Patrick Henry Elementary School principal Annie Turner kissed a pig Tuesday to mark the end of a successful Read-A-Thon at the school.
Turner had promised the students at the school at 701 S. Highland Street that if 300 or more of them turned in reading logs and had read for 500 minutes or more, she would kiss the pig at their final assembly before Thanksgiving.
And the students far exceeded that goal. Patrick Henry parent Christine Brittle, who coordinated the Read-A-Thon, said 360 students turned in reading logs and they exceeded their goal of 500 minutes reading each.
The school’s PTA sponsors the annual Read-A-Thon, which kicked off just over a month ago. Students are challenged to read at least 500 minutes, about 40 minutes a day, and earn prizes for fundraising.
The students read for 263,211 minutes altogether, the equivalent of about 4,388 hours or 182 days.
“I set a really ambitious goal, because we had a really awesome prize and I thought you all could do it,” Brittle told the students.
And so Turner puckered up with Roscoe, a pig that lives in nearby Penrose, to whoops and cheers from the more-than 400 students who assembled in the school’s gymnasium.
The Read-A-Thon also raised more than $22,000 for the school, to be spent on field trips among other things.
“I am so proud of you all for reading so much,” Turner told the students after her encounter with Roscoe. “I hope you continue to read all year and the rest of your lives.”
Henry's Principal looks Pretty in Pink Puckering Up for Roscoe the Pig! #PHESBulldogs #kissthepig @APSHenryPAL @APSVirginia @APSHenryPTA @r_z_swine https://t.co/rG9WHDnUwg
— Donleigh Honeywell (@APS_HankHenry) November 21, 2017
Over 300 Henry Ss Read at least 500 minutes each to have the Principal Kiss A Pig! #PHESBulldogs #kissapig @chris_teale @APSVirginia @APSHenryPAL @APSHenryPTA @r_z_swine pic.twitter.com/cTmPJ5zEmR
— Donleigh Honeywell (@APS_HankHenry) November 21, 2017
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