Machado Elementary Marks 'Read Across America' With Dr. Suess, Pajamas And Special Guests

Students at in Lake Elsinore showed up for class Wednesday wearing pajamas and carrying bedtime blankets and stuffed animals – all to celebrate what they say is “a really fun day.”

The departure from standard school dress code marked Read Across America Day, which was being celebrated in classrooms throughout the .

Read Across America, sponsored by the National Education Association, calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of the highly regarded children’s author, Dr. Seuss.

“The pajamas and blankets are a way to make it fun for the kids and get them into the mindset of bedtime reading in the classroom,” said Charline Wills-White, a third-grade teacher at Machado Elementary. “We’re keeping them in a dreamland.”

As part of the Read Across America celebration, several student athletes from stopped by Machado Elementary Wednesday morning to read to the younger kids.

Houston Spears, a junior at Lakeside who plays girls varsity basketball, was picked to read to Wills-White’s third-grade class of approximately 20.

“I’m a little nervous,” Spears said before the reading. “But I’m really privileged to be doing this and am glad for the opportunity.”

As Spears began the story-time session reading Dr. Suess aloud, the third-graders spread out their blankets and arranged their stuffed animals just so.

They listened intently and flipped through books sitting atop their desks.

Afterward, there was consensus in the classroom that Read Across America is one happy event.

“I think this day is great because I get to be in my pajamas and read,” said Jasmine Lara.

Emma Cason echoed, “What I think is really cool about this day is we get to wear pajamas and read all these books.”