BILLINGS — Students at Arrowhead Elementary School reached a major reading milestone this year, and their principal celebrated in a unique way.
Watch the video below:
Principal Pam Meier kissed a cow during a school assembly Friday after students surpassed their Read-A-Thon goal of 233,000 minutes, breaking the school’s previous record.
It was something Meier had promised students earlier in the year if they reached their goal.
“It's been super fun, and of course the kids met their goal," said Meier. "I always keep my promises, so I'll be kissing that cow.”
The celebration included a live cow brought into the school as students gathered for the assembly and cheered as Meier followed through on the challenge. Meier said she was not entirely outside her comfort zone: She grew up on a dairy farm in Iowa and was even crowned the Iowa State Dairy Princess in 1987.
For students, the event was both surprising and memorable.
“I thought it was like a prank or something,” said fifth grader Declan Helmer. “I didn’t think she’d actually kiss a cow.”
The assembly also served as a bittersweet celebration for Meier, who is retiring at the end of the school year after 14 years as Arrowhead’s principal and nearly four decades in education.
“I've been here a long time, and it's been a joy to watch all of the families and kids go through Arrowhead, and this happens to be my last year. I will be retiring, so I thought, 'Why not go out with a bang?'" said Meier. "I will definitely miss the Arrowhead community."
Another fifth grader, Jude Gill, said the moment felt like a fitting send-off for the longtime principal.
“She is really good. She's nice, and it's sad that she's retiring this year at the end of the year, so I feel like she probably wanted to end off on something special," said Gill.
