Annual reading battle in progress
By From staff reports
Published in News on March 26, 2014 1:46 PM
Wayne County Public Schools' elementary students will test their reading skills this week in the district's eighth annual Battle of the Books competition and for the first time will have the opportunity to advance to the regional level.
The public is invited to attend the local round of quiz bowl-style competition that encourages reading. Students in grades 3-5 must read 18 books chosen by a statewide committee, and the contest tests their comprehension.
The competition, which was expected to begin at 9:25 a.m. in the H.V. Brown Center, 801 Poplar St., will have a bit of a different format than previous years, organizers said.
For the first time, a Region 2 Elementary Battle of the Books competition is being held in the spring, said David Lewis, assistant superintendent for accountability/information technology services/athletics.
"Because our region, Region 2, never had an Elementary Battle of the Books competition for local winning teams to move on to, the district simply held its local competition over two days with one winner each day," he said. "This year, to accommodate all of the participating schools the district will complete the competition in one day by holding several competition matches at the same time in various rooms of the Neal A. Stitt Building and the adjoining H.V. Brown Center. This will allow one clear winner to be decided, with the winning team moving on to the regional competition."