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'Read Across America' held at MES, VES
 | | Members of the community participated in reading to classes at Valley Elementary School. (Photos courtesy VES) |
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HOT SPRINGS - Valley Elementary School recently celebrated "Read Across America Day" with guest readers, costumes, decorations, and writing contests. The school was transformed into "Seusville" in honor of the great author, Dr. Seuss. Community and business leaders shared their favorite stories with classes in the morning. Classes creatively decorated their doors with a Seuss theme. Short stories, poems, and letters written in the rhyming style of Dr. Seuss were prepared by students in grades 4-7. The day ended with a school wide assembly in the fashion of "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?" Valley's PTO helped in the activities as a way of celebrating the joy of reading and the importance of academic success in school.
Aimed at raising awareness about the importance of reading, the nation's largest reading event typically includes special appearances by Dr. Seuss's famous feline, the Cat in the Hat, at thousands of Read Across America Day events from coast to coast. Principal Les Balgavy sported the costume all day long, much to the enjoyment of Valley students.
 | | Left: MES celebrated Read Across America Day during the first week of March. Students in grades K-4 read books from across the regions of America, and worked on special projects to share their books. On Friday, the cafeteria became the United States, with student representatives for each grade sharing the class activities from their region as they took a 'road trip' across America. The special highlight of the week was a visit from former Bath County athletes Jacob (middle) and John Phillips. They read selected Dr. Seuss books with each class, and answered questions from students. (Photos courtesy MES) |
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"Every year on Read Across America Day, the imaginations of millions of youngsters are ignited with the invigorating and electrifying magic that happens when they open up a good book," said National Education Association president Reg Weaver. "As we light these fires in the minds of young students, we have a responsibility to cultivate the flames to develop life-long learners. Read Across America is not just about one hour or one day of reading but a lifetime of good reading habits that will translate into academic success."
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