Park City School District is not among the seven Utah districts chosen for a new Olympic-tied literacy program that launched Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Champion Schools 34, a partnership between the Utah 2034 organizing committee and nonprofit Ken Garff for Good, puts a digital platform in 72 elementary schools. Students track daily reading minutes and earn prizes for hitting silver (20 minutes) or gold (30 minutes) targets. Teachers get lesson plans, book recommendations and motivational videos featuring Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

The pilot districts are Salt Lake City, Cache County, Granite, Iron County, North Sanpete, Duchesne County and Uintah County. Utah 2034 says it plans to expand the program to all state elementary schools, according to KPCW, but no timeline has been announced.

Park City School District already leads the state in third-grade reading proficiency. The district posted a 69% proficiency rate, well ahead of the statewide average of 48.7%, according to Park City School District, citing the Utah State Board of Education's Reading on Grade Level report.

PCSD's rate has climbed from 57.8% in 2023 to 64.8% in 2024 to 69% this year.

Superintendent Lyndsay Huntsman, Executive Director of Curriculum Amy Jenkins and Literacy Specialist Katie McGinn received the state board's District Leader Science of Reading Award on May 27.

Utah 2034 CEO Brad Wilson said the committee wanted to start building Olympic-tied education programs well before the 2034 Games. "We thought if we can lean into the Olympic values that we all aspire to, and tie it to things like education and literacy, we have this ability to have this compound effect on the lives of these kids and their families," Wilson told KPCW.

The launch ceremony at Backman Elementary in Salt Lake City featured Paralympic snowboarder Joe Pleban and bobsledder Hunter Powell, both 2026 Games competitors. Students filed into an assembly with Olympic opening ceremony music playing and a mock cauldron on stage.

The program integrates the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Values Education Program (OVEP) teaching resources, ABC4 reported. Six more pilot-district schools will host their own opening ceremonies through Wednesday, Sept. 16.

Utah 2034's 16-person Education Committee, chaired by Ken Garff Philanthropies president Amy Garff, held its inaugural meeting July 29 at Utah Olympic Park in Park City, the Park Record reported. Olympic figure skating gold medalist Nathan Chen serves in an athlete role on the committee.

Park City School District has not issued a public statement on Champion Schools 34. No timeline for expansion beyond the seven pilot districts has been announced.