MOOSEHEART, March 4 -- There have been lots of rhymes at Mooseheart this week, and there has been plenty of talk about Sneedles and Sneetches as well as Ishes and Fishes.

At one point, elementary students sat alongside a very real Cat in the Hat. At another, they ate goldfish crackers while listening to One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Students wore red for a day, and earned prizes for their sartorial display.

There was a serious point about bringing Goxes and Flumoxes and Yings and Things to all of Mooseheart's children this week - and that's to take the March 2 "Read Across America Day" and to turn it into a week-long celebration of reading, with Seuss as the connecting theme. March 2 was the birthday anniversary of the late Theodor Seuss Geisel, who authored more than 60 books, most of them under his much better known pseudonym: Dr. Seuss!

Mooseheart Librarian Sharon LaRocco, along with the school's Reading Specialist, Cara Schuster, set about constructing a series of activities that would involve the entire Mooseheart student body.

"I think the kids have a better appreciation for Dr. Seuss and what he's meant for reading," Mooseheart librarian Sharon LaRocco said. "He's a great author, and important he was to kids reading and enjoying reading. You hear a lot of our kids saying, 'I remember that.'"

Seuss' books were aimed at children, and that has been the focus this week at Mooseheart. But high school and middle school students have read books to their elementary-aged schoolmates. Some middle school students acted out one of Seuss' books. The Home Economics class baked bread for students to eat after they heard high schoolers read The Butter Battle Book.

There have been contests where students of all grades have tried to guess from which book a certain Seuss quote originated. There have been computer games in the library. Schuster came dressed as the Cat in the Hat and other teachers wore tall red-and-white Cat hats. Students have been voting for their favorite Dr. Seuss book, with Green Eggs and Ham receiving quite a lot of support.

"It was good to get the whole school involved," Schuster said. "I think that was Mrs. LaRocco's intention. Even the high schoolers were involved, wearing red and white."

It has been 73 years since Seuss' first book, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, was published. He remains as relevant today as ever with children who grow up on the author's work. LaRocco said that when she started to read "Green Eggs and Ham" to a group of elementary students, they started to read along from memory with her.

"It was the same with One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish," LaRocco said. "Our kids know these stories and these stories stick with them."

The idea of including all grades at the school was LaRocco's. Just by wearing red shirts to school, the high school students lent support to the reading efforts of all the school's students.

"I've always done things with my elementary classes during this week," LaRocco said. "But I've always envisioned doing an all-school activity. When I approached (Schuster) about this, she was more than happy to get involved."

Schuster said the all-school approach was exciting and enjoyable as she saw all grade levels interacting through reading.

"It establishes a reading community," Schuster said. "That's one of the things I'm really big on, making sure that everybody feels they are part of the reading community, no matter what level they

Founded in 1913, Mooseheart is supported completely through private donations - the great majority of which come from the 1.1 million men and women of the Moose fraternal organization, in more than 1,800 Lodges and 1,600 Chapters located throughout the U.S. , Canada , Great Britain and Bermuda . Moose International headquarters is located on the Mooseheart campus.

Since its founding, Mooseheart has operated a complete, accredited kindergarten-through-high-school academic program, plus art, music, vocational training and interscholastic sports. It is an extremely nurturing and student-tailored program, with an average student-teacher ratio of 12-1.

Mooseheart students who complete their studies with a 3.0 GPA or better (4.0=A) are eligible for up to five years of annually renewable scholarship funding, covering tuition, room and board in an amount comparable to that required for an in-state student at an Illinois public university.

Mooseheart is currently home to approximately 230 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment. Mooseheart boasts its own U.S. Post Office and a fully functioning branch of Fifth Third Bank.

In addition to Mooseheart, Moose International also supports Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community near Jacksonville , FL founded in 1922; and conducts more than $90 million worth of community service programs annually.

Founded in 1888, the Moose organization has long offered its members an opportunity to do good for others while celebrating life, with family, social, and sporting activities. For more information on the Moose organization, visit www.mooseintl.org, www.mooseheart.org, www.moosehaven.org, or call 630-966-2229.