As Crosby Elementary fourth grade students prepared for benchmark tests leading to the reading and writing portion of the spring 2009 TAKS, teacher Katrina Quintana them a promise. If they did well on the benchmarks, she’d reward them with a surprise.

The fourth graders delivered—and on Friday morning, February 28, Mrs. Quintana fulfilled her part of the bargain. She let the students turn her into a human chocolate sundae.

“Mrs. Quintana is very compassionate and full of energy,” Crosby Elementary principal Justin Vercher told the Messenger. “She’ll go the extra mile for her students every day.”

At around 9 a. m. Friday, Mrs. Quintana went that extra mile. All of the fourth graders who met their goals on the pre-TAKS benchmark tests gathered with Mr. Vercher in Mrs. Quintana’s classroom as Mrs. Quintana, who had changed into a sweat suit and protective headpiece, got into a children’s wading pool. A covering had been placed under the wading pool to protect the classroom carpet. Then the fun began. As Mrs. Quintana asked students questions that might be on the TAKS, students who answered correctly were allowed to drop a large spoonful of vanilla ice cream—or chocolate or strawberry or other topping—on the teacher, anywhere they pleased. Some students even elected to drop ice cream down Mrs. Quintana’s back!

The event created approximately an hour of hilarity and fun for teacher and students alike.

As a grand finale toward the end, the remaining ice cream was dumped over Mrs. Quintana’s head. The students screamed with delight.

After Mrs. Quintana toweled her face off, she assured the gathered fourth graders that they could do well on the approaching TAKS.

“Every single one of you can do this—and you can do this more so than you think,” she said. “We haven’t given up on you. Don’t give up on yourselves.”

Students throughout FISD took the TAKS on Tuesday. Results will be released later. Mrs. Quintana said that if Crosby students do well, there will be another surprise.

Mrs. Quantana and her husband are going to welcome a new member to their family soon. “It’s going to be a sweet baby,” one student quipped.

*See additional photos in the March 5, 2009 issue of the Forney Messenger.