A group of teachers and volunteers turned the 8th grade English hallway into an “Avenue of Literature” by painting the 189 unused lockers—which had been sealed shut for security reasons for more than 15 years—to look like the spines of popular books.

The teachers are hoping that by surrounding their students with books of all genres—including classics like Gulliver's Travels and Moby Dick, and newer titles, like Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and The Hunger Games—they’ll inspire them to explore and love literature—no matter which book they choose. Elizabeth Williams, one of the teachers working on the project, told WLOX, "We want students to come back to school and walk on the hallway and be absolutely amazed with what we've done and be curious. We want that to be the driving spark for reading in our classrooms.”

Private and public donations, as well as a $600 grant from Biloxi First, funded the project, which was celebrated at a ribbon cutting ceremony.

[h/t WLOX]