Courtesy photo Alpena Fire Department Fire Chief Andy “Fireman Andy” Marceau reads to students at Besser Elementary.

ALPENA — It’s time to book it to the library for National Reading Month!

National Reading Month is celebrated in March–coinciding with children’s author Dr. Seuss’s birthday–to promote literacy, foster a love for reading, and encourage daily reading habits for all ages, a Facebook post from Alpena Public Schools on March 2 states. It highlights the benefits of reading, including improved cognitive function, reduced stress, and expanded imagination, while providing resources to help combat low literacy rates.

Reading Month is designed to motivate people of all ages to read more, helping to improve comprehension skills and academic performance, according to the APS Facebook post.

March was chosen to honor the birthday of Dr. Seuss, the beloved children’s author known for encouraging reading, born on March 2, 1904.

Regular reading is shown to increase empathy, expand vocabulary, improve brain connectivity, and reduce stress levels by up to 68%.

The month serves as a “call to action,” for communities to support literacy, ensuring children and families have access to books and resources.

Elementary schools across Northeast Michigan are decorated and ready for a whole month focused on reading.

In Onaway Area Community School District’s elementary wing, the hallways are decorated with Disney characters and magic to promote the theme “Reading is Magical.”

Pied Piper is “Blasting Off With Books” with outer space-themed decor.

Rogers City Elementary School is exploring an ocean of books this month with an under-the-sea theme.

At Besser Elementary, Principal Josh Feldpausch said that the school is decorated with a Dr. Seuss theme. “Oh, the things you can read” is the motto for the month.

“(Students) look forward to it every year, they love the themes we choose, and they really do love reading,” Feldpausch said.

Reading Month helps students who may have a harder time reading gain an appreciation and joy for it they may not otherwise have, he said.

“It’s a great opportunity for students to see celebrities and people they respect, love reading as well,” Feldpausch said.

Besser hosted guest readers including Alpena City Fire Department Fire Chief Andy “Fireman Andy” Marceau, Alpena Police Officer Terri Curtis, APS Director of Communications Lee Fitzpatrick, and APS board of education member Anna Meinhardt this month.

Students get the opportunity to explore different genres of books and find what topics interest them.

“It really helps them understand the broad variety of reading,” Feldpausch said.

Reading helps students in all the other subject areas, like math and science.

“We say readers are leaders; when a student is good at reading, it helps them in all of the other subjects,” he said.

A calendar of events shows all the ways Besser is celebrating reading. They had a family reading night, dress-up days, and “Get caught reading” Tuesdays, where parents take a picture of their kids reading at home. The student’s name gets entered into a drawing for a prize.

Students will conclude the month with a special Lights Out Day, when they get to read in the hallway with flashlights.

Feldpausch said that the Besser Parent Advisor Committee (PAC) puts together a lot of the events along with a group of teachers.

At the state level, nearly 100 Michigan Department of Education (MDE) employees are visiting K-12 classrooms in more than 60 school districts across the state to read to students during the month, according to a Tuesday press release from the MDE.

“We want Michigan students to get excited about books and reading,” Jennifer Saylor, interim director of the MDE Office of Curriculum and Instruction, said in the press release. “Reading is a foundational skill that sets students up for success in the classroom and beyond.”

“This March, and every month, we are reminded of the crucial role reading plays in our lives,” Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a press release on March 1. “Literacy is an ordinary superpower that every child deserves. That’s why we’ve tripled literacy coaches in schools, signed ‘Science of Reading’ legislation to teach phonics in Michigan schools, and proposed the ‘Every Child Reads’ plan, the largest literacy investment in Michigan history. This March, and every day, I encourage every Michigander to visit a local library, show appreciation for teachers and librarians, and read. Let’s keep working together to help every Michigander be a strong reader, writer, and communicator.”

March as Reading Month is a commitment to continue working together to help all Michiganders be strong readers, writers, and communicators while encouraging a love of discovering literature in Michigan youth, the March 1 release stated. Regular reading that starts in pre-K helps ensure that no child falls behind. Reading strengthens kids’ creativity and builds lifelong literacy. When students read, they can follow their passions through literary works to better understand their own story and the stories around them.

Celebrate March is Reading Month by visiting your local library, the Michigan Learning Channel, or picking up a book for yourself or a young reader in your life.

Reagan Voetberg. News Staff Writer. rvoetberg@TheAlpenaNews.com.