Peninsula students celebrate reading

Courtesy photo Crafts and funny hats were part of the reading party at Peninsula Elementary Thursday night.

Courtesy photo Animal hats were among the attractions at the reading party at Peninsula Elementary Thursday.

by CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Staff Writer | March 6, 2017 2:00 AM

Courtesy photo Animal hats were among the attractions at the reading party at Peninsula Elementary Thursday.

MOSES LAKE — Adults came to read to Peninsula Elementary students; children in the higher grades read to (and with) kids in the lower grades. Parents and kids made crafts and posed for pictures with the Cat in the Hat. It was all part of the school’s Read Across America celebration Thursday.

“The entire day was focused around reading,” wrote Peninsula principal Sydney Richins. The Moses Lake High School cheer team came to school to read to kids, and so did Moses Lake Police Chief Kevin Fuhr. Karen Liebrecht and Ryann Leonard, members of the Moses Lake City Council, also came to school to read, among many others, Richins said.

“The third-, fourth- and fifth-grade classes went to the kindergarten, first- and second-grade classes to buddy-read with students,” Richins wrote. The school also sponsored Dr. Seuss Night.

Kids got the chance to show off their reading skills to their parents. Kids got Dr. Seuss and animal hats, and made Dr. Seuss crafts. Each family that attended received a free book, courtesy of the Peninsula PTO.

This year is the 20th anniversary of the Read Across America program, started to encourage reading and reading fluency. It’s based around March 2, the birthday of legendary author Dr. Seuss.