Forty members of the Burbank community, including the Vice Mayor, a City Councilmember and the Police and Fire Chiefs, visited Joaquin Miller Elementary School to read books to the students on Friday, March 4, as part of Read Across America Week.
Many schools in the City of Burbank marked Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss’ birthday earlier in the week, participating in the National Education Association’s week-long annual program highlighting reading in the schools.
“To celebrate Read Across America Week, the staff and students participated in a variety of planned activities that encourage reading,” said Principal Judy Hesson. “One of our students’ favorite is our Miller Read In Day.”
“Not only do we get to spend the day reading in our pajamas but we invite individuals from the city, the school district and our Miller parents to come into our classrooms and read a book and talk about why reading is so important in the job that they do.”
“We want our students to understand that anything and everything that they do will require them to know how to read and that this skill is vital to their future.”
Forty people visited the Miller Read Across America event, including Vice Mayor Jess Talamantes, City Council Member Will Rogers, City Clerk Zizette Mullins, Police Chief Scott LaChasse, Fire Chief Tom Lenahan, Public Works Director Bonnie Teaford, Community Development Director Patrick Prescott, Board of Education President Charlene Tabet, Board of Education Member Armond Aghakhanian, BUSD Superintendent Matt Hill and BUSD Assistant Superintendent Tom Kissinger.
Hill, Hession and several adults donned their pajamas as well, to celebrate the spirit of the event. Additional readers included Burbank Philharmonic Conductor Steven Kerstein, Burbank Youth Librarian Cathleen Bowley and Burbank Financial Services Director Cindy Giraldo.
