INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — On Monday, more than 3,000 elementary school students and teachers were at the Indiana State Fairgrounds for the NCAA Readers Become Leaders pep rally and IU Indianapolis basketball game.

The NCAA Readers Become Leaders program, started in 2016, encourages students to increase their reading. NCAA officials say reading lays a foundation for future goals, such as attending college and successfully entering the workforce. 

Children participating in the pep rally received books to further encourage their reading efforts. Organizers say the program also helps teachers with the literacy crisis that impacts all demographics. 

Data has shown that if young people are not reading at a satisfactory level by fourth grade, they are more likely to drop out of school later. 

The NCAA says attendees on Monday included Indianapolis area teachers and students from schools in Pike Township, Lawrence Township, and Warren Township, along with Irvington Community Elementary, Decatur Elementary, and Holy Spirit Catholic School. NCAA and Indiana University Indianapolis staff, along with senior leaders from the schools and their districts will also attend.

After the pep rally, the IU Indianapolis men’s basketball team played a matinee game.

I Love to Read Challenge returns

WISH-TV and the NCAA have partnered for another “I Love to Read” Challenge. WISH-TV is proud to partner with the NCAA Readers Become Leaders program again this year to encourage a love of reading in third-graders to help them transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” 

The “I Love to Read” Challenge encourages safe competition among classrooms with a focus on both personal effort and collaborative achievement.  Last year, students in the Challenge read for over 1.25 million minutes.