Teachers dressed in blowup costumes to get students excited about End of Grade (EOG) tests.
Well, Principal Angela Burgess and Assistant Principal Emily Moore did it. On May 30th, in front of the entire Cooleemee Elementary School student body, they both kissed a pig! If they make a promise to motivate their students to reach a specific goal, and they meet that goal, they intend to keep their promise and follow through.
When the small cage was carried into the gym, I had to cover my ears because the unified screams were so loud. I thought the pig would be pretty and pink, have just had a bath, and smell like baby powder. Boy, was I wrong!
It had beautiful dark brown fur with black spots and smelled to the high heavens. When it was time for the big kiss, the screams intensified again, and I was surprised the windows didn’t break.
The attendance goal for May was 95%, and the student body surpassed that goal. Ms. Burgess praised each grade level for meeting certain goals, and all the students praised one another. The EOG testing was the following day. Some grades had higher goals than others, but the principal said they could do it and should aim to do their best.
Positive reinforcement was spread throughout the entire morning. Some students competed in carrying eggs on a spoon, and another involved running with a balloon and sitting on it to pop it. It was hard to tell who would be the winner because sometimes, no matter how hard they sat on the balloon, it wouldn’t pop.
When the teachers came prancing out in their blowup costumes, the students went crazy again. They had a relay race and danced around. Before leaving, they sprayed silly string on the bottom row of students, and other teachers used plastic blow-bubble machines to create a shower of bubbles on the students. Needless to say, the children and teachers had a great time.
This exciting pep rally aimed to help the students release anxieties and worry and open their minds with positive thoughts so they could do their best on the EOG. Thank you, staff, for being creative and always finding ways for the students to excel and love their school more.
Feel free to contact me at 336.250.1133 or cooleemeenews@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you.