By Jenna Black

With wide eyes and curious smiles, the third graders from Southside Elementary and Glen Acres Elementary stared up at their teachers. “Did we make it?” they asked.

In the wake of the reveal of the four finalists of the Read to the Final Four competition, every minute, every collaboration, every class, and every book had led to this moment. With a single “ding” from the email inboxes of Erica Coy and Paige Abdon, the students knew it was time.

In Columbus, Indiana, at Southside Elementary, Coy turned on her projector and her third-grade students glued themselves to the screen, waiting in anticipation. 110 miles away in Lafayette, Indiana, at Glen Acres Elementary, Abdon read her email aloud, while each student’s eyes and ears were permanently fixed on her words.

“We did it! We made it to the Final Four!” said Abdon and Coy.

The halls of Glen Acres Elementary erupted as students burst through one third-grade room to the next to let them know the historic news. At Southside Elementary, each third grader bounded up in the air, hugs were shared, and congratulations were in order. They had earned themselves a ticket to Indianapolis to participate in the Men’s Final Four Fan Fest, and it was all because of their collective choice to pick up a book and take on the words within each page.

“Every minute you are helping Southside,” Coy continued. “And every minute you are helping yourself become a better reader and a better learner.”

Indianapolis is hosting the 2026 Men’s Final Four, and as a result, Read to the Final Four will focus on schools across Indiana in hopes of cultivating a love for learning and reading within each student. The National Collegiate Athletic Association focuses on third graders as it is a pivotal age in literacy, marking the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. Studies have shown that the level of literacy in third graders is linked directly to future student success, making this competition a special way for students to grow as learners and readers.

“In third grade, they switch to read to learn and reading for enjoyment, in this case.” Abdon continued. “So to support them through their reading for enjoyment, I am hopeful that it will provide them with the drive to want to do more reading and learning.”

Read to the Final Four marked individual successes and goals for the third graders of Southside Elementary and Glen Acres Elementary. But even more importantly, it allowed them to connect with each other, and just like on the basketball court, each class became one. They encouraged each other, held each other accountable, and made sure that everyone had a high five waiting for them at the end of each book.

Coy said, “It became a family effort. It became kids motivating each other and holding each other accountable. It was fun to watch them work together towards a goal, and it built a sense of community.”

Part of the beauty of the competition is that it is tangible for every student, regardless of their background or reading proficiency. It isn’t about finishing as many books as possible, but rather encourages students to build off of yesterday by reading a minute at a time, because every minute makes a difference.

“I saw some of my struggling readers feel as if they could still contribute because they just thought, ‘I just need to read for five minutes, and I can do that.’” Coy continued. “So they were able to feel the success as well, and it was cool to see them get excited about the competition.”

Abdon saw the connection that reading and learning can forge firsthand, as many students would go home and read books with their parents. It became an act of unity and collaboration for parents and children. Through reading, creativity is invented, extending beyond the pages to the individual, but books also become a capsule of shared memories that parents and children will hold onto forever.

Abdon said, “It has definitely connected some of our parents to our students who were reading together. There was a mother and daughter who were reading Harry Potter for the first time. That’s just providing such a nice bonding time for them and a special memory for them.”

Reading did not stop with the announcement of the Final Four finalists; in fact, it seems to be just the beginning. For Coy and Abdon, students continue to run up to them in excitement about their reading logs and minutes, even though the competition is over. Read to the Final Four has sparked in them a curiosity for learning that can only be satisfied by turning a page, and it is a curiosity that will set them up for future success.

“I just wanted them to relax and enjoy reading as much as I did as a kid.” Abdon continued. “I hope that this experience is one of those core elementary memories for them that they will never forget.”

On April 6, in eager anticipation, the third graders of Southside Elementary and Glen Acres Elementary, along with Paragon Elementary and Sugar Creek Elementary, will throw their backpacks on, which are most likely the host to their newest reading endeavor, hop on the school bus, and head to Indianapolis to await the announcement of the champion of Read to the Final Four. But through their journey, they have already won, and just like their books, their stories will continue to unfold, and hopefully, 20 years from now, they will look back at this moment, at the books they read and smile.