SAN DIMAS/LA VERNE – Shull Elementary fifth-graders put their reading and comprehension skills to the ultimate test during the school’s annual Dr. Seuss trivia competition on March 5, sporting themed costumes and alight with team spirit.

The event has been held at Shull for more than 15 years and celebrates Read Across America Week, which highlights the importance of literacy for young learners. Three teams of five students gathered in the Shull Elementary cafeteria, joined by an enthusiastic audience of students and parents, to test their knowledge of all things Dr. Seuss and his world-famous stories.

“Reading is essential for students’ development and greatly influences how they learn in the future,” fifth grade teacher Kelly Montgomery said. “It’s really nice to bring this back for another year, and watch them work hard to succeed on their own.”

The trivia questions spanned multiple aspects of Dr. Seuss’ stories, including famous lines, characters and more from stories such as “Horton Hears a Who.” Questions also covered more personal aspects of the author’s life, such as his heritage.

Students earnestly worked in their teams to answer the timed questions and participated in several rounds of spotlight questions, which required each student from the teams to take turns answering questions on their own.

Parents and students shouted with joy, holding up their makeshift signs as The Montgomery Battle Book took home the winning title following the thrilling match.

“Reading is exciting and makes your brain stronger for the future,” fifth-grader Ella Ashrafnia said. “I had a lot of fun, and I’m really excited that we won.”

Fifth-graders were tested on their reading and comprehension skills, with the top five from each class being selected to compete in the contest.

Shull Elementary joined thousands of schools across the nation during Read Across America Week in rediscovering a love for reading and celebrating the importance of literacy.

Bonita Unified employs a data-driven curriculum to boost reading comprehension across all grade levels using the “science of reading,” which reflects teaching practices proven by extensive research to effectively teach children how to read.

PHOTOS:

BUSD_SHULL1: Shull Elementary student Parth scores a point for his team, “Hop on Pop, Becerra on Top” during the annual Dr. Seuss trivia competition on March 5.

BUSD_SHULL2: Fifth-graders Noah, Luella, Oliver, Isaac, Ella, and their teacher, Kelly Montgomery, celebrate their team’s win after Shull Elementary’s Dr. Seuss trivia competition on March 5.

BUSD_SHULL3: Shull Elementary fifth-grade team “Ferree in the Hat Comes Back” gets ready for the big Dr. Seuss trivia competition on March 5.