Daniels Wins WCPSS 2007 Battle of the Books
March 13, 2007 - The team of students from Daniels Middle School emerged winners among the 18 WCPSS middle schools that competed in the Wake County Public School System Battle of the Books March 10 at Garner High School.The Daniels Middle School team included Audrey Bowden, Thomas Kweon, Abigail Thurman, Lydia Thurman, Katelyn Schubel, Maitreyee Singh, Rob Sprankle and Rachel Willis. Dorothy Carter was the advisor. The Daniels team will compete in a regional competition later this month.
The West Cary Middle School team finished second. The West Cary team included Andrew Biscoe, Hailey Cusimano, Smitha Iyengar, Cindy Kang, Ben Kucmierz, Morgan Malone, Julia Shen, Mounika Somisetty, Stefanie Stewart, Lisa Wong and Allen Yang. Media Specialists Jan Garrett and Sheila Pattee were advisors.
The semi finalists included the teams from Martin and Zebulon middle schools.
In the Battle of the Books, teams of students represent their schools in a quiz bowl-style elimination competition. Students answer questions based on reading the 2006 North Carolina School Library Media Association list of books, which included Watership Down, Little Women, Chasing Vermeer, Peter and the Starcatchers and Tarzan of the Apes.
In each round of competition, teams representing two schools will compete. After three rounds of competition, the eight teams with the highest point totals will compete to enter the semi finals. Winners meet in the finals.
The Battle of the Books program seeks to encourage reading by all students at the middle school level. Students, regardless of ability, are exposed to quality literature representing a variety of literary styles and viewpoints by prominent authors in the area of young adult literature. The game format creates interest and excitement in reading. Through the fun and excitement of the competition, students improve reading skills, mature in their choices of reading materials, and acquire a broader knowledge base.
The Battle of the Books steering committee members included Kathy McDaniel, Kelli Schneider, Rita Thurman, and committee chair Carol Shearin. WCPSS Instructional Services helped. Joni Richardson and Linda Mathis were instrumental in providing guidance, support, and resources for the steering committee. Tom Huffstetler and Sharon Pearce served the entire day as Battle Facilitators. Sarah Jordan acted as the Battle of the Books official. Parents and teachers served as volunteers, judges, and moderators. Each school team worked with a teacher and media specialist from their school.
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