WESTERVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) — Kids at an Ohio elementary school got a surprise when their principal dressed up as an elf, and put himself on a very high shelf: the school roof.

Andy Heck, Principal at Cherrington Elementary in Westerville Schools, dressed up as The Elf on the Shelf and posed on top of the school entrance canopy. With the recent snowfall, his outfit created the perfect winter scene.

“Some of the parents and students, teachers and staff, encouraged me to have a little fun to finish off the year,” said Mr. Heck.

The roof wasn’t the elf’s only appearance. Mr. Heck showed up in classrooms and the cafeteria to bring a little fun to the students’ day.

“One of the students said to me, ‘Is that Mr. Heck trying to be an elf, or is an elf trying to be Mr Heck?’ That was pretty deep,” he said.

Mr Heck dresses up once or twice a year for the children, he says usually as an incentive for a fundraisier or reaching a certain goal. “I’ve been Woody from Toy Story, Batman, Spiderman.”

As an elf, Mr. Heck can recite the food groups from the movie Elf: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.

“Today I had enough candy to keep me to the rest of the year,” he laughed.

But all elves and children know, you have to eat the food groups every day in order for it to count.