tried to catch the attention of principals by offering a taste from his salad kits, the Edible Toys. With the help of the kits, children can grow vegetables within days and learn about good nutrition, Gabayson said.

“They make great science projects,” Gabayson said. “And since all the vegetables are edible, the kids can eat their homework, too.”