Salisbury Academy students recently earned third place in both the elementary and middle school Battle of the Books competitions.
Sponsored by the N.C. School Library Association, the purpose of the Battle of the Books program is to encourage reading. Elementary and middle school students are exposed to quality literature from a variety of literary genres and representing viewpoints by prominent authors.
Throughout the year, students read, review, discuss and prepare to be quizzed on their knowledge of each book they read. Much like a book club, the students meet weekly to discuss the books. Books read by the students are chosen by the School Library Association.
The elementary team read 18 books and the middle school team, 27 books.
Middle school students traveled to Cannon School, where they competed against Charlotte Country Day School, Cannon School, Providence Day School, St. Mark’s Catholic School and Sacred Heart Catholic School.
The team, coached by Pat Foley and Heather Coulter, consisted of Anna Louise Lewis, Annabel Barr, William Lutz, Sarah Clifton, Lila Harry, Caitlin Hattaway, Patrick Smith and Nicholas Peltz.
“The team members made a full commitment to Battle of the Books by starting to read the books over the summer and continuing throughout the school year, meeting during school exploratory and after school,” Foley said. “I am so proud of how hard they worked throughout the year and how well they performed during the competition.”
The elementary Battle of the Books team, coached by Angela Graham, Melissa Brown and Foley, consisted of students Nikhil Roy, Emily Cipolla, Julia Hake, Tom Bristol, Margaret Thurman, Hayes Hartpence, Nick Snipes and Morgan Jeter. The team competed at Davidson Day School against Westchester Academy, The O’Neal School and Davidson Day School.
The competitions are like quiz bowls for reading.
“The game-like format creates interest and excitement in reading for our students,” Graham said. “We are proud of the commitment and effort shown by our students, and we are especially proud of their determination, teamwork and sportsmanship.”