Kids knock Boulders reading challenge out of the park

May 16, 2026 John Snyder
Now pitching for the New York Boulders… Berkeley school sisters Scarlett Hlavaty, a fourth grader, and Madelyn Hlavaty, a first grader, throw out a ceremonial first pitch during the “Rockland Boulders Reading Challenge” celebration at Clover Stadium as their father, Kevin Hlavaty, prepares to catch both balls at once. Courtesy photo
Now pitching for the New York Boulders… Berkeley school sisters Scarlett Hlavaty, a fourth grader, and Madelyn Hlavaty, a first grader, throw out a ceremonial first pitch during the “Rockland Boulders Reading Challenge” celebration at Clover Stadium as their father, Kevin Hlavaty, prepares to catch both balls at once. Courtesy photo

WESTWOOD—Berkeley and Brookside elementary school students turned reading into a winning season this spring, combining for 38,162 minutes read as part of the New York Boulders Reading Challenge.

The program culminated in a celebratory night at Clover Stadium, where students were recognized for their reading accomplishments with certificates, game tickets, on-field honors, and ceremonial first pitches.

One of the evening’s standout moments featured Berkeley sisters Scarlett Hlavaty, a fourth grader, and Madelyn Hlavaty, a first grader, who took the field together to throw a first pitch to their father, Kevin Hlavaty. To the delight of the crowd, he managed to catch both balls at the same time.

Students earned prizes based on the number of minutes they logged during the challenge. Readers accumulating fewer than 400 minutes received participation certificates. Students reaching “Double” status with 400–799 minutes earned certificates and two tickets to a designated Boulders game, while “Triple” readers with 800–1,299 minutes earned four tickets.

Students reaching “Home Run” status by reading 1,300 minutes or more received four tickets, commemorative T-shirts and the chance to throw out a first pitch at a Boulders home game. Top readers from each school were also recognized on the field and received autographed baseballs.

Sarah Stewart and Cheryl Hinrichs tell us Brookside’s top reader was second grader Maggie Greenstein from Ms. Bavaro’s class, who logged 1,660 minutes read. Berkeley’s top reader was fourth grader Bobby Larsen from Mr. Sottalano’s class, who finished with 1,555 minutes.

The challenge was part of a regional literacy initiative involving more than 6,000 students from 79 schools, according to Boulders Education Director Gail Gultz. Students participating in the 2026 program collectively logged nearly 3.9 million minutes of reading.

The program included strong participation from Montvale. Fieldstone Middle School was recognized among the Top 5 schools in average minutes read across the entire challenge, earning a Clover Stadium suite to watch a Boulders game.