FH third-graders become reading champs
Published 1:30 am Sunday, March 1, 2026
Submitted by the San Juan Island School District
Friday Harbor Elemetnary School’s 3-D Touchdown Readers, all third graders, have officially been crowned the Washington State ReadBowl Champions following a month-long global reading marathon.
ReadBowl 2026, the “Global Championship of Reading,” is the flagship program of the Share the Magic Foundation. Founded by Malcolm Mitchell—former New England Patriots wide receiver, Super Bowl Champion, and celebrated children’s author—the competition aims to inspire students to tackle literacy with the same intensity athletes bring to the field.
This year’s competition was a massive undertaking, featuring:
30,000+ Teams worldwide.
Over one million students participated from all 50 states and multiple countries.
Four weeks of intensive reading (Jan. 12 – Feb. 6).
The 3-D Touchdown Readers didn’t just participate; they dominated. Competing in the Big-3 Conference (specifically for third-grade classrooms), the team maintained a spot on the “Top 100 Leaderboard” every single week of the season.
Their final stats are nothing short of elite:
State Level: Washington State Champions.
National Level: 3rd Place in the Big-3 Conference.
Global Level: 8th Place overall out of 30,000+ teams.
“Reading is a superpower,” Mitchell often says, and the 3-D Touchdown Readers have clearly harnessed it. By averaging more minutes per team member than nearly every other squad on the planet, these local students have put Washington on the map for academic excellence.
