Kiss the Pig

I'm amazed at what one or two people can do. Don't ever think that you can't make a difference. The "Kiss the Pig" contest is a great example of how the thoughts/ideas of one or two people can made a difference.

I was approached several weeks ago by Mrs. Fanz and Mrs. Hernandez about doing a fund raiser for Ms. Young. As you know, Ms. Young is our 4th grade teacher and has been battling cancer for the last several years. She is currently undergoing her third round of chemotherapy, but you couldn't tell by the way she acts. She always shows up ready to work. She is always prepared. She never seems to have a bad day. She's quite remarkable.

Despite appearances to the contrary, Mrs. Fanz and Mrs. Hernandez knew that Ms. Young was in need of some help. Though she would never say it, we all know that the medical expenses have to be piling up. Mrs. Fanz and Mrs. Hernandez decided that they wanted to do something to help, so we began planning a fund raiser.

In the end, we chose a "Kiss the Pig" contest as a way to raise funds. In this type of contest, money is donated in the name of a specific staff member and the staff member with the most money donated in their name has to kiss a pig, literally. We had 8 staff members step up to be candidates to kiss the pig, and the students were absolutely thrilled to have the chance to see one of their favorite teachers kiss a pig.

In typical Westphalia fashion, the generosity displayed by our students, our parents, and the community was overwhelming. In the end, we raised over $3,000 for Ms. Young! Gracious as always, Ms. Young was very thankful to all our students and their parents for the donations. Ms. Cooper, our band and Spanish teacher, won the contest and laid a beautiful kiss right on the snout of a rather rambunctious pig. It was great fun!

I'd like to reiterate the feelings of Ms. Young and thank everyone involved in making this fund raiser such a success. Seeing the generosity of those involved in the Westphalia Community is always humbling and reminds me how lucky I am to work in a place like this!