After finding himself on the losing end of yet another reading challenge, River Elm School principal, Tom Chan, underwent a rather extreme “Chan-geover” at the school’s annual June barbecue.

“They reached that goal and went beyond,” Mr. Chan said. “I’ve already given them next year’s challenge so they’ll be reading over the summer.”

When it came time to deliver on his end of the deal, Mr. Chan went extreme with a Hollywood-style makeover. For over two hours, Mr. Chan sat in his office while having spirit gum, sculpting compounds and a wide assortment of makeup applied to his face.

In a storm of highlands music, Mr. Chan took to the River Elm stage and delivered a monologue from Braveheart for students, staff and families. He also had a literacy message of his own.

“I wanted to tell them that we don’t need to be enslaved by tyrannies such as poverty, ignorance, violence, dependencies, abuse and hopelessness,” Mr. Chan said. “We can always rise above those invisible enemies. The ticket to freedom is education and the discernment of what is right and what is wrong.”

For the 2006-07 school year, Mr. Chan is once again issuing a challenge to read 2.5 million pages. In the meantime, the principal said he has yet to decide what his next outrageous literacy stunt will be.