Will Shelledy Principal 'kiss a snake' this month?

Come to the Fruita Fall Festival Sept. 29 to see Shelledy Elementary School Principal Steve States “kiss a snake” on the Fruita Fall Festival stage if his students read over 50,000 minutes outside of class by that date.

That’s the big prize offered by the Grand Valley Zoological Quest, the non-profit organization, who kicked off its “Wild About Reading” after-school literacy program last week.

GVZQ Director of Education Tracy Barron and retired District 51 teacher from Shelledy, outlined the plan to students and teachers at a special assembly on Monday, Sept. 10.

Columbine Animal Hospital assistant Alicia
Finch holds Amora, the snake that Shelledy
Elementary Principal Steve States will kiss
at the Fruita Fall Festival on Sept. 29.

“It was an amazing kick-off!  We have such quality people involved as volunteers who brought the ZooQuest animals. And Steve States, the principal, was unbelievably great!” Barron said. 

Principal States says he is a little anxious about kissing a snake, but he explains, “I am anxious to see our students succeed in their reading and to celebrate with them. For that I will be anxious to kiss a snake. “

Two students in each grade level will be named “the wildest” and be awarded an official Zoo Quest tee-shirt from the Grand Valley Zoo Quest. These readers are the ones who read the most minutes

The gym roared with applause as the students were introduced to a few of the GVZQ education animals brought by the Columbine Animal Hospital: Bubbles, the largest tortoise most of the kids ever saw; Amora, a eight-foot long red-tailed boa, and a few exotic birds.

The audience cheered even more when Barron explained how they could become “Wild About Reading” and that their principal would kiss Amora, the boa, when the Shelledy readers completed the month-long reading quest.

After the assembly kicked off, Shelledy supporters were pleased with the first week’s reading results.

“The kids have already started reading and turning in their sheets. There is a cardboard snake in the lobby now to encourage and remind them to keep reading,” said Barron.

“They have read 1,920 minutes in just the first three days,” Principal States announced on Wednesday, Sept. 12.

“Wild About Reading” is Grand Valley Zoological Quest’s way of encouraging Fruita students to practice and have fun with reading while supporting GVZQ’s efforts to build a zoological center in Fruita. “We need a zoo! Won’t you help too?”