Students and staff at the Seymour Middle School Sixth Grade Center recently got to see three of their teachers pucker up and kiss a pig.
After checking her breath, Robin Tormoehlen was all ready for her big moment. Fellow teacher Cara Schepman made sure to apply a fresh coat of lipstick in order to leave her mark. And teacher Heather Lewis said she was just ready to get it over with.
Tormoehlen showed no hesitation as she put her hands on either side of the little pig’s head and planted her lips right on his snout.
The pig squealed and squirmed in handler Scott Davis’ arms as students cheered and laughed.
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Scott Davis is the wife of Sixth Grade Center assistant principal Becky Davis and father to teacher Heather Lewis.
The Kiss a Pig contest was organized by school guidance counselor Wendy Nicholson to raise money for Lewis’ March of Dimes team, Nola’s Knights.
Lewis created the team in memory of her and husband, Tyler’s, daughter, Nola Jayne Lewis, who was born premature May 13, 2014, and did not survive.
Tormoehlen brought in the most money, a total of $177.75 in donations from students and other staff.
In all, the event raised $654, with Schepman coming in second with $150.38 and Lewis came in third with $108.10.
The overall goal was $500, Becky Davis said.
Lewis said she is proud of her students, and she recalled how many of them comforted her last year during her hardest moments.
“My sixth-graders, who are now seventh-graders, were amazing,” she said. “They were always there for me giving me hugs, and the other teachers, they were very helpful.”
Students also watched March of Dimes videos to get a better understanding of what the March of Dimes is all about, and how it helps address the issue of premature births.
She hopes the March of Dimes, along with fundraisers like Kiss a Pig, will create awareness of premature births and how it impacts families.
“I can just hope that as a community, we can embrace this and donate more and more money so we can keep doing the event here,” she said of the annual March of Dime’s walk for babies that was conducted April 25 in Seymour.