Third-grade students at Mack Benn Jr. Elementary School recently participated in a Read Around the Planet videoconference with second-grade students from Berrien Springs, Mich.

Students from Mrs. Maskelony’s and Ms. Dixon’s classes shared a Reader’s Theater presentation called “Saving Our Soil” and two recitations called “I Am First” and “The Water Cycle.”

The students from Michigan presented a Reader’s Theater presentation of two Dr. Seuss books, including “The Lorax.”

The students also took turns asking each other questions about the area where they live. The Suffolk students learned that their counterparts live in the southwest corner of Michigan, about 30 minutes from Notre Dame University.

The weather there is much colder, they learned, and the Michigan students currently have about three inches of snow on the ground. They have only missed two school days because of snow this year, despite having about a foot of snow. Otherwise, they enjoy most of the same activities the Suffolk students enjoy, including recess, physical education and conducting science experiments.