Cottonwood Heights » Is there anything sweeter than an ice cream sundae after a long day at school? How about turning the principal into an ice cream sundae?
Armed with tubs of chocolate and butterscotch syrup, sprinkles, marshmallows, cherries and even molasses, first-grade students at Butler Elementary gathered in the cafeteria to turn Principal Edy McGee into a human sundae. The kids squealed and bobbed up and down as they eagerly awaited their chance to attack. Sugar was literally in the air.
McGee was seated in the center of the room on a chair inside a kiddie pool. She wore a swim cap and goggles with garbage bags around her feet and duct taped to her neck, a trick she learned last year when goop dripped down to her clothes.
And she was right to be overly cautious.
"I poured molasses all over her face!" exclaimed 6-year-old Bryce Slater.
It got a roaring cheer from his peers.
Xander Hill, 6, brought Hershey's Syrup, which he "squeezed on her head and it dripped onto her goggles," he said.
Audrey Yang, 6, decorated McGee with marshmallows.
The sticky event was all part of a reward for each student reading at least 100 books in two months. After the chaos, the kids got to sit down to a proper ice cream sundae.
When asked why he didn't pour all of his syrup on McGee, Xander said: " 'Cause that would be dumb. I can't eat ice cream without Hershey's."
The event is becoming a tradition for principals at Butler Elementary, who have been slathered with goop for the past seven years. It's a little bittersweet for McGee as this is her fourth and last time in the kiddie pool. Next year she transfers to Midvale Middle School, but says she has enjoyed her time as a sundae, molasses and all.
"I figure I'd do just about anything to get them to read," McGee said. "It was totally worth it, because if you can get a child to read, then you open doors for them to be lifelong learners."
The reading challenge began Oct. 1 and continued through Jan. 8. First-graders each read 100 books to their parents or another adult.
First-grade teacher Lori Roper, who has been with the school for 10 years and started the reading project, said students' reading abilities improve by leaps and bounds during the two months. She said students have a chart at school and are given a sticker every time they read a book to track their progress.
"Kids will start out at a simple, basic reading level, and grow to a more advanced level. We always say kids learn to read at this stage, and then they read to learn," Roper said. She said the other two first-grade teachers, Carolee Mackay and Connie Johnson, also saw growth in their students' spelling, writing and vocabulary.
Debra VanGorder, a specialist with Canyon District's Evidence-Based Learning Department, says giving young students the opportunity to practice and develop reading skills is crucial.
"Reading is what makes other curriculum accessible for kids," she said. "Thinking skills are built through reading. Often times you'll see a student struggling with math or science, but it has nothing to do with their math skills. It's the reading that is getting in the way."
VanGorder said it's important to give students the continued support they need to become better readers.
"Parents and kids get discouraged if they're having trouble reading. But it's important to make the distinction that just because a student is having reading difficulties at this early stage, it is not necessarily correlated to their ability to learn."
