“The reading room has been a breath of fresh air for our school community.  All eight hundred plus students visit the room on a rotation so the reach is vast for our students.  I feel having this fun, creative, and inspiring space for children to read will have a positive and lasting effect.
We are so grateful to the BallenIsles Charity Foundation for their support to make this happen.” 

-Forest Hill Elementary School Principal Scott P. McNichols

Forest Hill Elementary School in West Palm Beach, FL, opened their camping-themed reading room on September 6. The room was generously sponsored by the BallenIsles Charities Foundation. During the grand opening program, students danced and sang with books in hand to “Gotta Keep Reading” written by Nicole Nasrallah and Janet Bergh. Several fourth and fifth grade students also read poems that had been written about reading. BallenIsles Charities Foundation’s president, Mark Freeman, congratulated the students on the opening of their new reading room and echoed Dr. Carson’s sentiment, “the doors of the world are open to people who can read.”

The reading room features an expansive mural of Florida ecosystems from marshlands to the coast including local birds and indigenous trees.  A full size kayak, faux campfire and outdoor tent create the feeling of a true camping experience.  Over 1,500 books fill the shelves including many culturally diverse selections in Spanish and Creole.

Click here for more photos from the opening.