BY KARISSA MILLER

During lunch at Scotts Elementary School on Wednesday, a small group of second-graders walked into the conference room wearing their pajamas to have lunch buddies with their Principal Susan Fail.

Down the hallway, teacher Josh Brown was dressed up like The Cat in the Hat.

Many students throughout Iredell-Statesville Schools dressed as their favorite Dr. Seuss characters and participated in activities in honor of Read Across America Day, which coincides with Dr. Seuss’ birthday on March 2.

“It gets our students excited about reading,” said Fail, who also sported her pajamas.

Fail started a new initiative this year by meeting at lunchtime with small groups of at-risk students. She said it allows her to build relationships with students, and for her students to feel like they can come to her if they need an adult they can trust.

So far, it has been a success. The students shared their accomplishments, ranging from improved spelling test scores to good attendance. Fail promised to teach the students how to study and use index cards.

She also emphasized the importance of coming to school each day and asked the students about a recent field trip.

“I keep things light and sometimes ask them open-ended questions — they love to talk and usually have a lot to say,” she said.

At Lake Norman Elementary, Principal Nichole Tilley started a new tradition.

“We celebrated reading with parents and our community coming in to read. We had staff, including myself, step out of their comfort zone and ‘attempt’ to read in Spanish to our dual immersion classrooms,” Tilley said.

“We also had many classes swap around to read to others — honestly, it was a great week,” she added.

In addition to all their dress up days, the students celebrated Mooresville’s 150th birthday by inviting Mayor Miles Atkins to join them for cupcakes.

To help get Coddle Creek students in the spirit of reading, students were allowed to read in different ways, such as reading in a cave, or underneath their desk or like a boss with their feet on their desk.

Another special surprise was Dr. Seuss-themed activities during PE class. There was a “Hop on Pop,” where students could sit on a hoppity ball and bounce around the gym.

“The Foot Book” station gave students a chance to test out their balance on walking stilts.

On Friday, many schools invited special guest readers to come in and read to students.

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