The Vicksburg Warren School District (VWSD) 2025 Reading Mania Tournament started on Wednesday, January 22nd, and successfully concluded on Friday, February 28th. School celebrations took place from Wednesday, March 19th, through Friday, March 28th. The Reading Mania Tournament started in 2023 as a literacy initiative to ignite and maintain the love of reading in students in Kindergarten through 2nd Grade. In 2024, the tournament was extended to include the 3rd Grade. Students were charged with reading and taking quizzes utilizing the Renaissance Accelerated Reader (AR) program for six weeks. A goal of 60% or higher on AR quizzes was set across the district. Literacy plays a tremendous role in the lives of our students and their future success.
The Reading Mania Tournament features four (4) main categories in which students and classes can participate: Free Throw, Three-Pointer, Half-Court Shot, and Slam Dunk. Each of these categories is further divided into three (3) subcategories: Class Category, Grade-Level Category, and School Category. In addition to these competition categories, several prestigious awards recognize outstanding individual and school-wide achievements. These categories and honors celebrate students’ dedication to reading while fostering friendly competition and academic excellence throughout the Vicksburg Warren School District.
A total of 2,025 students from 10 schools, spanning Kindergarten through Third Grade, took part in this year’s tournament. The competition was fierce, with students demonstrating strong comprehension, critical thinking, and recall skills. All of the schools combined took a total of 37,449 quizzes and read 30,202,664 words during the six weeks of the Reading Mania Tournament.
After an intense and thrilling competition, Dana Road Elementary and Vicksburg Intermediate School emerged victorious, securing FIRST PLACE in the 2025 Vicksburg Warren School District Reading Mania Tournament! Their hard work, dedication, and love for reading have earned them the prestigious title of VWSD Reading Mania Champions. Congratulations to these incredible schools for their outstanding achievement!
But the excitement does not stop there! The tournament also celebrated outstanding individual/group achievements across the district:
Hall of Fame (Students who scored the highest in their homeroom) | ||||
School | Kindergarten | First Grade | Second | Third |
Beechwood | 1. Ariana Opperman 2. Dior Trimm 3. Barry Barnett | 1. Penelope Wilkerson 2. Emilia Ellis 3. Ivy Hudson | 1. Sawyer Towne 2. Bowen Tillotson 3. Christopher Steele | 1. Isaiah Taylor 2. Khaza Brooks 3. Jace Noble |
Bovina | 1. Nathaniel Chan 2. Sterling Ashley | 1. Josephine Lambiotte 2. Graham McBride | 1. George Mason 2. Lincoln Gardner | 1. Leila Carney 2. Ja’Casia Taylor |
Bowmar | 1. Ameyr Yeroozedek 2. Keturah Yeroozedek | 1. Bayley Stache 2. Dexter Russell | 1. Eleanor Winters 2. Charles Mitchell | 1. Darrington Carraway 2. Mason Thomas |
Dana Road | 1. Tyla Johnson 2. Keira Jones 3. Kaison Jordan 4. Ava Miles | 1. Jaxston Kinnard 2. Aurianna Bruce 3. Carter Wilson 4. Aaliyah Herrington 5. Bryce Williams | 1. Damariya Ross 2. Ashton Adams 3. Dawson Woodland 4. Ma’Laiysha Bailey 5. Antonio Summers | |
VIS | 1. Jaylen Eggleston 2. Za’Niyah Curry 3. Jayden Harris 4. Carter Parker | |||
Redwood | 1. Landry Trim 2. Evelynn Wipperling | 1. Parker McMullan 2. Nathan Welch | 1. Jim McWhorter 2. Charles Nolan | 1. Callen Coomes 2. Antwan Maddox |
Sherman Avenue | 1. D’Ezekielo Jones 2. Trayvis Webster 3. Royalty Kelly 4. Taylin Clark | 1. Jayton Ester 2. Zyreon Lewis 3. Codi Lawrence 4. Ava Armstrong 5. Gregory Ragan | 1. Myrical Adams 2. Braylee Funches 3. Skylyn South 4. Malcolm Barber 5. Alaa Almardahi | |
WCI | 1. Isaiah Johnson 2. Karmyn Bailey 3. Paisley Ragan 4. Haley Clark | |||
South Park | 1. Titus Young | 1. John Chase 2. Kingsley Tolliver | 1. Asher Wilkerson 2. Camden Dorrell | 1. Khloe Powell 2. Willard French 3. Jomez Applewhite |
Warrenton | 1. Le’Andre Johnson | 1. Rhylie Thomas 2. Sire Noble | 1. Destiny Smith 2. Keagan Bell | 1. Madisyn Dotson 2. Lily Smith |
Most Valuable Players (MVPs) (Students who achieved the second-highest score in their homeroom) | ||||
School | Kindergarten | First Grade | Second | Third |
