Pucker up, pig
By Rebecca Ray
Photographs by Kathy De La Torre
On June 7, in front of nearly 500 students at Foothill Elementary School, school Principal Helen Sullivan kissed a 150-pound potbelly pig. Sullivan kissed the pig, Wilbur, because she had promised the students she would do it if they read more than 1,000 books for the school's Reading Incentives and Reading Reviewers program.
The students read 28,444 books.
When asked what kissing Wilbur was like, Sullivan said, "It was pretty gross. It was fun, though."
Smackeroo: Photos of Principal Helen Sullivan kissing Wilbur, the potbelly pig.
As if kissing Wilbur once wasn't bad enough, the students shouted, "One more time!" and "Do it again!" So Sullivan kissed Willbur a second time. She said she felt she owed it to the students for far surpassing the 1,000-book goal.
Parents Liz Burgess, Sue Hwang, Leslie Tang and Shiu Fang Wang, who were in charge of the reading program, arranged for Wilbur's arrival from Belly Draggers Ranch. The ranch, which is in San Martin, is for rescued potbelly pigs. Wilbur's arrival had been scheduled for a previous day, but was canceled because of the scorching heat. But Sullivan knew she'd have to kiss a pig eventually, since the students had held up their end of the deal.
When asked if she'd kiss a pig again, Sullivan said she guessed that she'd do just about anything to get children to read. She added that the students read more books this year by far than in the previous year.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
