At 2:40 the announcement came over the intercom stating, ”At this time everybody in the school needs to find a book and start reading it.” Students then found their favorite or just a book and started to read.  Entire classes even teachers and admin sat down and read books too.

‘Read Across America’ started as a way to honor Dr. Seuss’s birthday who loved to read and write books for kids. Read Across America is not an official holiday but in 1998 on March 2 kids celebrate reading across America by sitting down and reading a book.  STMS Wildcats celebrated by stopping classes and reading for 20 minutes.

Davis Capel a 7th grader who participated in the activity. realizes the importance of reading.  ”It can help us navigate real-world experiences and it can improve our minds,” Capel stated

Jack Neal another 7th grader said, ”I think it is a great thing for students to be able to get a break and read to calm themselves down and just read.”

Mrs. Creagh the reading coach here at STMS stated, ”Every job in the world you want to be when you grow up you have to know the life skill of reading and books can also teach about characters and settings.” Mrs. Remus a 6th grade LA teacher said, ”My favorite thing about Drop everything and read is that it is a dedicated time to read school-wide. For people who are not obsessed with reading, it is easy to get distracted by your surroundings. When the whole school is reading, the distractions are limited.”

     According to the National Education Association (NEA), ‘’NEA’s Read Across America is the nation’s largest celebration of reading. This year-round program focuses on motivating children and teens to read through events, partnerships, and reading resources that are about everyone, for everyone.’’  Studies show sitting down and reading for just a few minutes a day could help with vocabulary, improve focus, memory, empathy, and communication skills.

       STMS ELA teachers not only realize the importance of reading but challenge students to take a break from technology because  reading can be just as enjoyable as playing video games or playing outside.