If there's a reality we see all too often today, it's teens with their heads down, staring into their phone screens—even at school! As the role of technology only increases, we can't help but wonder what will happen to literature, which has always been a favorite pastime of ours.
So when Biloxi Junior High School in Mississippi wanted to encourage their students to embrace reading, they knew they'd have to get creative. Thus, the avenue of literature, a hallway of 189 lockers painted to resemble classic books, was born.
This inventive idea all started with a row of old lockers: English teachers Stacey Butera and Elizabeth Williams saw an opportunity to not only beautify the school, but to send a message to students as well. "Our goal is to create life-long readers," said Butera in a press release.
Each book title was carefully chosen to include a wide array of reading levels and genres to appeal to the interests of every student. Then, parents, staff members, and community volunteers came together to paint the lockers in colorful literary hues.
The hallway has now been transformed into a library with new tales to discover around every corner. And students won't have to go far to immerse themselves in the stories represented by their lockers—the "books" correlate with lessons taught inside the classroom.
"Students are bragging about the books they've read,"Butera told ABC News. "All of a sudden it's this badge of honor to be able to say they've read these books in the hallway."
So what are the students reading so far? Take a look below:
(h/t ABC News)