The Read to the Final Four tip-off is a slam dunk
Helios is a proud supporter of this year’s reading competition that aims to have one-third of Arizona 3rd graders participate
In an electrifying start to the Read to the Final Four, Phoenix Mercury stars Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor shared their love of reading with more than 1,500 enthusiastic third graders from the Cartwright School District.
The tip-off event was held Oct. 19 inside the Mark T. Atkinson Middle School gymnasium in Phoenix where students were encouraged to participate in the statewide reading competition, which is open to all third graders across Arizona for free and will be based on average time spent reading.
Helios Education Foundation is joining the Phoenix Final Four Local Organizing Committee and the NCAA to support the Read to the Final Four.
“Reading isn't just fun, it helps you learn and grow,” Jane Roig, vice chair of Helios Education Foundation’s Board of Directors, told students at the tip-off event. “When you can read well, you can do well in school and in life.”
Helios President and CEO Paul J. Luna encouraged students to participate, saying, “Every book you read, every page you turn, gets you one step closer to the Final Four and ultimately gets you closer to winning the grand prize for your school.”
The reading competition uses the excitement of the 2024 Men’s Final Four — which is set for April 6 and 8 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale — to ignite a passion for reading among Arizona's young learners while enhancing their academic achievements.
It mirrors the March Madness brackets, with schools advancing to further levels of the competition based on the average number of minutes read. The first phase of competition, the Qualifying Challenge, takes place this fall. The top 68 schools will be invited to participate in the Challenge Bracket in January.
The Final Four schools with the highest average number of minutes read will be announced the week of March 4. All four schools will be celebrated, and a champion will be announced April 5. The Read to the Final Four champion school will receive a $5,000 cash prize to support reading, literacy, or library programs.
“We are proud to support Read to the Final Four,” said Vince Roig, founding chairman of Helios Education Foundation’s Board of Directors. “We think it’s a fun and memorable way to get thousands of kids excited about reading.”
All photos courtesy of Alexys Brandon Photography