On Friday, March 7 , students at Creekside Elementary will honor the birthday of Dr.
Seuss with a well-loved tradition. Dressed in pajamas and armed with favorite books, blankets, pillows, and even stuffed animals, students will settle in for a morning long read-in.
The cafeteria will serve green eggs and ham for lunch, followed by an assembly that will be full of surprises. Creekside is one of many schools across the country participating in the 11 th annual NEA's "Read Across America" initiative. Third, fourth and fifth graders at the school will begin a month long activity-reading assignments from across the United States and marking their progress on a map. The names of students who complete their maps will be entered into a drawing for a host of prizes. The grand prize will be a book about the student and his or her family donated by local author,
Jennifer Streetman.
"Not all children develop an early love of reading," Streetman explains, "and those who do not are at a disadvantage throughout their education. Not only because they miss out on worlds of imagination and entertainment, which is significant, but because every homework assignment they complete and every test they take are predicated upon reading comprehension."
In 1997, the National Education Association developed "Read Across America" as a day to celebrate the joy of reading. Elementary through high schools are encouraged to participate on or around Dr. Seuss' March 2 nd birthday with age appropriate activities. Athletes and celebrities are invited to visit schools and read to children.
Vicky Reierson, teacher librarian at Creekside Elementary, notes that the school has scheduled activities each year since 1997 and that the students love the fun. Reierson, who understands the direct connection between the time students spent reading and their performance in school, works hard to make the day a success.
"We had a kick off assembly and [the students] are very jazzed," Reierson says about the contest grand prize, a 10,000 word privately-published book to be written about the winning student or his or her family by Jennifer Streetman. Other prizes for the drawing include Dr. Seuss and Shakespeare Festival hats, and gift cards to bookstores.
Jennifer Streetman is president of In Your Own Words, Inc., a Broomfield, Colorado company dedicated to preserving family stories and history. She has written biographies and family histories for individuals across the country. She conducts interviews, performs genealogical and historical research, and writes and edits the manuscripts. For more information, please see her website at http://www.historyinyourownwords.com or contact her by telephone at 303-883-2142 or e-mail at jennifer@historyinyourownwords.com.