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MANVILLE: Students mark birth of Dr. Seuss by reading

BY Mary Ellen Zangara, Special Writer
   Weston School students had to wait a day to celebrate “Read Across America,” the annual event encouraging students to read with special visitors in classrooms reading to the youngsters.
   The event was originally scheduled for March 2, the actual date of author Theodore Geisel’s — aka, Dr. Seuss — birth which the event commemorates, but schools were closed for a snow day.
   A committee at Weston School sought out school district personnel, community members and local business owners to attend the event, and to read to the children. The guests met in the school library to pick out a book to read — many chose one of the classics by Dr. Seuss, like “Green Eggs and Ham,” “The Cat in the Hat,” and “Go Dog Go,” before heading off to the classrooms.
   Of course, all of the readers were given the familiar red-and-white hat to wear, before heading off to read. Each reader visited four classrooms.
   ”Motivating students to read is the most important thing a teacher can do,” volunteer reader Terry Kotarsky, who is an instructional aide at the school, said. “It was really enjoyable. I hope it was as enjoyable for them as it was for me.”
   ”The children enjoyed hearing community members and school personnel read the Dr. Seuss books,” Heather Aloi, second-grade teacher and committee member, said. “They particularly liked hearing the readers try to say the tongue twisters in the books.”
   Ruth Bielanski the children’s library at Manville Public Library was also among the readers. “It was fun and we had a good time. The kids liked it,” she said.
   Students also participated in a poster contest, and kindergarten student Grace Lallkissoon won with her poster for “I can read with my eyes shut.” Her brother, Shane Lallkissoon, won for the first-grade entries, also with “I can read with my eyes shut.” Second-grader Samantha Hasseloff’s poster of “Green Eggs and Ham” was the winner for her grade, and Casey Bolanos’ “Horton Hatches the Egg” poster won the third-grade contest. Each student received a stuffed Cat in the Hat.
   To end the day, all of the students sat outside their classrooms at 2 p.m. and participated in a reading train, reading books given to them by the Weston PTA for the birthday celebration.