Over the last year, 190 schools across the state participated in “Read to the Final Four,” an initiative to promote reading for Arizona third graders. Classes would log how much time was spent reading. Schools would advance through the bracket, much like the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
The final four schools came to Tourney Town in Downtown Phoenix to find out who the winner would be.
Mary C. O’Brien Elementary School in Casa Grande took home the title and earned $10,000 from Helios Education Foundation. The other schools won $5,000 each.
In addition to the financial donations, participating schools saw their third graders improve their reading skills and gain confidence in the process.
Jordan Hamm
