Staff photo by Connor Cummiskey Media specialist Marion Klimmek shows off a Dr. Seuss pop-up book next to a cutout of the Cat in the Hat in the media center where parents and children can read for Washington Learning Center’s Read Across America celebration.

NEW ULM — The Washington Learning Center (WLC) is celebrating Read Across America Day with the New Ulm Steel on Thursday, March 2.

The event has two parts.

Starting at 10:15 a.m. in the WLC gym, students, staff and Steel players will read for 15 minutes and, at the end, sing the school song.

The second part is 3 to 5:30 p.m. at WLC. The after-school portion of the event encourages parents to read with their children in the WLC media center. There also will be Dr. Seuss inspired games, such as “pin the hat on the cat” and “tic-tac-toe with green eggs and ham” in the cafeteria.

Families that participate in the media center can sign up for the chance to win their choice of a paper back book from ones earned by WLC from book fairs.

“I think that is what we are trying to encourage more than anything is that we just want kids and families to read,” media specialist Marion Klimmek said.

The morning event is in conjunction with the District 88’s Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) program.

Through PBIS, students and classrooms can earn purple tickets, called Eagle Star tickets, for good behavior such as following directions or being kind to other students.

“Each teacher has a different plan, so if they earn,, say, in one class it is 10 tickets, they have a popcorn party. In some classes I know they have to earn up to 15 and they get extra recess,” School social worker Nan Huffman said.

Read Across America is a national event held each year on the birthday of famous children’s author Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. The purpose is to encourage children to read and parents to read to their children.

“It is spending quality time with your child, it is showing them the importance that you read, that they see that there is a reason to read,” Klimmek said.

Studies by the National Center for Education Statistics indicate that reading to children and reading earlier can increase a young child’s comprehension of the alphabet, counting skills and reading skills.

Klimmek pointed out that reading can increase a child’s vocabulary, though the older a child is the harder it is to get them started on reading for fun.

“We want to try and make their life as rich as possible,” Klimmek said.

Klimmek cited a passage from Suess’s book “I can Read with my Eyes Shut” that she said sums up the purpose of the reading celebration.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know,” the book states. “The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

Connor Cummiskey can be emailed at ccummiskey@nujournal.com.