HOULTON, Maine —Local Homeland Security officers were guest readers at Houlton Elementary School to celebrate the birthday of popular children’s author, Dr. Seuss.
Eight agents participated in the reading activity visiting students in pre-K through grade two.
Teachers provided the agents with classroom books to read for the 30-minute presentation. Prior to reading, the officers described their jobs and the uniforms they were wearing.
Participating from the Houlton Customs and Border Patrol were: Nancy McDowell, Christ-opher Collins, Troy Fitz-patrick, Patrick Michaud and Ervin Perfitt, along with Border Patrol agents Jodi Williams, William Maddox, and Taylor Balkman.
Fitzpatrick shared with the students in second grade that he had been a student at the school as a child and a classmate of their teacher, Katie Fitzpatrick. He stressed the importance of learning to read to the students.
“The Dr. Seuss celebration is always a fun event for the Customs and Border Protection officers and Border Patrol agents to interact with the kids and it provides a conduit to ask questions and meet the person behind the uniform in a familiar environment,” said Collins, supervisory C.B.P. officer. “Officers and agents are parents and community members, too, so this is a great opportunity for us to give something back.”
