Sabrina Damms - iBerkshire
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.
"With a lot of help from students and staff, we get to show students ways to make reading more exciting and encourage them to read more," Dwyer said. "I'm always happy to come out to the Berkshires, and when something comes out like that, it also lets them know that places like the Red Sox do care about helping make an impact in all communities by encouraging more education in reading."
Wally had two performances on Thursday, one with the school's third through fifth graders and another with the pre-kindergarten through second graders.
"He taught me to read a lot more, so my mind can grow," fifth grader Samara Small said.
"It was really fun, and I liked when he would squirt water in the books and shoot the rocket," fifth grader Henry Chevalier said.
"He taught me to read more and have fun reading and use my imagination."
Fifth grader Oscar Fabino was especially excited about Wally's visit, which came just ahead of his own trip to Fenway Park this weekend. Fabino was ready for the occasion, sporting Red Sox attire from head to toe — right down to his baseball-themed Crocs.
Dwyer said one of the most rewarding parts of the program is hearing from students, when they later come to visit them at Fenway Park and share how the school visit inspired them to read more, showing that the program's message is making a lasting impact.
"This is so fun. It's very positive. The kids are cheering, and every single one of them has a smile on their face, and they are all engaged," Soules said.
"So, it's really exciting to see them engage in the assembly. Not only because the Boston Red Sox came all the way here, but most importantly because we are really enforcing the importance of reading, and reading can be fun for everyone."