Parkersburg South High School Assistant Swim Coach Don Bailey and swim team members Isa Merinar, Ben Marks, Cami McLain, Marie Silvias and Jaylen Eddy visited Blennerhassett Elementary Friday to read to students for Dr. Seuss Day and Read Across America. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG — The Parkersburg South High School swim team visited Blennerhassett Elementary School on Friday to read to students as schools across the nation celebrated Dr. Seuss Day and Read Across America this week.

“Swim coach Ryan Radcliff and Dr. Seuss share the same birthday, March 2,” Blennerhassett Elementary teacher Vicki Stewart said. “So it was only fitting that his swim team members read Dr. Seuss books to Blennerhassett Elementary students.”

Members of the swim team that read to students included Isa Merinar and Blennerhassett Elementary alumni Cami Mclain, Marie Silvas, Jayln Eddy and Ben Marks.

“The South students had a great time and want to come back next year,” Stewart said. “Of course our elementary students loved it.”

She said having older students reading to younger ones in a classroom is important because it fosters a positive learning environment by building a sense of community, developing empathy in older students, providing younger students with positive reading role models and by reinforcing literacy skills for both age groups through active engagement.

Parkersburg South High School swim team member Cami McLain reads to Blennerhassett Elementary first-grader Finley Beagle Friday as schools across the nation celebrated Dr. Seuss Day and Read Across America this week. (Photo Provided)

“By sharing engaging stories, older students can inspire a love of reading in younger children,” Stewart said.

She said Dr. Seuss’ books help to develop phonemic awareness. She said children who have phonemic awareness skills are likely to have an easier time learning to read and spell. “Phonemic awareness is the understanding that the sounds of spoken language work together to make words,” Stewart said. “It is the ability to hear, think about, and work with individual sounds in spoken words. Before children learn to read print, they need to become aware of how the sounds in words work.”

She said Dr. Seuss books have many words that rhyme and listening for rhyming words is part of literacy development. She said parents can support literacy development by making reading a high priority.

“Research indicates a 4-year-old who knows eight nursery rhymes will be among the top readers in their class at the age of 8,” Stewart said.

Parkersburg South High School swim team members Ben Marks and Isa Merinar read to Blennerhassett Elementary third-graders Friday as schools across the nation celebrated Dr. Seuss Day and Read Across America this week. (Photo Provided)

Parkersburg South High School swim team members Marie Silvas and Jayln Eddy read to Blennerhassett Elementary kindergarten students Friday as schools across the nation celebrated Dr. Seuss Day and Read Across America this week. (Photo Provide)

Parkersburg South High School swim team members Marie Silvas and Jayln Eddy read to Blennerhassett Elementary kindergarten students, including Hazel McCoy, left, Friday as schools across the nation celebrated Dr. Seuss Day and Read Across America this week. (Photo Provided)