Beechwood | 1. Arianna Hemphill 2. Derrick Gardner 3. Charles Hedrick | 1. Willow Anderson 2. Kycesen Knight 3. Malaysia Lloyd | 1. Egypt Coleman 2. Sabella Atlas 3. Alexander Brannon | 1. Ekari Wesley 2. Eden Dupre 3. Samuel Sullivan |
Bovina | 1. Waylon Chester 2. Stanton Ashley | 1. Carmynn Taylor 2. Tess Wiedenfeld | 1. Nora Morgan 2. Charleston Stamps | 1. Aubrey Simmons 2. J’Cadence Truitt |
Bowmar | 1. Britlynn Flaggs 2. Adeline Henry | 1. Bo Cannon 2. Brayden Penny | 1. Turner Mooney 2. Natalie Bennett | 1. Zachary Bullen 2. Andrew Amborn |
Dana Road | 1. D’Kihyd Qualls 2. Kaleb Shelton 3. Troy Smith 4. Kaiden Eggleston | 1. Luzearie Qualls 2. JD Tyler 3. Ashton Moore 4. Dejohnnee Flowers 5. Isabella Williams-Henderson | 1. Aubree Williams 2. De’Anthony Smith 3. Jada Vessel 4. Brooklyn Houston 5. Connor Turner | |
VIS | 1. Tahiry Rogers 2. Zari Fletcher 3. Ranger Lawrence 4. King Hicks | |||
Redwood | 1. Caroline Clow 2. Jiya Griffin | 1. Ka’Mari Wright 2. Deontaye Thompson | 1. Richard Yates 2. Natalie Polk | 1. Kenneth Fields 2. Gracie Barrett |
Sherman Avenue | 1. Nakari Guise 2. Nolan Murrell 3. Nola McGee 4. Alia Henderson 5. Saleh Almardahi | 1. Jakhi Anderson 2. Alivia Hamilton 3. Ty’Rihanna Fisher 4. Brooklyn Davis 5. King Williams | 1. Brayden Fields 2. Shandrick Montgomery 3. Magnolia Edwards 4. Jayden Sims 5. Zilah Anderson | |
WCI | 1. London McCloud 2. Aayden Jones 3. Camden Lumpkin 4. Jacob Brown | |||
South Park | 1. Dyllan Sumners | 1. Chance Miller 2. Noah Banks-Dixon | 1. Wynter Hollins Turner 2. Amanda Keathley | 1. Sariah Miller 2. Kaleah Bell 3. Jerry Nettle III |
Warrenton | 1. Leonel Mendoza | 1. Amoriel Morris 2. Jermani Brown | 1. Jerney Walker 2. Kevin Buck | 1. Amiracle Johnson |
All-Star Team (The student with the highest score in their school) | |||
Beechwood | Bovina | Bowmar | Dana Road |
Emilia Ellis First Grade | George Morgan Second Grade | Mason Thomas Third Grade | Damariya Ross Second Grade |
VIS | Redwood | Sherman Avenue | WCI |
Jaylen Eggleston Third Grade | Parker McMullan First Grade | Malcolm Barber Second Grade | Haley Clark Third Grade |
South Park | Warrenton | ||
John Chase First Grade | Destiny Smith Second Grade | ||
VWSD Reading Mania Grade-Level Champion (The grade-level with the highest overall score across the district) | |||
Kindergarten | First Grade | ||
Bovina | Dana Road | ||
Second Grade | Third Grade | ||
Dana Road | Vicksburg Intermediate | ||
VWSD Reading Mania Scholar (The top-scoring student in each grade throughout the district) | |||
Kindergarten | First Grade | ||
Sterling Ashley Bovina Elementary | Bryce Williams Dana Road Elementary | ||
Second Grade | Third Grade | ||
Damariya Ross Dana Road | Mason Thomas Bowmar Elementary | ||
VWSD Reading Mania Champion Scholar (The overall top-scoring student across all ten schools) |
Damariya Ross Second Grade Dana Road |
This year’s Reading Mania Tournament has truly highlighted the power of reading and the incredible talent within Vicksburg Warren School District. Congratulations to all the winners, participants, teachers, and families who made this event such a success!
The tournament's success was made possible by the dedication of librarians, students, teachers, and parents, whose commitment and initiative played a vital role in its achievement. A heartfelt thank you to the VWSD Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology Integration, the VWSD Office of Federal Programs, and the United Way of Vicksburg for their generous support in making this event an unforgettable experience for all! A special thank you to Dr. La’Tonya Jackson, the District Reading Mania Coordinator, and the dedicated District Reading Mania Committee—Mary A. Peoples, Dara Hendrix, and Renee Harvey—for their hard work and leadership in organizing this incredible event. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the incredible librarians who played a vital role in making the 2025 Reading Mania Tournament a success!
School | Librarian |
Beechwood Elementary | Dara Hendrix |
Bovina Elementary | Marti Farrar |
Bowmar Elementary | Jennifer Nelson |
Dana Road Elementary | Mary Johnson |
Vicksburg Intermediate | Denita Johnson |
Redwood Elementary | Ashley Coomes |
Sherman Avenue Intermediate | Kathy Parker |
Warren Central Intermediate | Ursula Patterson |
South Park Elementary | LaTonya Williams |
Warrenton Elementary | Kimberly White |