Reading across the Inland Empire Published March 15, 2010 By Staff Sgt. Paul Duquette 163 RW Public Affairs MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIF. -- Team March members continue annual tradition of reading to local schoolchildren on Read Across America day For the fifth year in a row, members of the 163d Reconnaissance Wing volunteered to read Dr. Seuss books to elementary students in the local area, as part of an event called Read Across America. Several 452nd Air Mobility Wing and Fourth Air Force members volunteered as well. During the 2010 event, March 2, the 163rd Airmen volunteered at Tomas Rivera Elementary School, the same school where they volunteered in 2009. Before the event, the school's administrators sought volunteers from local organizations to read to the students. This year they had a heavy hitter guest appearance by Derrel Thomas, former professional baseball player for the LA Dodgers. As a way to say thank you to their would-be readers, the students performed a short play, taken from the book 'The Lorax' and sang their school theme song. The students also decorated their doors in Dr. Seuss style and the volunteers served as judges to pick the best door. After the performance, the students and the readers made their way to the classrooms. Each volunteer was scheduled to read in two separate classrooms, in 15-minute blocks. The grades varied from kindergarten through sixth grade. This annual reading event was created in 1997 and is meant to be a motivational and awareness program, which calls for children in every community across the nation to read books. The day, March 2, was chosen because it is the birthday of children's author Dr. Seuss. "I read the book 'Green Eggs and Ham' to the kids. I really loved just interacting with the kids, before and after I read," said Airman and Family Readiness Program Manager Debbie Hambrick. "This was my first time participating and I definitely will do it again next year." "This was my second time participating," said Contracting Specialist Tech. Sgt. Anthony Rodriguez. "I love to see the kids' smiles and their excitement when they spot us. It was a great experience for me and the kids and I will absolutely do it again next year." Second year veteran Personal Specialist Staff Sgt. Hannah Reed said, "The performance the kids gave us was great. And I loved all the funny questions the kids were asking me. I will definitely do it again next year." Operations Officer Lt. Col. James Sumners explained that every year he participates, he reads poems from a book entitled "Never Take a Pig to Lunch" to the children. "The children said so many funny things I can't remember everything. One child asked if I flew planes, while another asked why do we have to read." According to the National Education Association's Web site, research shows that children perform better in school if they are motivated and spend more time reading. The National Education Association's Read Across America resource materials offer numerous opportunities for involvement in children's reading throughout the year. The only thing you need to do is plan how, where, and when you will read to a child or teen in your life every single day. Some information taken from www.nea.org.