LENOX, Mass. — Students at Morris Elementary School, sporting red, navy and green, along with plenty of baseball memorabilia, welcomed Big League Brian Dwyer and his iconic buddy, Boston Red Sox Wally the Green Monster, as he shared his love of reading with the community's future leaders.

 

"Reading opens up so many doors in so many different situations and areas in life. We have so many Boston Red Sox fans, and then bringing Wally here just reinforces the love that Wally has for reading," Principal Holly Soules said. "Kids want to be like Wally, so it's really fun to see the connection between the kids.

 

Wally's visits to the western part of the state are "rare," making his appearance at Morris Elementary especially timely following the school's recent library revamp, which prominently features one of the school's mantras: "Readers are leaders."

 

The event gave students a unique opportunity to interact with a character they may have only seen from afar at Fenway Park or on television.

 

"It was my favorite assembly of all time because I got to do stuff with Wally," fourth grader Tanner Wood said. "I like seeing him because I've never gotten that close to seeing Wally, and I got to like high five him and stuff." 

 

For the last decade, Big League Brian and Wally have encouraged students to read more while showing them ways to make reading fun and engaging through the "Wally's Making Books Come Alive" program. Schools can book a visit with Wally here. 

 

Using special bookmarks and a few silly antics from the goofy monster, Wally teaches students different strategies to make reading easier and more enjoyable for young learners, including reading aloud, acting out scenes, visualizing the story and using their imaginations to become more engaged readers.