Kids Getting Ready to be Caught 'Red-Hatted'; Across the U.S., Millions Prepare for NEA's Read Across America

2/26/2003

From: Barbara Parker of the NEA 202-822-7261 or bparker@nea.org

News Advisory:

The Cat (the one made famous by Dr. Seuss!) is on the prowl for kids who are reading and ready to don the Cat's trademark red and white striped stovepipe hat in celebration of the sixth annual NEA's Read Across America Day on March 3.

Led by honorary co-chairs -- Ming Na (of ER fame) and Esai Morales (Lt. Rodriguez on NYPD Blue) -- millions of children, teenagers, and adults are gearing up to make the 2003 reading extravaganza bolder, brassier, and bigger than ever. Joining them will be politicians, pundits, and celebrities from the worlds of sports, cinema, and the theater.

"But the real stars of Read Across America," says NEA President Reg Weaver, "are the teachers, school bus drivers, cafeteria workers, librarians, parents, grandparents and children of all ages who will pause on March 3 to praise the joy of reading. Just as NEA's Read Across America has become a national tradition, our goal is for reading to become a national pastime."

A sampling of events planned for NEA's Read Across America '03 follows. All events are scheduled for Monday, March 3, unless otherwise noted.

-- Dodger Stadium in LA will be scene of an "All Star Read Off" that features 500 kids, co-chairs Ming-Na and Esai Morales, Dodgers CEO Rob Graziano, Dule Hill and John Spencer ("Charlie" and "Leo" of The West Wing), Chi McBride (Principal Steven Harper of Boston Public), Mindy Sterling (of Austin Powers), Emi Coligando (of Malcolm in the Middle and Crossing Jordan) and other celebrities.

-- A press conference with NEA President Reg Weaver and MLS Commissioner Don Garber will launch "Get a Kick Out of Reading," a major new initiative between the Major League Soccer Association and the National Education Association (2:45 p.m., 3/3/03, Ft. Lauderdale). A reading event featuring soccer players from each of the 10 MLS teams, the Cat, and 200 plus kids follows the press conference at Boyd Anderson High School Football/Soccer Stadium.

-- At their Vero Beach, Fla., training camp, the Los Angeles Dodgers will trade bats for books as they host a "Reading Time Out" with area schoolchildren on Feb. 28.

-- For the third year, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will open the Supreme Court Library to read with children from Watkins Elementary School in D.C. The Justice's reading choice: "Oh, the Places You'll Go."

-- CBS sportscaster Bonnie Bernstein, and NY Giants running back Tiki Barber will read with students at Newbury Elementary School in Howell, N.J.

-- Billiards pro Jeannette Lee (a.k.a. the "Black Widow") will provide pool tips and prose when she reads with Indianapolis schoolchildren.

-- The Washington Redskins will turn their locker room at FedEx Field into a reading room as they invite area schoolchildren in for a morning of reading fun.

-- In Bismarck, N.D., fifth grade students will converge on the state capitol and spend the day reading to North Dakota legislators.

-- Kansas astronaut Steve Hawley, the 2003 honorary chairman for the Sunflower State's Read Across America celebration, will visit the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, where he will join other dignitaries in reading with local schoolchildren.

-- In Charlotte, N.C., members of the Carolina Panthers, as well as team staff and cheerleaders will visit Allenbrook Elementary School for a rousing morning of reading fun.

-- Oklahoma Education Association members are urging local clergy of all faiths to say something great about reading from their pulpits on March 2, and to urge congregants to spend 30 minutes reading with their children that afternoon.

-- Students at a Flushing, N.Y. elementary school (PS 219Q), who have written a Seuss-like book and song, will be treated to green eggs and ham and a special visit from Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg.

-- Georgia's First Lady Mary Perdue will be reading at Mt. Carmel Elementary School in Douglasville, Ga. Other local heroes -- firefighters, police officers, and others will join children for a lunch of reading and green eggs 'n ham.

-- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford will read with area schoolchildren at Busbee Elementary School in Cayce at 10:30 a.m., then at a Reach Out and Read Clinic at Palmetto Regional Hospital in Columbia at 2 p.m.

-- Pediatric clinics of the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle will host local politicians and celebrities as guest readers, as well as a book drive, sale, and activity table. Every child will go home with a new book. Also in Seattle: There will be free dental check ups for children ages six months to 12 years and a Family Read & Craft party at the Ballard Family Center.

-- In Phoenix, the Arizona Education Association, Saturn, and Staples are teaming up to offer free one-hour blimp rides to students who meet the Read to Fly Reading Challenge, which means five books read between January 6 and February 21.

-- Jamie deRoy, celebrated cabaret performer, actress, producer, and talk show host, will read -- and sing -- with young children at the Northside Center for Child Development on Fifth Ave. in Manhattan.

Started in 1998 as a way to get kids excited about reading while celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday, NEA's Read Across America has become the nation's largest one-day reading event. The year-round program, which features reading tips for parents and teachers, reading challenges, games, reading research and other activities for young and old alike, culminates each year on or near Dr. Seuss's birthday (March 2). In 2002, more than 45 million adults and children participated in reading activities in towns and cities in all 50 states. More than 40 national partners including the International Reading Association, PBS, Saturn/UAW, Random House Children's Books, Youth Service America, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the NAACP, the Screen Actors Guild Book Pals, the Organization of Chinese Americans, and the National Council of LaRaza are players in the national literacy effort.

For more information about NEA's Read Across America, log on to www.nea.org/readacross.

------ The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.