This past Tuesday, numerous schools across the nation celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday with National Read Across America Day.

Salem Elementary, who welcomed several guest readers and hosted other events, was kind enough to invite the Russell County News in to witness the occasion.

Salem's Read Across America program, which is sponsored by the National Education Association, had  a “The Cat in The Hat” theme and was organized by teachers Shalonda Bennett and K.J. Webb.

Students wore red and white stovepipe hats, just like the “Cat” and listened to Seuss' stories throughout the day, which was topped off by a cake celebration near the end of the school day.

Bro. Rick Neff of New Victory Baptist Church along with Kim Kelsey and Stephen Fletcher of First National Bank joined other high school readers, including the high school's Advanced Computer Applications class, in reading books throughout the day.

Sixth grade student Hailey Aaron also dressed up as The Cat in the Hat and read to students in the lower grades.

Many students wore t-shirts that read “Salem, A Seussastional School” on the front and “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go” on the back, a quote from Seuss' popular book, “Oh! The Places You'll Go.”

Dr. Seuss, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984, was Theodor Seuss Geisel to those that personally knew him. He wrote more than 60 books for children in his lifetime.

Seuss was born on March 2, 1904, and died in 1991. He would have turned 106 Tuesday.