Carteret, NJ – On Wednesday March 2nd, Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman joined with Ms. Caleiro’s and Ms. Marek’s 3rd grade students at Columbus Elementary School for the 2011 Read Across America program.
Mayor Reiman gave an energetic reading of Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! to the students, which was followed by open discussion that covered everything from local government to hot air balloons.
The National Education Association’s (NEA) Read Across America is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2nd, the birthday of children’s author Dr. Seuss.
NEA’s Read Across America provides NEA members, parents, caregivers, and children the resources and activities they need to keep reading on the calendar 365 days a year.
In cities and towns across the nation, teachers, teenagers, librarians, politicians, actors, athletes, parents, grandparents, and others develop NEA’s Read Across America activities to bring reading excitement to children of all ages. Governors, mayors, and other elected officials recognize the role reading plays in their communities with proclamations and floor statements. Athletes and actors issue reading challenges to young readers. And teachers and principals seem to be more than happy to dye their hair green or be duct-taped to a wall if it boosts their students’ reading.
“These children are at an age where they’re learning how many things reading can open the doors to,” Mayor Reiman said. “The foremost value of the Read Across America program lies in its potential to foster our youngsters’ interest in reading at a young age – to show that reading can be fun as well as educational – that it can be stimulating as well as enriching. Equipped with an enthusiasm for reading and learning, there’s nothing these kids can’t do.”
