Cascade Locks Students are the GOAT; Principal makes good on smooch

Cascade Locks Elmentary School Principal Adrienne Acosta makes good on a promise to kiss a goat at a school assembly if they met a fundraising goal. Not only did students hit their target, they surpassed it, forcing Acosta to plant one.

Who, Me?

The Dalles, Ore., Jan. 6, 2026 — Students at Cascade Locks Elementary School didn’t just meet their jogathon fundraising goal this fall — they head butted it like as love struck goat, earning a memorable reward for their efforts and raising more than $5,300 for their school’s parent-teacher organization.

During the school’s annual jogathon on Oct. 17, students were challenged to raise more than $4,000. If they succeeded, their Principal Adrienne Acosta promised to pucker up.

She agreed to kiss a real goat in front of the school. Students dug in and by the end of the fundraiser, they had raised $5,301, said Albert Nance with the Parent Teacher Organization or PTO.

Acosta did not back down.

She followed through on her promise during a school assembly on Nov. 21, kissing a goat in front of the entire student body as a tribute to their work and commitment to the fundraiser. The moment also served as a nod to the local communities strong support for teachers who are looking to improve their classrooms.

The jogathon is Cascade Locks Elementary’s only annual PTO fundraiser and is entirely student-led, Nance said. Funds raised will be used for teacher-defined classroom supports, supplemental materials and enrichment activities.

The goat-kissing took place during a monthly AVID assembly, which was organized, produced and directed by students and highlights leadership, collaboration and academic skills.

Acosta was thumbs up on this fundraising payoff!

Cascade Locks Elementary was recently recognized nationally as an AVID Showcase School.

AVID is a nonprofit organization founded in 1992 in San Diego that focuses on closing opportunity gaps by preparing students for college and career success through its Advancement Via Individual Determination program, which is implemented in more than 7,000 schools across 46 states and internationally, reaching millions of students from prekindergarten through 12th grade, according to its website avid.org