Florence Pasay and Hana Musama, Grade 12 students at Vegreville Composite High, stand near the books that’ll compete in their school’s March Book Madness event.

Sherwood Park, AB. — Taking inspiration from basketball’s iconic March Madness, EIPS students are taking part in their own tournament. March Book Madness pits students’ favourite books against each other to see which one reigns the literary champion. “March Book Madness is an exciting and collaborative challenge,” says Hana Musama, a Grade 12 student at Vegreville Composite High. “I believe that it gives students curiosity about the books and motivates them to keep reading. Literacy is highly important and beneficial for students, especially for young adults like me who are applying for scholarships. This challenge is highly recommended to make literacy learning more fun.”

Students from across the Division will begin reading a series of selected books and casting votes on their favourites as part of the annual event. March Book Madness uses a bracket-style tournament method where books compete against each other, similar in format to the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament. Students start with 16 books. During each bracket, two go up against each other and are then voted on—majority-rule style. Votes are then tallied, and whichever book gets the most points moves on to the next round.

“This is my first encounter with March Book Madness and I am loving it!” says Sian Vadnais, a librarian at Vegreville Composite High.  “Students’ faces light up when they recognize the book covers and start conversations on which ones should win and why. This tells me that while some students have fallen away from reading after elementary, the passion for literature and a good story continues to burn bright and they’re just waiting for the spark of a story to reach them. Engaging all students at their levels of reading and interest is so exciting and rewarding.”

Students read both competing books in the bracket and then discuss them at length focusing on compelling characters, plot development and why one book should win over the other. They’ll either read books from the March Book Madness website or those school staff have chosen.

Several schools are participating in this year’s March Book Madness, including A.L. Horton Elementary, Bruderheim School, Fort Saskatchewan Elementary, Fort Saskatchewan High, Glen Allan Elementary, Heritage Hills Elementary, James Mowat Elementary, Mills Haven Elementary, Pine Street Elementary, SouthPointe School, Uncas Elementary, Vegreville Composite High and others.

“Reading is the best way one can understand and empathize with experiences vastly different from their own,” says Florence Pasay, a Grade 12 student at Vegreville Composite High. “This is a skill imperative to being a responsible member of society. I have great appreciation for an event that encourages youth to read more.”

Elk Island Public Schools is one of Alberta’s largest school divisions, serving approximately 17,750 students in 42 schools. We are proud to be an integral part of our communities, including Sherwood Park, Fort Saskatchewan, Vegreville, Strathcona and Lamont counties, and the western portion of the County of Minburn.

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For more information, media can contact:
Laura McNabb, Director, Communication Services, EIPS 780-417-8204 cell 780-405-4902