LIVERMORE — Students at Spruce Mountain Primary School turned Principal Michael Glynn into a giant ice cream sundae Friday morning, April 12.

A poster showing Principal Michael Glynn as part of a sweet ice cream treat encourages students to read more during the Reading is Sweet program at Spruce Mountain Primary School in Livermore. Each colored disk represents 25 books read. Submitted photo

Prior to becoming the sticky concoction, Glynn spoke of challenging the students to read books for the school’s participation in Read Across America during March. “Reading is Sweet” was the school’s theme this year, he said.

“Each kid got a Bingo card with different options for reading in each square,” Glynn stated. “Reading while eating a snack, before bed, with a friend, in the bathtub. The school has 360 students, the goal was for all students to read 5,000 books.”

The students read 7,100 books, Glynn said. Last year they read about 6,000 books, he noted. As their reward Glynn ran through a lineup as students threw colored powder on him. The year before, he kissed a pig and had a pie smeared on his face.

“I kept the goggles I wore last year, I don’t think I will be able to this year,” he noted. The color infused goggles sit on a shelf behind the desk in his office.

Kindergarten students Abigail Chagnon at left and Tarack Ward Jr. pour softened ice cream on Principal Michael Glynn Friday morning, April 12, in the gym at Spruce Mountain Primary School in Livermore. Students exceeded a reading challenge so Glynn was turned into an ice cream sundae as their reward. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

Each grade would add a separate layer while creating the sundae, Glynn said.

Kindergarten students were to start with cups of vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice cream.

A first grade student squirts chocolate syrup on Principal Michael Glynn Friday morning, April 12, at Spruce Mountain Primary School in Livermore. Each grade level added another layer of the sundae with Glynn as the base after students met a reading challenge. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

First grade students would be responsible for syrups: chocolate, caramel, strawberry, pineapple and marshmallow.

“It is going to be bad,” Glynn exclaimed.

Prekindergarten student Chase Jackman gets a little help from a teacher Friday morning, April 12, while adding whipped cream to Principal Michael Glynn at Spruce Mountain Primary School in Livermore. Students turned Glynn into an ice cream sundae after meeting a challenge to read at least 5,000 books in March. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

Prekindergarten students would squirt whipped cream on next, with each class having its own can.

Second graders would finish off with sprinkles and cherries on top.

Glynn said he decided to wear shorts and a T-shirt without a poncho. “A poncho takes away from the fun of it,” he explained. “I am going to be as normal as I can be.”

Classroom teachers tallied the books read and a display at the school entrance was added to each week, Glynn said. One difference this year was any time a student got blackout [filled in the entire Bingo card], the student’s name was announced over the loudspeaker the following day, he noted.

Second grade student Evelynn Metivier adds cherries to finish off Principal Michael Glynn as an ice cream sundae Friday morning, April 12, at Spruce Mountain Primary School in Livermore. Students read more than 7,000 books during the “Reading is Sweet” challenge as part of Read Across America in March. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

“We are still getting kids turning in blackout cards and announcing it,” Glynn stated.

When asked about a possible challenge for next year he responded, “I’ll see where this one takes me first. I will try to make it as fun and inclusive as I can.”

For the kissing a pig reward students had to watch, he said. With the color run every kid could participate, the same with the sundae idea, Glynn stated. “It is all they have been talking about, nonstop,” he noted.

Disney cups have been purchased for the kids to enjoy afterwards, he said.

Julie Bolduc, Title 1 reading specialist does a lot of the planning for this program, Glynn added.

“We tried to make the Bingo sheet more interactive this year,” Bolduc said. “The teachers have dance parties planned afterwards.”

Bolduc thought Glynn was a good sport to agree to the challenge that gets kids to read more. “He hates getting sticky,” she noted. “This is really outside his comfort zone. It is amazing he is willing to do this. He is awesome.”

Due to the rain, the event was moved into the gym. Tables were covered in order of their use with ingredients needed to create a sundae.

“This is the moment you have been waiting for,” Bolduc said after the students made their way into the gym.

Glynn entered the gym to cheers, then took a seat inside a kid-sized swimming pool.

The teachers gave the students a round of applause for meeting the reading challenge, then one class at a time was called up to help create the sundae.

Over the next several minutes, Glynn was often seen reacting as the by now softened ice cream trickled down his head, back, arms or legs. Smiles were given to students, reactions were seen as squirts of syrup and whipped cream were added. Periodically he was seen adjusting his goggles. Several cherries wound up held in his hands.

“It wasn’t as bad as I was anticipating,” Glynn exclaimed after the students’ creation was complete. When the goggles were removed, some of the syrups had made their way onto his face near his eyes. Wads of paper towels were handed to him to clean some of it off.

A red paper “carpet” [rolled out to keep the “sundae” from dripping onto the gym floor] was extended to the boys bathroom where Glynn was able to remove some of the mess.

A few minutes later a staff member spoke of a student who told her, “Mr. Glynn’s car seat probably got pretty dirty.”