Read Across America

Published March 6, 2008

There's a wave of excitement sweeping across Williamson County schools. It's called Read Across America. Now in its 10th year, Read Across America has become the nation's largest reading celebration.

The event is held the first week of March to recognize Dr. Seuss' birthday. The purpose is to motivate and encourage children to read. Each year, special guests visit schools and read to the students. The guests often include central office employees, county leaders and some celebrities. This year, some big names in the world of sports and music took time out of their busy schedules to visit children in Williamson County.

Students at Lipscomb Elementary School were shocked when award-winning country music star Carrie Underwood arrived at their school to read Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat. Some of the other celebrities who took time out of the busy schedule to read to students included Tennessee Titans defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, Rascall Flatts bassist Jay Demarcus and NewsChannel 5 Meteorologist Ron Howes.

The children enjoyed listening to the stories and had a great time meeting the different guest readers. Teachers and administrators hope events like this will foster a love for reading that will last a lifetime. Be sure and check out the next issue of IN FOCUS, as we'll take you inside the classroom with a video recap of several Read Across America events.