St. Finbar Parish School Celebrates Dr. Seuss Day 2026

St. Finbar Parish School marked another year of its Dr. Seuss Day tradition this week, filling classrooms across the Burbank campus with community guests, illustrated classics, and enough themed brunch decorations to make the Cat himself approve.

The annual celebration, now in its second decade, falls near Dr. Seuss’ March 2 birthday and runs alongside the school’s Read-A-Thon. The pairing is intentional. The school uses the week to push a campus-wide focus on literacy, encouraging students from Early Fours through Fifth Grade to build reading habits that extend past the school bell.

The format is straightforward by design. Each classroom selects a Dr. Seuss title, then invites a guest from the broader community to come in and read it aloud. The guest list this year drew from a cross-section of Burbank civic life and entertainment industry connections that few schools outside this city could assemble without effort.

Burbank Fire Chief Danny Alvarez read “Wacky Wednesday” to the Early Fives, while firefighter Martin Villa visited the Early Fours with “Who Loves You.” Sgt. Stephen Turner of the Burbank Police Department took on “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” for kindergartners. Fr. Francis Mendoza, pastor of St. Finbar Parish itself, read “If I Ran the Circus” to first graders.

The upper grades leaned into the school’s entertainment industry ties. Misty Lee, a voice actress, comedian, and magician who has been reading at the event for more than a decade, returned to read “Bartholomew and the Oobleck” to second graders. Actress Ana Ortiz read “The Lorax” to third grade. Greg Minor, a former Boston Celtics player who now runs the Minor Academy, read “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” to fourth graders. Fifth graders heard “Horton Hears a Who!” from LAPD Senior Lead Officer Joseph Orlanes of the Olympic Division.

After the classroom readings wrapped up, students gathered in Albert Hall for a themed brunch. Each grade decorated its table to match its assigned book, and the food followed suit. It is the kind of event that takes serious parent volunteer hours to pull off, and PTO President Joseph Mancuso acknowledged as much.

“This event perfectly captures the spirit of St. Finbar,” Mancuso said. “Our families, faculty, and community partners work together to create something magical for the students. From the themed decorations to the creative brunch, every detail is designed to inspire a love of reading and create memories that will last a lifetime.”

Principal Rosselle Azar framed the day in terms of what the school hopes students take away beyond a single morning of fun.

“Dr. Seuss Day is one of the most joyful traditions we have at St. Finbar,” Azar said. “It brings together faith, family, and community in a way that reminds our students that reading is not only fundamental to learning, but also essential to imagination and growth. Seeing our classrooms filled with community leaders and special guests reinforces for our children that books truly connect us all.”

The event has drawn an increasingly varied guest list over the years. Past readers have included Burbank mayors, local first responders, actors, and professional athletes. Former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens visited the campus as a reader in 2025.

What makes Dr. Seuss Day work as a community event is the specificity of its setup. By assigning each class a different book and a different reader, the school avoids the sameness of a single all-school assembly. A kindergartner’s experience with Sgt. Turner and the Grinch is entirely different from a fifth grader’s morning with Officer Orlanes and Horton. That structure gives the event a reason to be repeated annually without feeling like a repeat.

St. Finbar Parish School sits on Frederic Street in Burbank’s residential core, a few blocks from the Burbank Town Center. The school serves students from preschool through fifth grade within the parish of St. Finbar Catholic Church.