Readers Become Leaders at Greenbriar Elementary

The 2021 NCAA® National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships announced the winner of its annual Readers Become Leaders competition for elementary school children in the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD).

The Fort Worth Sports Commission, co-hosts of the championships, presented the championship trophy from the NCAA® to the winning class, Christy Van Ausdall’s third-grade class at Greenbriar Elementary School. The presentation will be featured during ESPN’s telecast of the NCAA® National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championship hosted at Dickies Arena April 16-17.

Van Ausdall’s students averaged 699 minutes read during the five-week competition period. For their achievement, each student will receive three new books to add to their personal collection; Van Ausdall may select $500 worth of books from Scholastic Book Company for the classroom library; and students will enjoy a pizza party provided by the Fort Worth Sports Commission.

“We are extremely proud of the significant impact our collaboration with the NCAA and Fort Worth ISD has had on our local students,” said Jason Sands, director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission, a division of Visit Fort Worth, a division of Visit Fort Worth. “The Readers Become Leaders program is a shining example of the legacy hosting NCAA championships can have on our community.”

This marks the third year Fort Worth ISD, in partnership with the NCAA®, the Fort Worth Sports Commission and the Scholastic Book Company, completed the Readers Become Leaders program. The five-week initiative featured 112 classrooms – representing 2,149 students – that read a total of 148,124 minutes. All students received a free book courtesy of the NCAA® and Scholastic Book Company for participating.