Nothing livens up a boring school day more than having Captain Jack Sparrow and some of his motley crew pop in for a visit — just ask the students at Meridian Primary School in Greenwich. Johnny Depp took a break from filming Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides at the Old Naval College on Wednesday to honor the request of nine-year-old Meridian student and self-described “budding pirate” Beatrice Delap, who had written Johnny a letter asking for his help staging a “mutiny” against the teachers. That’s an offer no self-respecting pirate can refuse!

Johnny arrived at the school “in full high-seas regalia with four other cast members,” reports the London Evening Standard. “It was the most exciting school day ever,” says Miss Delap. “Yesterday the school called us in for a special assembly at the end of the day. They told us there had been a couple of incidents in the playground. Then Johnny Depp walked in dressed as Captain Jack. There were gasps and screams. He pulled the letter out of his pocket and said he was going to frame it. Then he called me down and gave me a hug.” To see a photo of Johnny holding the letter and speaking with Beatrice Delap, CLICK HERE, and to see Captain Jack hugging the aspiring pirate, CLICK HERE.

Captain Jack and his colleagues “spent 15 minutes performing for pupils and dancing,” according to the London Evening Standard. Although the reference to dancing sounds like an exaggeration, there is photographic evidence HERE; you can see another photo of the pirates HERE. “He said the pirates were going to take over the school and only eat candy and our teeth would turn black and fall out,” Miss Delap told reporters. “But he said we shouldn’t mutiny against the teachers because there were police outside and we might get into trouble.”

The Zone thanks Emma and Theresa for sharing this heart-warming story; you can read much more about the school visit and the filming of On Stranger Tides on the Zone’s News & Views forum.