Mary Wilcynski is everywhere. Ralph Plagman is, too.

Pick a sports event involving their schools and the principals from Kennedy and Washington are probably there.

Last Friday night, Wilcynski froze in the cold night along with all the other Kennedy football fans at Memorial Stadium in Waterloo when the Cougars beat Waterloo East. After the game, she joined the crowd in the locker room and hallway to help celebrate the victory.

She was at the girls state soccer tournament in Muscatine last spring when Kennedy won the title. And she was at the district boys golf meet last week when the Cougars earned top honors.

Wilcynski has been a regular spectator (and administrator) this fall at swimming meets, volleyball matches and cross country races. And she's not just passing through for a quick hello. She's usually there from start to finish.

The same holds true for Plagman over at Washington. He's almost always the last person on the football field after a game, win or lose, to congratulate the players and coaches. You can't attend an event at Washington and not see him there, or so it seems.

Wilcynski and Plagman -- actually, it's Dr. Wilcynski and Dr. Plagman -- are married to each other, so you'll often see them together when their teams compete against each other, or separately if the Cougars and Warriors are in different spots.

The same undoubtedly holds true for the principals at all the other Metro schools, although "Dr. W" -- as she's affectionately known -- and Plagman seem to be the most visible. Maybe it's because you normally get two for the price of one.

Speaking of prices, Wilcynski and Plagman make $128,026 apiece as high school principals in the Cedar Rapids Community District. That does not seem outrageous, considering their complex and myriad duties.

They have numerous other items on their agenda beside attending sports events, of course. They put in enormously long days with meetings, teacher conferences, disciplinary matters, committee meetings, public appearances, ad infinitum. You'll also seem them at plays, concerts and all the other extracurricular activities.

By the way, they are not attending all those sports events as mere spectators. They're keeping an eye on things, making sure everybody is behaving themselves, and that includes the students, coaches and fans.

Athletic directors, coaches, teachers and other school personnel put in long hours as well. The principals aren't the only ones. But it must be comforting to all those busy folks that their school's principal is right beside them, instead of home watching TV.

It seems the taxpayers in Cedar Rapids are getting their money's worth. And more.