Read Seuss, I did, with galumph and glid

TONY DODERO

I spent a good bit of time in our local public schools this week. On

Monday, I was at Newport Harbor High School to take part in a mentor

program that I signed up for last year.

Basically, the mentors are paired up with students who are

interested in similar fields of study, and we tell them what it takes

to reach such lofty heights as we have reached.

OK, you can stop laughing.

More on that program in a later column because the other school

event I attended this week is going to get the lion’s share of the

ink this week.

On Tuesday, I spent a portion of my morning at Harbor View

Elementary School.

The reason?

To celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday.

Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Geisel, was born March 2, 1904.

He would have been 101 years old this week, and in honor of his

children’s-book-writing genius, the event Read Across America was

formed as a major nationwide literacy initiative.

All across the nation, adults visit local schools to read to

children, and put on a “Cat in the Hat” top hat.

Harbor View celebrated the birthday a day early but that didn’t

damper any spirits that I saw.

At the invitation of Harbor View Principal Mellissia Christensen I

came armed Tuesday with one of my favorite Seuss books, “Hop on Pop.”

I have little kids, a kindergartner even. So I figured I was well

prepared for book reading.

Still, I have to admit I was a little worried as looked at the

young, bright-eyed pupils from Edie Archibald’s kindergarten class

and Pam Caskey’s third-grade class.

Especially when the kids started to grill me with good questions.

“What does an editor do?” asked one little boy.

If he only knew.

As they asked me more questions and looked at me with rapt

attention, I was sure that I was going to slip up.

But somehow, maybe through the magic of Dr. Seuss, I survived.

Soon it was time to read the books.

I started thumbing through the pages of “Hop on Pop,” and after

every page I read one little girl shouted with a chuckle, “I love

that part.”

It got better and better.

Next we read “Yertle the Turtle,” and then “The Lorax.”

It was definitely a fun stroll down memory lane to read those

books that brought the written word alive for me when I was a young

kid.

But unfortunately, it was time to go.

This was Harbor View’s first year doing the Read Across America

event and Principal Christensen told me they had 23 readers, among

them firefighters, paramedics, a Drug Abuse Resistance Education

officer, police officers, two school board members and a member’s

husband and a number of district employees, including one John

Goodwin.

Goodwin, Christensen said, is the site manager of the school and

one popular guy.

“He’s one of those silent heroes,” the principal said.

Will they do Read Across America again? Well, you be the judge:

“Everybody was pleased with the success, especially with our first

year of doing this,” said Christensen, who has been principal now for

three years. “The guest readers seemed pleased to be invited. The

students and teachers enjoyed it immensely. It was more than I hoped.

It was just a happy day.”

I agree. And for once in my life, it was good to be called to the

principal’s office.

So special thanks to all involved and especially the following

Harbor View pupils who I’m sure I’ve persuaded to be future

journalists.

Third-graders: Samee Aboubakare, Alec Barber, Irish Burns, Padraic

Conroy, Madison Crane, Natalie Croul, Cameron Davis, Ellen Donahue,

Megan Dunholter, Cassidy George, Jake Huggins, Matthew Kulp, Chad

Mugavero, Wade Munger, Monica Perez, Kathryn Pridemore, Amador

Sanchez, Hanna Stowell, Sachi Uyemura and Marit Vangrow.

Kindergartners: Chase Ashcraft, Natalie Batista, Madison Bell,

Faith Bender, Brady Burwell, Biana Coon, Clayton Dickinson, Jake

Duty, Michael Farris, Rourke Funke, Cole Hanck, Bianca Hawlish,

Helene Mahmood, Isabella Matthews, Brendan Mulcahy, Jodi Parker and

Alexandra and Emily Ronnenberg.