Press Release

Battle Ground Public Schools PO Box 200 • Battle Ground, WA 98604-0200 • Office Location: 11104 NE 149th Street • Brush Prairie, Washington District Switchboard: (360) 885-5300

Date: March 5, 2014 BATTLE GROUND FIRST GRADERS CELEBRATE READING WITH THE CAT IN THE HAT Battle Ground, WA - First grade students throughout Battle Ground Public Schools received a free hat and book this week in celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday and the Read Across America program. Thanks to the support of Kiwanis Club, Beaches Restaurant, Mill Creek, and Sodexo Nutrition Services each primary school was able to honor the famed author with a week of celebration including real Green Eggs and Ham. Parents were invited to join the classroom to help hand out hats and read to students. High school members of the Kiwanis Key Club also participated in this year’s event by volunteering to feed the famed meal to students across the district. Pleasant Valley Primary first grade teacher and BGPS board member Mavis Nickels reads to students at Tukes Valley Primary. alumnus, Katie Hutton, celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday with a surprise visit from the Cat in the Hat, played by Prairie High School Key Club student Katarina Kubiniec. Mrs. Hutton is finishing up her first year teaching in the very same classroom she attended years before. “We highly encourage parents to use this new free book and read with their child,” said Melissa Mitchell, Pleasant Valley Primary Principal. “This week gives us a fun way to celebrate reading and the amazing work Dr. Seuss has done to encourage youth and families to read together.” The district hopes families are able to use the free books and hats as a reminder to read together often. ###

Katie Hutton's first grade class at Pleasant Valley Primary