The Battle of the Books wrapped up its fifth year
April 16 with a fun competition on Battle Day. The program promotes literacy as Cape Horn-Skye and Canyon Creek students read and summarize a series of books in preparation for the final celebration and competition.
The voluntary reading program kicked off last
June when a list of 30 book titles was released so students could read over the
summer if they wished. Students are required to read and verbally summarize 10
books to qualify for Battle Day. This year 84 Canyon students and Cape 5th
graders submitted at least one book summary. Twenty-one students qualified for
Battle Day and two students read all 30 books!
On Battle Day, students are divided into teams
with a mixture of different grade levels on each team.
This year the theme was:
SURVIVOR : Canyon Creek
Out Play - Out Wit - Out READ
Decorations and food centered around the Survivor
TV show and the reading list had a number of adventure/survival type
selections as well. Students played four preliminary rounds in the morning with the top
two scoring teams compete in the Grand Battle after lunch in the gym in front
of an audience from both schools.
Food service staff Mark Jasper and Chef Dave
treated Book Battlers to a South Pacific lunch of skewered chicken and jicama
salad with pineapple and strawberries. Students created colorful posters and
signs to give the school a festive look and played Survivor-type relay games
including Elephant Bowling.
Librarian Holly Vonderohe coordinates the event
with the help of 32 staff and parents who help with the monthly reward parties
and on Battle Day.
In the end, Team Amazon won the Grand Battle but not by much. Both teams did a great job.
Team Amazon: Cody Harding, Emma Hein, Rebekah Muir, Megan Stogin, and William Weihl.
Team Borneo: Eric Brown, Victoria Corkum, Samantha Eakins, Cameron Hatton, Gus Shelley, and Hadley Warta.
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| The Grand Battle Winners with organizer and librarian Holly Vonderohe. |
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| Kam Lawrence and David Tudor, judges for the morning battle. |
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| Superintendent Dawn Tarzian and Boo Stevens review the rules before the Grand Battle. |
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| The winners of the Grand Battle. |
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| A group discussing an answer. |
