Meet the High School Students Who Took Down Their Principal
These intrepid student journalists have been celebrated across the country for uncovering the nasty truth about their new principal.
Read: College Student Died of Asphyxia After Pancake-Eating Contest, Autopsy Reveals
The students were writing a profile of "Dr." Amy Robertson, who had just been hired as the new principal of Pittsburg High School in Kansas on March 6.
At the time, the school board praised Robertson as "a great fit."
“We are excited to have her join our team," the board said in a statement.
But that was until Maddie Baden, the 17-year-old editor of the school newspaper, said some items on Robertson's resume just didn't add up.
"I asked if I could have the universities that she attended to and obtain her Ph. D. and Master’s degree and she would not give me that information," Baden told Inside Edition.
Baden sought the assistance of five other young reporters at The Booster Redux and started doing a little digging into Robertson’s past.
On her resume, Robertson claimed she had earned a Master’s degree and a Ph. D. from Corllins University.
"We found the website for it, [but] we couldn’t find anything that would work on it," Baden said. "We tried to click on something and it wouldn't take us anywhere. It would just leave us on the homepage. There was no physical address or phone number for the university."
According to department of education, Corllins is not an accredited university and there are numerous complaints by people online that have called it a scam. A photo on their website showing a huge commencement ceremony is actually from Wake Forest University in North Carolina.
Robertson also claimed to have a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Tulsa, but when the young reporters called the school, they were told that the school does not award that type of diploma.
Robertson, who currently lives in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was reportedly the principal of the Dubai American Scientific School. According to reports, immigration issues have forced her license in that country to be temporarily suspended by education authorities.
Baden told Inside Edition that she and her team did the interviews with Robertson via Skype.
Read: Good Things Come in Threes: 2 High School Students Get Principal Pants to Match Theirs
Robertson may have fooled the school board, but it was the kids who discovered the truth.
On March 31, they published a front page story entitled," District Hires New Principal: Background Called Into Question After Discrepancies Arise."
By April 4, the new principal resigned.
Now, the students are winning praise from journalists across the globe, including Matt Lauer of the Today show.
"As young journalists, to have the impact we did was something very special," Gina Mathew, a part of the student team, said.
"It has definitely been a humbling experience,” their teacher, Emily Smith, added. "It shows the power of the press."
Watch NFL Star J.J. Watt Surprise His Retiring Fourth Grade Teacher With Cake and New Sneakers
