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It was love at first sight for Penelope the pig and principal Dave Schmidt on Feb. 24. (PRESCOTT JAMES)

Students at J.A. Cuddy School recently went hog wild about reading — literally.

Students and staff at the Sanford elementary school squealed with delight Feb. 24 when principal Dave Schmidt kissed a pig named Penelope.

The porcine scene was a reward for J.A. Cuddy students exceeding their reading goals for the month of February, which was I Love to Read Month.

"It was really funny," said seven-year-old student Olivia Thompson following the porktacular event in the school gym. "I read lots of books because I wanted to make sure he had to do it — it was really neat."

Thompson read for more than 8,000 minutes to ensure that her principal would have to lock lips with Penelope.

Schmidt said Thompson’s efforts were indicative of the dedication of most of the students at the school.

"The theme for this month was hog wild for reading and most of the students met or exceeded their reading goals so I had to kiss Penelope," he said.

To make matters worse, Schmidt had to kiss Penelope not once, but twice in front of the howling students at the kindergarten to Grade 8 school.

Schmidt said he gladly endured the humiliation because it inspired his students to hit the books with an even greater fervour.

Still, he admitted that he was glad Penelope cleared her nose between the two smootches and not while they were lip-locked.

School secretary Alison MacKenzie said she was pleased by the outcome of the pig-kissing affair because it got students excited about reading.

"It was great to see him actually do it," MacKenzie said, laughing. "The kids liked it too. The general consensus around here is that was cool."

MacKenzie noted that the pig-kissing idea was suggested by school staff.

Penelope already had a connection with the school prior her recent visit. She belongs to the father of Grade 4 teacher John Bergmann and lives on his nearby farm.

Bergman said that making reading fun for students is an important motivational tool.

"Our kids are already avid readers, but this definitely encouraged them to read more," he said.

Thompson agrees and hopes other schools follow suit.

"I think other schools should do this because it made me really want to read," she said.