As the NCAA and the Cleveland Local Organizing Committee prepare to host the 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four this weekend at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, third graders from four Greater Cleveland schools were celebrated for their efforts as part of the NCAA Read to the Final Four program.

Designed to engage, inspire and incentivize elementary students’ love of reading, the Read to the Final Four program challenged thousands of third graders in the area in a March Madness-style reading competition. Participating schools and students were awarded special incentives as they advanced through the nine-week program.

More than 115 schools in the Cleveland area participated in the program, reading a total of more than 13.5 million minutes. On Friday, the “Final Four” schools are taking a field trip to Tourney Town presented by Capital One to be recognized by the NCAA and the Cleveland Local Organizing Committee for their success.

Our Lady of the Elms School in Akron, Hannah Gibbons-Nottingham School in Cleveland, Austinburg (Ohio) Elementary and Fernway Elementary in Shaker Heights were the top four schools in the competition, collectively reading more than 1.3 million minutes. Our Lady of the Elms won the competition, with 30 students reading an average of 13,770 minutes per student. The school will receive a Scholastic books library refresh from the NCAA, tickets to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a special Studio 525 experience at the Cleveland Public Library. Each third grader from the Final Four schools received a prize package featuring items from the NCAA, NASA and Scholastic.

“Since the program began in 2016, the NCAA has seen each city take this reading challenge to a new level, and Cleveland has certainly accepted that challenge,” said Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president of women’s basketball. “The reading enthusiasm from this city and local third graders’ excitement to commit to read has been so amazing to see throughout the Read to the Final Four.”

“When we bring big events like the NCAA Women’s Final Four to town, it’s important to involve the community and to ensure there’s a long-term impact,” said David Gilbert, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. “The dedication of the thousands of students who participated in this program and read more than 13.5 million minutes illustrates what a bright future we have in Northeast Ohio. We’re grateful to the NCAA for initiatives like this, which will leave a lasting impression on students throughout the Greater Cleveland area.”