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Mackenzie Cole, Vicksburg Catholic School Junior and Miss Mississippi Teen USA, read to young students as part of National Read Across America Day on Thursday. Dr. Seuss's books were particularly a big hit with the younger crowd. (Photo courtesy of Vicksburg Catholic School)

Broadcast Journalist Howard Ballou of WLBT News came to Ms. Santana Thigpen’s PreK class to read Green Eggs and Ham to students in Ms. Santana Thigpen’s PreK class at Dana Elementary on Thursday. The reading was part of Dr. Seuss Day, in which the school invites members of the community to come and read Dr. Seuss classics to young learners. (Photo by Ben Martin | The Vicksburg Post)

Warren County District 5 Supervisor Kelle Barfield and 2022 Miss Mississippi Emmie Perkins both came to read classic children’s books by Dr. Seuss to young learners at Dana Elementary on Thursday. (Photo by Ben Martin | The Vicksburg Post)

Officer Christopher Scallions of the Vicksburg Police Department came to Dana Elementary to read the Cat in the Hat during the school’s Dr. Seuss Day on Thursday. Scallions was one of many volunteers from the community who participated. (Photo by Ben Martin | The Vicksburg Post)

Preschool Teacher Dionna Davis reads the Berenstain Bears to a group of you learners on Friday at the Kiddie City Childcare and Learning Center. Schools around the community have been focusing on reading education throughout the week to celebrate Read Across America Day, which was on Thursday. (Photo by Ben Martin | The Vicksburg Post)

Thursday was national Read Across America Day, and it was celebrated by schools across Vicksburg and Warren County.

At Dana Road Elementary School, the day was celebrated as Dr. Seuss Day. Volunteers from the community came throughout the day to the school to read Dr. Seuss’s classics to the young learners.

LaShonda Keyes, the principal of the elementary school, said that Dr. Seuss Day has been a tradition for a number of years.

“We celebrate Dr. Seuss because he’s a big influence in reading. And reading is the foundation of pre-K through second grade. Without that foundation, you can’t build,” Keyes said. “so we celebrate the reading and the gift that Dr. Suess gave us.”

Visitors to the school included 2022 Miss Missippippi Emmie Perkins, News Anchor Howard Ballou of WLBT, and Warren County District 5 Supervisor Kelle Barfield.

Vicksburg Catholic School students also participated in a variety of reading programs this past week. Seniors at the school volunteered to read to the Montessori and Pre-K students. Sophomores were paired with second-grade reading buddies.

The team at Kiddie City Childcare and Learning Center has also been celebrating literature this week by having volunteers and staff read to their Pre-K classes.

Maria Pendleton is the director of the learning center. She said that having volunteers from the community come and read doesn’t just engage students with reading, but also exposes the children to different careers and walks of life.

“These children get to experience the adult roles in the community, and they also get to enjoy a book, which some don’t experience at home,” Pendleton said. “Parents, a lot of parents, especially younger ones, don’t realize how important it is for children to be read to on a regular basis. So we try to expose them to that.”

Pendleton said that the children are read to throughout the year, but this past week it was the main focus of activities for the students. She also mentioned that PreK in general has had an increased focus on reading over the years.

“One of our main focuses is rearing our children in a loving way to get them prepared for kindergarten. Most parents think that daycare is a babysitting institution. And at one point in time, it very well may have been. But things have changed. They’ve evolved,” Pendleton said. “And we just want to work together with childcare centers and the parents to get the children ready to further educational journey. And it just starts here.”

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