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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Newport News students compete in Battle of the Books

Winning Newport News school teams named in reading contest

Elementary and middle school students competed in Newport News’ annual Battle of the Books competition March 8 at Main Street Library.

For more information, contact

Karen L. Gill 757-926-1350 | kgill@nngov.com

Newport News, Va. 2011 Mar 09

Elementary and middle school students competed in Newport News’ annual Battle of the Books competition March 8 at Main Street Library. The winning team at the elementary level is St. Andrews Episcopal School, and the middle school team winner is Booker T. Washington Middle School. These two teams will continue on to the Regional Battle of the Books competition March 19 at the Williamsburg Regional Library.

The annual Battle of the Books competition provides a way for students to have fun with books, while encouraging reading and promoting reading comprehension. Children in the elementary and middle school divisions read 15 books and answer questions based on the books. Participation is voluntary and requires the commitment of students, teachers, librarians and parents.

The Newport News Public Library System plans and coordinates the annual Battle of the Books program for schools in Newport News. The book list is released in May and students are encouraged to begin reading during the summer. In fall, teams come together to discuss the books and practice for the competition.

Library staff members read 30 books and write questions that are used to help schools practice in weekly mock battles. The Libraries provide multiple copies of each book title and weekly practice sessions in January and February to familiarize students with the conditions of the battles, the buzzer board, and the format of the questions.

The Library System also schedules the competitions in March. The Newport News preliminary Battle was March 1 at the Kiln Creek Elementary School. This competition involved students from eight elementary schools and four middle schools.

The following elementary schools participated in the 2011 Battle of the Books: Epes Elementary, Greenwood Elementary, Hampton Roads Academy, Hilton Elementary Kiln Creek Elementary, Riverside Elementary, St. Andrews Episcopal and Warwick River Christian School. The winners of the elementary school preliminary were Greenwood, Riverside and St. Andrews.

The following middle schools participated in the 2011 Battle of the Books: Crittenden Middle, Passage Middle, Booker T. Washington Middle and Warwick River Christian School. Winners of the middle school preliminary were Passage, Booker T. Washington and Warwick River Christian School.

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