Lucky P gets a kiss: Finch students go hog wild for math reward – office manager giving pig peck on cheek

Kissing a pig isn’t usually in Finch Elementary School office manager Kathy Fiorillo’s job description, but last week she planted a smooch on a 300-pound porker named Lucky P to reward her school’s students for completing more than 21,000 online math lessons this school year.

“It was everything I dreamed it would be,” she laughed. “Lucky P I don’t think really cared.”

It all began with school staff looking for a way to motivate students to do the online Dreambox math lessons, said Principal Shane O’Doherty. At the beginning of the school year most students were still doing online virtual learning and staff wanted to make sure they were engaged.

They came up with the idea of a 10-week competition and calculated that if Finch’s 422 students each did five lessons a week, they could reach the goal of 21,100 lessons. “Getting the lessons completed does wonders for their learning,” O’Doherty said.

The plan was to unite the school, not pit different classrooms against each other.

“We wanted to do it as a school, where everyone was contributing,” O’Doherty said. “Everyone has a part in it.”

But what to offer as the reward? O’Doherty said he made a joke about Fiorillo kissing a pig to some students and got an enthusiastic response.

“Really it has taken off since then,” he said. “Kids are drawing pigs, bringing in stuffed pigs, a kindergarten class was wearing pig ears. It’s been so much fun. Kids are excited.”

There were a few kids, however, who were worried about Fiorillo having to kiss a pig and said they wouldn’t do their lessons in order to save her from that fate. But Fiorillo was able to reassure them. “They were so concerned for her,” O’Doherty said. “That was the cutest moment.”

A teacher at the school owns several pigs and one of them was selected to be the kiss recipient. Fiorillo said she’s really not sure why she agreed to O’Doherty’s plan.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I really don’t. I’m really not a farm girl at all.”

But she soon got caught up in the enthusiasm. She’s worked at the school for 21 years and knows the students well.

“I liked the idea of the kids having a challenge,” she said. “They’re really excited, which makes it even better.”

When students saw her in the hall, they would often make oinking noises. Others brought her pig related gifts. “I have 17 pigs in my office, pictures of pigs,” she said.

Last Monday O’Doherty announced to students that the goal had been met.

“I knew it was coming,” he said. “I announced it, and the kids were cheering.”

The grand pig kissing event was recorded on Lucky P’s farm and shown to students on Monday morning. Fourth-grader Regan Akers was particularly excited to see it.

“It’s going to be really funny,” she said. “I’ve never seen anyone kiss a pig.”

Akers said she started doing the daily math lessons so Fiorillo would have to kiss a pig, but then sort of forgot about it.

“I forgot it when I was having so much fun doing my lessons,” she said. “I learned more about decimals and fraction decimals.”

Another competition is in the works to encourage students to keep doing their online lessons. O’Doherty said he will let Fiorillo decide what he has to do to reward the students for meeting the next goal.

“That was the gift I gave her,” he said.

Fiorillo said she has been doing research to find an appropriate task for O’Doherty to complete. She’s considered everything from having him wear a tutu and dance in the halls to getting pelted with water balloons, but she has yet to unveil the next challenge reward.

Whatever it is, O’Doherty is confident he can do it.

“I’m not worried,” O’Doherty said.