Parent Teacher Magazine Union County Public Schools May/June 2018 | Page 5

Kensington Elementary is the Books and Brackets Champion
For the past five weeks,
every third and fourth grader
in Union County Public Schools
(UCPS) participated in the Books
and Brackets reading challenge.
During the challenge, which
is patterned after the March
Madness basketball competition,
the students spent their days
and nights immersed in books as
the playing field narrowed down
each week to the Sweet 16, Elite
Eight and Final Four.
Schools that advanced to the
Elite Eight had the opportunity
to participate in a March 23
celebration at Wingate University,
where they danced, cheered and
showed their school pride.
Finally, amid the screams of
nearly 1,000 UCPS third graders
During a celebration held
during the celebration, Kensington
at Wingate University,
Elementary was named the
Kensington Elementary
winner of the 2018 Books and
was named the winner
Brackets reading challenge.
of the 2018 Books and
Kensington Elementary
Brackets reading challenge.
Principal Dr. Rachel Clarke
This year, UCPS third and
was presented with a $5,000
fourth graders cumulatively
check for literacy initiatives
read more than 12 million
and programs at her school
minutes in this year’s
and had the honor of cutting
challenge, which roughly
down a basketball net during
translates to 200,000
the celebration. Indian Trail
hours. challenge. Indian
Elementary Principal Gina
Trail Elementary, Marshville
Chisum, Marshville Elementary
Elementary and Sun Valley
Principal Janna Licata and Sun
Elementary were the
Valley Elementary Principal
other three finalists in the
Susan Rodgers, whose schools
challenge.
reached the Final Four level of
the competition, each received
$1,000 for literacy initiatives and programs at their school.
“We weren’t the champions last year, so the students set a
goal this year to win,” Dr. Clarke said. “It was exciting to see them
work hard to achieve a goal, and I am extremely proud of them.”
The fun-filled hour-long celebration at Wingate University
was packed full of exciting activities, speakers and performances
for the students. The university’s athletes took to the court to
showcase their skills and Forest Hills High’s basketball team made
a guest appearance as the entire gymnasium erupted into cheers.
Final Four The students listened intently as Wingate University
basketball player Zeriq Lolar encouraged them to continue to
read, and they danced in the bleachers as the elementary schools’
mascots participated in an Elite Eight dance challenge.
Representatives from myON were also on hand to present iPad
minis to the top three readers, who were from Marshville and
Kensington elementary schools.
Additionally, the students learned that UCPS third and fourth
graders cumulatively read more than 12 million minutes in this
year’s challenge, which roughly
translates to 200,000 hours. This
year’s total is more than double
the number of minutes third
graders read during last year’s
inaugural Books and Brackets
reading challenge.
“We are extremely proud of
the students who participated
and we are proud of the
school system,” said United
Way of Central Carolinas Chief
Development Officer Richard
Heins. “From an educational
standpoint, this has been
phenomenal and we are so
grateful for the partnership that
we have had with the
community and UCPS.”
To help seal
her school’s
victory, Kensington
Elementary third
grader Addison
Redzanic read books
for two hours each
night before bed.
When asked how
she knew her school
would win, Addison
said it was because
she believed in
herself and had lots of
encouragement from friends.
“One time, when I was just sitting at my desk, my best friend
Anna came up to me and said, ‘What are you doing? We have to
read,” Addison said. “I knew we were going to win. But when I
heard them say it, it was just so exciting.”
After the celebration, UCPS Superintendent Dr. Andrew
Houlihan said he was deeply proud of the students during this
year’s reading challenge.
“When you think about how many kids have read over 12
million minutes in the course of six weeks – it’s incredible. Today,
to see all of our third graders at the Elite Eight schools and to
see how surprised they were to be here, was a great feeling,” he
said. “But this is not just a one-time push and we are going to
encourage our students to continue to read. In a lot of schools,
they will continue this throughout the end of the school year in
their own kind of way. It’s not going to stop, and we are going
to continue encouraging our students to keep the momentum up
long after today.”
Books and Brackets sponsors included United Way of
Central Carolinas, Wingate University, Union County Education
Foundation, Big South, Goulston Technologies, Union County
Chamber of Commerce, Union Power Cooperative, Novant Health,
Scholastic, myON, AXA, Robbins and Associates, Hinson Electric
and Union County Public Library.
Parent Teacher Magazine • May/June 2018 • 3