Not many students can say they've made their principal into a human sundae - but Longfellow Elementary can.
Students lined up behind Lisa Heckenlaible on Thursday afternoon at Longfellow Elementary School and took turns pouring chocolate and caramel syrup onto their principal.
Making Heckenlaible and two custodians into human sundaes was their prize after raising more than $15,000 in raffle sales for their school.
"Words can't even say, they just knocked our socks off," said Cathy VerSteeg, second-grade teacher at Longfellow. "They had a mission to sundae those three people right there and we're seeing it happen today."
The raffle tickets are part of the Longfellow Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) to help pay for travel costs for field trips. But this year, VerSteeg said some of the money will help replace old playground equipment.
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Students were tasked with a goal of $12,000 to turn Heckenlaible into a human sundae, but if there were to make $13,000 they could also douse their two custodians - Damon Bartscher and Shawn Peters - with syrup to make a banana split.
And they did just that. The grand total raised was $15,627.
"They like having a goal," Versteeg said. "If they have a goal, they'll achieve it."
Each class that raised $800 was also able to choose a teacher to turn into a human sundae. So, along with Heckenlaible, Bartscher and Peters, eight other teachers also were made into sundaes.
VerSteeg, who was tasked with running the event and fundraising, said everyone was "good sports" even as students screamed and cheered on one another.
"It's just so fun," she said. "They're lions and we're so proud of our lions."
