NORFOLK, Va. – Three schools, one third-grade teacher and 24 third-grade students will be recognized for reading excellence on February 26, 2014, after the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Norfolk Public Schools teamed up for the second-annual Read with MEac/Achieve3000 third-grade reading contest in conjunction with the annual MEAC  Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament. 

Read with MEac Through Achieve3000 is a citywide reading contest that encourages third-graders in Norfolk Public Schools to read as much as possible and accumulate comprehension points on the Achieve3000 computer program during a six-week period in December and January. 

The reading contest was organized by the conference’s Senior Woman Administrators (SWA) and is aimed at encouraging education and promoting the love of reading to students. 

Winners of the reading program will participate in a celebration banquet, sponsored by TowneBank, on Wednesday, February 26, at the Town Point Club in Norfolk, Virginia. In addition, winners will be invited to serve as ball boys/girls during tournament games and will be recognized during the halftime of the Education Day game, Wednesday, March 12, along with the school principals, teachers and representatives from the school system.

The winners, announced today, are:

First-place school – Tarrallton Elementary, $2,000 prize from the MEAC

Second-place school – Willoughby Elementary, $1,500 prize, from the MEAC

Third-place school – Fairlawn Elementary, $500 prize, from the MEAC

Top third-grade class in NPS – Cynthia Carney’s class at Willoughby Elementary, $1,000 prize, from the MEAC

“We are very proud of our partnership with the Norfolk School System to offer the Read with MEac/Achieve3000 reading program to the area third graders,” said Commissioner Dennis Thomas.  “We have had a history of success with our reading program and are elated that we continue to achieve greater heights with its success.  I commend school superintendent Dr. Samuel King and his staff for their excellent work.”

“Our students and teachers are to be congratulated for the dedication that led to this recognition,” said Superintendent Samuel T. King. “This is a contest that emphasizes the importance of reading and reading comprehension, especially at the elementary level. I applaud MEAC and Achieve3000 for demonstrating the power of community partnerships to improve student success.”

 

The 2014 MEAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball tournament is slated from March 10 – 15 at the Norfolk Scope Arena.  For more information about the tournament, visit www.meachoops.com.

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About the MEAC Basketball Tournament

The MEAC Basketball Tournament is a single elimination championship playoff that involves Division I historically black colleges and universities located across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman, Coppin State, Delaware State, Florida A&M, Hampton, Howard, Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T State, North Carolina Central, Savannah State, and South Carolina State.

The tournament is played at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Virginia.  Both the men’s and women’s champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Media Contacts:

Patricia Porter, Assistant Commissioner for Media Relations, MEAC, (757) 951-2055, porterp@themeac.com

Elizabeth Thiel Mather, Senior Director of Communications, (757) 376-7324, emather@npsk12.com