The 310th Ben Carson THINK BIG Reading Room in the country has been established at The Loyola School in Baltimore’s Mt. Vernon neighborhood!  This is the first reading room to be installed in this historic area where another impressive first occurred:  the first monument to honor our country’s first president, George Washington was built in this neighborhood as well!

The rainy day was not reflected at all in the sunny dispositions of those attending the opening ceremony at The Loyola School.  The recently renovated building was practically bursting at the seams with anticipation for the event that would celebrate and encourage maximizing literacy for the next generation!  Some of the most compelling components of this particular reading room are:

1- This is the first reading room to celebrate almost 50 years of teaching and counseling in the Baltimore County Public School system.

2-The two honored educators whose dedicated service spanned so many years are husband and wife: Gregory Miller, whose first chosen career was teaching high school math, and Patricia Miller who taught and counseled students for more than 40 years!

3-The sponsors of the room who chose to honor them are their son and Carson Scholars board membership Ryan Miller and their daughter-in-law Carleigh Miller.

4-The room’s theme is based on the rhyming book by Allan Wolf, “No Buddy Like a Book.”  This book of rhymes “emphasizes that books can teach, inspire, and transport readers to different places through imagination. And it encourages readers to embark on adventures and explore the world through the pages of a book.”

5-This is the first room to be installed in the historic Mt. Vernon Neighborhood of Baltimore, which happens to also be the site of the first monument of significance to be built in honor of our nation’s first president, George Washington. Of note: the iconic landmark was completed in 1829, 55 years before the towering obelisk appeared in our nation’s capital!

6-The Loyola School was chosen for its mission that resonated with the ideals of the Miller family:

A private, independent Catholic school in the Jesuit tradition, it offers full tuition scholarships to low-income families.  Focus is on the holistic development of each child—promoting physical, emotional, cognitive, creative, social, cultural and spiritual growth so that each child has the skills needed to be successful in elementary school and beyond.”

More to come! Check out more photos here!