Students at The Learning Choice Academy at Scripps Ranch in San Diego started the 2018-2019 school year a little differently this year thanks to donors Eleni and Wolfgang Gagon and the school staff that created their new Think Big Reading Room. The reading room officially opened on Monday, August 27 and is equipped with comfy arm chairs, bean bags, rugs, tables, and STEAM+ themed wall decals that deliver a message that reading is an essential part of STEAM education. Students, families and special guests were entertained by multiple students sharing books they had wrote. These original stories ranged from a math superhero to a boy stuck in a video game, and were followed up by the students making a connection to the importance of reading and how it sparks creativity. The founder and director of The Learning Choice Academies, Mrs. Debi Gooding, welcomed guests and shared her sincere gratitude to the Carson Scholars Fund and the donors for giving their students a greater opportunity to love reading. Before the opening events could wrap up, students were already swarming the shelves and showing friends the exciting titles they had found.