Favorite book, movie characters come to life in MLC Elementary classrooms
“Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!” is a children’s book credited to Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel) – with some help from Jack Prelutsky and Lane Smith. The book is based on verses and sketches created by Seuss prior to his death in 1991. They were expanded to book length and completed by writer Prelutsky and illustrator Smith for publication in 1998.
The story surrounds a school – Diffendoofer School – that is well liked by its students – most notably because of its many eccentric teachers, especially the unsinkable Miss Bonkers. However, the students must prove that the quirky school has taught them how to think by earning good grades on a standardized test (which turns out in the end to be a revising test on multiple subjects they regularly learn) lest they be sent to an adjacent school in dreary Flobbertown that requires uniforms to be worn and is incredibly dull. The book is a joyous ode to individuality.
In celebration of the story – and the idea of individuality – Mountain Lake Christian (MLC) Elementary classrooms became distinctive with their very own Diffendoofer characters coming go live (many of them favorite book or movie characters) during an event held Friday afternoon, March 13.
Following are some photographs from the special event:
THE LORAX – A.K.A. Caitlyn Smith, dressed in costume to share the book of the same name with an eclectic array of MLC Elementary’s own Diffendoofer characters.
AND THAT CAST of characters included book and movie characters that were as varied as there are book and movie titles in the world.
MLC HIGH SCHOOL junior Jackson Oltmans, back left, read a book to MLC elementary students gathered from all classrooms.
ANOTHER GROUP OF students from Sycamore (kindergarten), Acacia (grades 1-2), Oak (grades 3-4) and Cedar (grades 5-6) gathered around MLC lead teacher and high school English teacher Kim Friesen, at left, to hear her tell her story.
DUSTIN KLASSEN, AT right, presents his favorite Dr. Seuss book to MLC Elementary boys expressing their “inner” Diffendoofer with their “outer” costumes.
FROM LEFT, AMELIA Bedelia, the literal-minded housekeeper; Jillian, sharing the ribbons from her dress and the Mouse, eating that cookie – all came to visit MLC on Diffendoofer Day. In reality, they are, Oak (grades 3-4) teacher Nordis Olson as the lead character of Amelia from a series of books by Peggy Parish and illustrations by Fritz Siebel; Sycamore (pre-K and K) teacher Sheryl Fast as Jillian from Robert Munsch’s “Ribbon Rescue, with pictures by Eugenie Fernandes and Acacia (grades 1-2) teacher Rachel Knutson as the Mouse from the circular tale, “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie,” by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond.
THE LEAD CHARACTER, Billie Jo, jumped off the pages of “Out of the Dust” by Karen Hesse. a publication featuring free-form poetry – courtesy of Cedar (grades 5-6) teacher Karin Stoesz.
