Children sat for ‘Cat in the Hat’

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by DARWIN WEIGEL Aidan Kyle, 3, and his mother Dianne Kyle of Huntingtown wait for the reading to begin Thursday at the Read Across America Dr. Seuss birthday party at Huntingtown High School. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story Click here to enlarge this photo Sheriff Mike Evans played the fish for a reading of ‘‘The Cat in the Hat.” Click here to enlarge this photo The Cat (senior John Wahl, 18) gets the crowd of children to stretch between book readings Thursday at the Read Across America Dr. Seuss birthday party at Huntingtown High School. Click here to enlarge this photo The Cat (senior John Wahl, 18) keeps the crowd of kids quiet. Click here to enlarge this photo Sheriff Mike Evans, left, is the fish while Huntingtown High School Vice Principal Trey Sirman plays the cat and school board candidate Rose Crunkleton is the narrator during a reading of Cat in the Hat Thursday at the Read Across America Dr. Seuss birthday party at Huntingtown High School.

Calvert County public schools, the Calvert Education Association, the Calvert Association of Support Staff and a host of other organizations put together a celebration for families at each of the four high schools in the county.

Members of the community, school officials and community officials volunteered time to read Seuss’s ‘‘The Cat in the Hat,” and other famous Seuss stories.

Carson Kyle, 5, returned to Huntingtown High School to celebrate Seuss’s big day after having a good time last year.

Carson listened for his favorite part of ‘‘The Cat in the Hat.”

‘‘When the mom comes home and the fish is in the cup,” he said.

At Huntingtown High School, Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans read the part of the fish.

This was Evans’ fourth time playing the fish, donning a ‘‘Cat hat” and a snorkeling mask.

Evans said he enjoys playing a role in the storytelling each year.

Read Across America is an annual celebration of literacy put together by the National Education Association focused around the birthday of Theodore Geisel, best known as the beloved Dr. Seuss.

Deborah Russ, president of the Calvert Education Association, said Read Across America is an event that is geared toward what teachers do best.

‘‘I think it’s absolutely wonderful how they support literacy and embrace it,” said Dianne Kyle of Huntingtown.

At each high school, several stories were read aloud, a prize was given out to one lucky winner at each school and each child got a piece of birthday cake provided by students from the Calvert Career Center.

Along with all the enjoyment of being read to, each child got to choose from a large variety of donated books to take home.

Russ said Calvert County puts on one of the largest celebrations in Maryland. The celebration continues because of the the smiles on children’s faces when Evans wiggled and squirmed like a fish as board of education candidate Rose Crunkleton narrated the classic Seuss story.

gphillips@somdnews.com