NISD Trustee Freeman wins Read to Final Four Board Bracket

In a spirited show of solidarity with their third-grade students, trustees from across San Antonio took a page from March Madness and turned it into a literacy movement. Inspired by the NCAA’s Read to the Final Four initiative, 32 school board trustees across the region joined forces—and a little friendly competition—to read to as many students as possible at campuses throughout their districts.

At the top of the bracket rose Northside ISD’s own Trustee Karen Freeman, who clinched the title by reading a remarkable 4,000+ minutes across 18 different campuses. Her enthusiasm and dedication crowned her the champion of the trustee reading challenge, edging out other Final Four contenders Ginger Friesenhahn from East Central ISD, Monica Ryan from Judson ISD, and fellow NISD Trustee Bobby Blount.

Freeman, along with other trustees, spent time reading aloud to third graders, promoting the joy and importance of reading. “I had a great time participating,” Freeman shared. “Reading to kids in our schools is always a blast – it’s fun, engaging, and a great way to spark a love of reading. Big smiles, bright minds, great books – it doesn’t get any better than that!”

Her favorite books to read included The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors and If I Built a School, both of which elicited laughter, excitement, and thoughtful conversation from her young audiences. After reading The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Freeman noted how students would spontaneously pair up to play the game, energizing the classroom. With If I Built a School, she challenged students to dream big by imagining what one feature they’d like to add to their already amazing schools. The answers were as creative as the students themselves, and even sparked an idea from a teacher to turn those dreams into persuasive essays for the school board.

“Watching their excitement and hearing their comments made the experience even more special,” Freeman said. “They were listening, engaged, and already thinking critically.”

Though only a few advanced to the Sweet 16, Elite 8, and Final Four, many trustees, including NISD Trustees Corinne Saldana, David Salcido, Dr. Homer Guevara, and Dr. Carol Harle, continued reading, driven by a shared goal: to ignite a passion for literacy among students.

Special recognition went to Burke Elementary in Northside ISD, which came out on top among participating campuses. Freeman expressed immense pride in their achievement, praising the dedication of both students and educators.

“Thank you to fellow trustee Bobby Blount and the NCAA for the spark that ignited this energy,” Freeman said. “I’m grateful for the chance to help foster a love of reading in our students. This was more than a competition—it was a celebration of literacy.”