Slime.

It was orange and sticky, and Knollwood Elementary School second-grader Wakinyan Ghost Dog was more than happy to dump a bucket of it over the head of his teacher, Kem Ellis, while his class cheered him on.

"Anybody want a hug?" Ellis asked when he walked back to his class, the students squealing with laughter at the site of their teacher drenched in orange muck.

For 23 teachers, it was a mess, and for the school, it was a celebration, said Jodie Rufledt, the school's literacy leader. The students were challenged to read 10,000 books by today. They surpassed the challenge, with 12,293 books read.

"They're reading like mad," she said.

It isn't the first time the school has used the teachers as incentives, she said. They have had to kiss reptiles, eat bugs, take a pie in the face and even have a head shaved.

It gets students in the pages of a book, and for many of them, reading equals success. Second-grade teacher Carrie McKeown wiped the orange slime from her head and laughed when it dripped down her back. She said it was more than worth it.

Student Isaiah Prado dumped the slime on her because he has made great improvements since starting the challenge.

Shannon Alcorn, a literacy teacher at the school, said reading helps students in all areas of learning.

"It's not just reading ability," she said. "It's science, social studies and math."

Ellis said he enjoys the challenges because of the enthusiasm that comes from the students.

"It's absolutely wonderful," he said. "They look forward to it."

To the chants of her name, third-grade teacher Tabitha Blessing stepped into a plastic swimming pool before getting a five-gallon bucket of orange goo dumped over her head and held up a sign declaring that her class read 941 books. The other side read "Got Slime?"

Contact Kayla Gahagan at 394-8410 or kayla.gahagan@rapidcityjournal.com