THE TRIBUNE (Welland, Ontario) 01 March 08 Students read 600 books; teacher keeps promise to smooch a snake (Samantha Craggs)
She screamed. She tried to run away. But by the end of the assembly, the principal of a local Christian school had smooched a three-metre python.
Karen Gerritsma, head of Beacon Christian Schools, bet the students that they couldn't read 600 books for the school's MS Read-a-thon to benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.
If they did, she promised to kiss a snake on stage when they got a visit from "Reptile Rob" Friday.
The students read 634 books, which meant Gerritsma had to pucker up. "He can open his jaws and swallow your head," said Rob Ruthart, a Burlington-area reptile expert who travels with his educational show Reptile Party. "But don't worry, he can't make it past your shoulders."
Gerritsma feigned an escape attempt only to be led back to the stage by excited students.
She kissed a three-metre albino python named Banana Cream Pie.
"It wasn't as slimy as I thought it would be," she said. "But it was unusual."
The school raised $3,500.
Students read 600 books; teacher keeps promise to smooch a snake