During Read Across America week, Tamaqua Elementary Students are helping their school with the books they read.

The school is celebrating Read Across America all week long.

Students raised money from friends and family with the promise that they would read 20 minutes per day for the next two weeks. So far, the total is over $12,000.

On Wednesday, the Cat in the Hat - played by parent Casey Lutz - read them Dr. Seuss books. Read Across America Day is officially March 2, Dr. Seuss’ birthday. The famous author would have been 118 years old.

Earlier in the week, members of the middle school National Junior Honor Society read books to students.

Throughout the week, students are buying books at the book fair. Each student takes home a book regardless of their ability to pay, thanks to the Tamaqua PTO.

By operating the book fair, the PTO gets money which they use to buy books for classrooms.

But the big fundraiser is the readathon. Students have read thousands of pages of books. The money raised goes toward field trips, assemblies, and other special events for students throughout the year.

The class that raises the most money gets to throw a pie in the face of the school’s principal.