MacAfee Road School 3rd Grade teacher Laura Franzi gets dunked by a student June 12.

MacAfee Road School students June 12 were rewarded for once again exceeding their reading goal in the “Grow A Garden Of Readers” program.

Last year the prize was given by the school’s principal, Bill Grippo, who spent a night on the school’s roof.

This year, Grippo and 10 of the school’s teachers took turns getting dunked by their students.

“Just wait till next year, who knows what we’ll do,” said Laura Franzi, a MacAfee 3rd Grade teacher and co-coordinator of the program. Franzi co-chaired the program with Sue Lenczewski, a 4th Grade teacher.

The students set a goal of 20,015 books in September, Franzi said. They ended up reading 21,160 books.

Students were given softballs to throw at a target that, when hit, would release the seat and plunge the sitter into the tank.

Students in grades Kindergarten to 2nd Grade received one ball for every 45 books they read, students in grades 3 and 4 received one ball for very 30 books they read.

“One of our 3rd Graders read a lot of books, and she got nine balls,” Franzi said.

After his turn in the tank, in which he was dunked several times, Grippo smiled and said, “I get paid for this.”

MacAfee School Dunking