Mavericks' Reading Club Celebrates November's Top Classroom

The Kansas City Mavericks' reading initiative, Mac’s Power Play Reading Club, made another visit Tuesday to Ridgeview Elementary to celebrate the achievements of Crystal Davis’ fourth-grade class. The students logged an impressive total of 15,840 minutes of reading in November, earning them the title of Top Classroom of the Month.

This year, the program has grown to include over 3,200 children from 60 schools across the Kansas City area. Participants set ambitious reading goals and work toward exciting monthly and grand prizes, including a pizza party sponsored by Minsky’s Pizza in March.

Mavericks’ players Nolan Sullivan and Daniel Amesbury, along with team mascot Mac, visited Davis’ classroom to join in the celebration. The players read with the students, answered their questions, and signed autographs.

The class got a real treat when Sullivan entertained the students by joking that Mac could do backflips, while Amesbury shared how hockey players handle the cold.

“You’ve got to work extra hard to stay warm,” he said.

The students asked a variety of fun and engaging questions, including:

• "Have you lost any teeth?"

• "What karate belt would you be?"

• "How do you survive the cold?"

• "How do you communicate when it’s super loud?"

Mac, as always, was a star of the visit, fielding many of the kids’ questions about his unique abilities, including how he manages to eat and whether he’s lost any teeth. Both Sullivan and Amesbury explained how focus and teamwork help players communicate effectively, even in noisy environments: “When you’re in a crowd and focused, you can really hear. You get tuned in with your team through hard work.”

Mac’s Power Play Reading Club rewards top classrooms with monthly visits from Mavericks players and mascot Mac. Students track their reading progress—with grades K-2 counting minutes read to them and grades 3-5 counting independent reading time. Each month’s top class receives special incentives, while the overall champions at the end of the season will win a pizza party and tickets to a Mavericks game for their families.

Tuesday’s visit highlighted the excitement and inspiration that reading can bring to young learners. The Mavericks are excited to see students across the Kansas City area continue to embrace their love for books and aim for new reading milestones throughout the season.