National Read Across America Day is celebrated every year on March 2nd, in honor of the renowned children’s book author Theodore Geisel, more popularly known as Dr. Seuss. Many schools around the country typically dedicate an entire week to reading-themed activities in hopes of getting young readers excited about picking up a book. The celebrations at San Cayetano Elementary went all out, extending the festivities from the last week of February to the first week of March. San Cayetano was host to many special events designed to positively promote reading among its students.
Hats off to the San Cayetano community who launched the celebration on February 26, with “Crazy Hat Day.” Students and staff members came to school showing off their unique and stylish headwear. Many “Cat in the Hat” hats were spotted throughout the campus and it was fun to see students and staff using their creativity as well. “Love of Reading Day” was the theme on February 28. On this day students and staff attended school dressed as their favorite storybook characters. The San Cayetano campus had a magical feel to this day as different characters from Dr. Seuss's books, the Harry Potter series, princes, and princesses, among others were seen around the campus. Each day was a different theme intended to spark students’ interest in books and to get them excited to come to school.
In addition to having fun with dress-up, San Cayetano Elementary’s STUCO Club initiated a Read-A-Thon Fundraiser. This fundraiser ran from February 26- March 8. The event not only got students reading more but also helped raise money for the school. Students, teachers, and parents came together to log the minutes and hours students spent reading on the Read-A-Thon website. The more minutes logged, the more funds the school received. In addition, community members would also donate money through the Read-A-Thon portal to increase funds as well. Proceeds from this fundraiser have been designated towards the purchase of a rock wall for San Cayetano. The total of donations collected was a whopping $7,165.00 and students collectively read a total of 61,796 minutes! Way to go Cheetahs!
Finally on March 2, right on Dr. On Seuss's birthday, San Cayetano welcomed readers from around the community to read to the students in each classroom. First responders, school board members, and retired teachers were among the guests who came to share a good book and a good story about why they fell in love with reading. Students enjoyed a variety of stories read to them and they even got the opportunity to ask the guest readers about their jobs and favorite books.
Overall, the Love of Reading celebrations at San Cayetano really showcased the fun that reading could bring into people’s lives. More importantly, it encouraged an appreciation of literature to students and to some, inspired their love of reading for the first time.