A cow, a kiss and a nice donation for the food shelf

Talk about it

A deal is a deal.

When Farmington Elementary School principal Ben Januschka agreed to kiss a cow if his students could collect more items than students at Akin Road Elementary School for the Farmington Food Shelf, he knew he was taking a big chance.

It’s a chance the kids were more than happy to hold him to.

Earlier in December, Januschka and ARES principal Laure Pierce made a friendly wager. Each school conducted a two-week food drive for the Farmington Food Shelf. If Akin Road gathered more items than FES, Pierce agreed she would be duct taped to a wall.

If FES gathered more than ARES, Januschka would kiss a cow.

The fifth grade student council at each school came up with the reward they wanted if their school won, FES counselor Jen Venz said.

“They came up with (kissing) a pig, but it was easier to get a cow,” Venz said.

The student councils at both schools motivated their classmates to bring in a lot of food. Together, the buildings collected approximately 4,700 pounds of food and personal hygiene items, according to Farmington Food Shelf volunteer Kris Akin.

Farmington Elementary School students brought in more than 3,000 items, beating Akin Road’s collection by about 1,700 items.

While all of that made Januschka proud of his students, it also meant he had to pucker up and kiss a cow. After all, a deal is a deal.

So there he was Wednesday morning, wearing his overalls and a plaid shirt. While the students filled the gymnasium for an all-school assembly, Januschka spent a couple of minutes visiting with “Bessie,” a 6-week-old calf supplied for the event by the Donnelly Family Farms.

“This will be my first experience kissing a cow,” he said. “It’s all for a good cause. I’m really proud of our student council. I’m just kind of wondering what the next thing Mrs. Venz and the student council are going to throw at me.”

Januschka planned a short skit to lead up to the big event.

“I guess we’re just going to milk this for all it’s worth,” he said.

So he did. Not only did he kiss Bessie once, he kissed the calf three times. And the students loved every minute of it.

Tags: district 192, elementary schools, education, farmington