"Beacons of the future! Capsules with hundreds of bright little seeds in each, out of which will spring the wise, better England of the future."
-- Sherlock Holmes, "The Naval Treaty"
At times the great detective waxes lyrical, and this is one of them. He is talking about the Victorian board schools, which were public elementary schools run by boards..
Presumably taking its inspiration from this quote is The Beacon Society, a group "supporting and recognizing exemplary educational experiences that introduce young people to the Sherlock Holmes stories." It's a scion society of the Baker Street Irregulars.
One of the group's activities is an annual awarding of the Stauber Grant, which provides up to $250 in assistance for developing a teaching project that will introduce more young people to Sherlock Holmes. The deadline for this year's round of applications has been extended to May 1, 2012. Applications from Canada as well as the U.S.are welcomed.
Each year the societ also names a Beacon Award winner, most recently William S. Dorn, B.S.I., Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at The University of Denver. The author of five books about Sherlock Holmes, Dorn has taught his undergraduate students about the logical reasoning and adventures of Sherlock Holmes for 30 years.
The Beacon Society is certainly a most worthy organization, and I was pleased to recently "Like" the Society's Fan Page on Facebook. Learn more on the group's website, including how you can support its activities. Another form of support would be to purchase the book Tales From the Strangers Room, edited by David Ruffle. Proceeds go to support the Beacon Society.
Who have been your beacons to the world of Sherlock Holmes?
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