New Hopewell Students
Salute Reading and Dr. Seuss

It may have been raining outside, but students at New Hopewell Elementary School had lots of good fun as they celebrated reading on Friday.

With the birthday of famed children’s author Dr. Seuss falling on March 2, New Hopewell marked Read Across America Day with Dr. Seuss-style hats and costumes inspired by his books.

At an assembly in the gym, Knox County Schools Superintendent Bob Thomas talked about the importance of books, while County Mayor Glenn Jacobs read “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” to students.

Fifth-grader Trent McMahan was excited to see the mayor at school, and enjoyed the read-aloud. “I like how he read the book and it was talking about where you could go, and how you could be sad sometimes, but then be happy,” he said.

Besides reading to students, Jacobs unveiled a new initiative called “Read City USA”, a partnership that includes Knox County, KCS, the Great Schools Partnership and the Knox County Public Library.

The goal is to promote reading, in part by encouraging more families to get library cards and use resources available from the library. The effort also includes a pledge for children and adults who commit to read to their children, get a library card or volunteer for a literacy-minded organization.

Many district schools marked the occasion on Friday, with read-alouds led by public officials, media figures and even students from older grades.

Thomas, the KCS superintendent, said the goal is to raise awareness about the importance of reading, and said the mayor’s push to put library cards in the hands of every student is “just tremendous.”

“Reading is the key to success for all of our students,” he said.