Huntington Beach officials join in the Read Across America fun

Reading is a big deal at Peterson Elementary School in Huntington Beach.

As of last week, Peterson Principal Kevin Smith-Johnson said that a little more than 400 students have read 40 million words this school year.

Not quite that many words were read Friday morning, but a special tradition continued.

Kane Johnson, left, of the Huntington Beach Fire Department, and Melissa Murphy of Melissa’s Mural’s read aloud the children’s book “Kingman,” which Murphy illustrated.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Peterson hosted its ninth annual Read Across America event, with 60 Huntington Beach city officials, public safety officers, community members and others visiting the school to read to the kiddos.

“Our whole point behind it is just to create excitement and a love for literacy, a love for reading,” Smith-Johnson said. “We don’t care if you’re the kid reading the book, or the adult reading to the child. It all matters, and it all just builds and builds and builds. What we hope to accomplish by having all of these community members out is just that attraction to reading, that it will be contagious to the students.”

Charli Kortes stands with her “Unicorn” book during annual Read Across America event at Peterson Elementary on Friday morning.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Peterson student ambassadors guided the readers, in groups of two or three, around to the different classrooms. There were three 15-minute rotations.

Readers included Huntington Beach Mayor Casey McKeon and Mayor Pro Tem Butch Twining, who surprised Smith-Johnson with a letter of commendation from the city.

A Dr. Seuss display with famous Thing 1 and 2 characters on display during annual Read Across America event at Peterson Elementary on Friday morning.

(Don Leach/Daily Pilot)

“It was a total surprise and very much appreciated,” Smith-Johnson said. “What we do is the work of literally hundreds of people contributing to it.”

Laura Costelloe and Deanna Garza, past PTA presidents at Peterson, are co-chairs of the school’s Read Across America event.

Peterson actually got a head start on the reading festivities on Friday. National Read Across America week is actually next week, March 2-6, with the official day on Monday — the birthday of Dr. Seuss.

Kids from Heather Terramode’s kindergarten class greet the school dolphin mascot during annual Read Across America event at Peterson Elementary on Friday morning.

(Don Leach/Daily Pilot)

Huntington Beach City School District Supt. Leisa Winston also read to the students Friday, along with her assistant Jimmy Lambos.

“It’s really important to our kids to see our adults modeling good reading behaviors,” Winston said. “We’re really showing them that the lifelong love of reading starts at the elementary level with students.”