Woodard ES Places in Top Four in Read to the Final Four Contest
Woodard Elementary School was announced as a top-four finisher in the Read to the Final Four reading competition on March 31 at the NCAA Men’s Final Four Fan Fest hosted at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
The bracket-style reading competition began in October 2022 and aimed to inspire third grade students across the greater Houston area to get excited about reading. The 2022-2023 competition featured thousands of third grade students from more than 200 schools.
CFISD had 13 elementary schools participate at the start of the competition with Woodard ultimately claiming fourth place. Woodard third grade students read more than four million minutes throughout the contest and won $2,000 for the campus library.
Woodard Elementary School teachers and staff, along with district personnel, pose for a photo at the Men’s Final Four Fan Fest on March 31 at the George R. Brown Convention Center after Woodard was announced as the fourth place finisher in the Read to the Final Four reading competition. Woodard won $2,000 towards its library.“CFISD entered the NCAA Read to the Final Four competition for the first time in district history and getting to represent our district with this prestigious award is something my students, staff and I will never forget,” said Susan Brenz, Woodard principal. “To be in the top four out of more than 200 participating schools across 11 school districts is a major feat. At Woodard we say, “ALL IN,” and it literally took everyone on the campus working together to accomplish this acknowledgement. Our Pre-K, kindergarten and first grade students became reading buddies, our second grade students wrote words of affirmation and our fourth and fifth grade students led pep rallies and parades. Our large group teachers even became involved in read-out-louds.”
To help third grade students read, Woodard set up incentives for top readers each week including bubble gum, pizza, popcorn and dance parties, and reading accomplishments were shared on social media. Houston Texans’ mascot, Toro, even visited Woodard on Feb. 23 for a pep rally.
Toro, the Houston Texans’ mascot, visited with Woodard Elementary School third grade students at the Read to the Final Four celebration at George R. Brown Convention Center on March 31. Toro visited Woodard on Feb. 23 for a pep rally as part of an incentive for third grade students to read for the competition.Since Woodard was one of the final four schools in the contest, students, along with Woodard and district staff members, were invited to the Men’s Final Four Fan Fest at the George R. Brown Convention Center for the Read to the Final Four celebration. The top four campuses were also invited to NRG Stadium to watch the Men’s Final Four open practice ahead of the tournament semifinal games.
“Bringing this award to CFISD is a true honor for all of us,” Brenz said. “Getting to take our kids to the George R. Brown Convention Center and NRG Stadium to high-five all the Men’s Final Four basketball players as they practiced for their big games and celebrating with the bands and cheerleaders will be a memory etched into the hearts and minds of our students forever!”
Read to the Final Four was launched during the 2016 Men’s Final Four in Houston. In its inaugural year, approximately 6,800 third grade students across 68 Houston-area schools competed.
Jennifer Garstecki, CFISD coordinator for library services, left, and Susan Brenz, Woodard Elementary School principal, lead Woodard third grade students in a dance at the Read to the Final Four celebration.
