Dover, Del.–March 2, 2005Earlier today, to help commemorate Dr. Seuss’ 101^st birthday and Read Across America Day, two members of Delaware’s Department of Education (DOE) loaded up a van filled with balloons, book baskets,oversized congratulatory certificates and a healthy dose of enthusiasm and headed south. Driving through Sussex County, then up through Kent and New Castle counties, three elementary,three middle and three high schools were taken by complete surprise and rewarded for their efforts in the “Delaware Reads about…” literacy program.

In a scene taken from the Reader’s Digest “Prize Patrol,” principals, teachers and students were speechless and stunned when Denise Allen, Education Associate, Library/Media and Technology,and Lori Duerr, Education Specialist, Inclusive School Initiative, Positive Behavior Support, pulled up in a van decorated with banners, posters and balloons, jumped out and started shouting, “You’ve won, you’ve won!”

“Delaware Reads about…” literacy program is a statewide partnership between the Delaware Division of Libraries (DDL) and DOE. The program calls for Delawareans to become more involved and aware of the importanceof literacy while encouraging students, library media specialists and teachers to be involved in higher level thinking activities in reading. One elementary, middle,and high school in each county with the greatest number of points earned from participating in higher level reading activities based on research will receive a visit from a guest author during the week of May 9,with a presentation available for all Library Media Specialists at the Delaware Library Association Conference on May 13.

The literacy program is the brainchild of Valerie A. Woodruff, Delaware’s Secretary of Education, and Mary Chute, former Director of State Libraries.

Today, the “Prize Patrol” visited the following Sussex County schools: Lulu B. Ross Elementary School; Seaford Middle School; Seaford High School.In Kent County, the “Prize Patrol” visited Lake Forest North Elementary School; W.T. Chipman Middle School; Dover High School.The winners in New Castle County were: Etta J. Wilson Elementary School; Springer Middle School; Delcastle Technical High School.

Author/illustrator David Biedrzycki will visit all the winning elementary, middle and high schools, respectively. “Children are influenced by art and design everyday of their lives;from the clothes they wear to the cars they drive, the iPods they listen to and the movies they watch.” Added Mr. Biedrzycki, “I hope my presentations to these students will motivate our readers,writers and illustrators to follow their dreams.”

Mr. Biedrzycki’s ambition as a young kid was to be a comic book artist. He illustrated his own comic books and sold them to friends.In college, he aspired to be a painter but quickly found out that painters don’t make that much money, so he turned to illustration.During his career, David has illustrated magazine covers, book covers, juice labels, tea boxes, posters and billboards.“If students look in their refrigerator, there is a pretty good chance they might see my artwork on a juice bottle or a popsicle box.”Added Mr. Biedrzycki, “Up until about six years ago, I would use paint and brushes, but now I illustrate entirely on computer.I hope to demonstrate this technology to our winning students.”

David Biedrzycki’s visit is sponsored by Comcast in both New Castle and Kent Counties, Mediacom in Sussex County and the Delaware Department of Education.