May came in with a bang in Big Spring, Texas. On Wednesday, May 1, the Big Spring Independent School District opened two Ben Carson Reading Rooms at Marcy Elementary School and Washington Elementary School.

Marcy Elementary School kicked off the day’s festivities by hosting their reading room opening in the morning. The reading room committee adopted an Explore Your World Through Books theme. The mural, the focal point of the reading room, features an open book with the earth nestled on the pages. Above the earth are famous landmarks from cities around the world including New York City, London, Paris and Rome. Sea turtles scamper under the book and hot air balloons lift off the pages encouraging students to follow their dreams.

Washington Elementary School hosted their reading room opening later in the afternoon. The school’s reading room, affectionately known as Camp Washington, has a wooded scene mural with tall snow-capped mountains in the background. At the mountain’s summit, Think Big is predominately displayed as puffy, white clouds pass across the horizon.

The reading rooms at Marcy and Washington Elementary Schools are the second and third reading rooms to be sponsored by Wellpoint (formerly known as Amerigroup). The organization sponsored their first reading room at Apache Elementary in Fort Stockton in 2023. Wellpoint helps improve health care access and quality for nearly 750,000 Texans who participate in the state’s Medicaid programs. Wellpoint also provides ongoing community relations and outreach to encourage members to become active participants in their wellness, which goes beyond physical health.

View photos of the Marcey Elementary opening here
View photos of the Washington Elementary opening here