NORTH FORK — The Flying Books from North Fork Elementary School won the second annual Battle of the Books 3rd-4th grade competition for Madera County. The Reading Ravens, from Sherman Thomas STEM Academy were named champions of the Battle of the Books 5th-6th grade competition.
The top three teams battled it out in a winner-take-all Grand Challenge. Rivergold Readers came in second place in the overall 3rd-4th grade competition and Ronald Reagan Elementary placed third. The Courageous Cougars from North Fork Elementary placed second in the 5th-6th grade competition and Fairmead Elementary placed third.
The event saw 10 schools, 17 teams, and more than 120 students battle it out on Saturday, December 10. Each team read 20 books and had up to 15 team members. Schools were allowed a 3rd-4th grade team and a 5-6th grade team. Each team created a team name for the competition.
Throughout the day students competed in three events: Friendly Family Feud, Relay Race, and Super Challenge at Stone Creek Elementary School.
During the Friendly Family Feud, teams worked together to answer specific questions one team at a time. If a team provided an incorrect answer, the opposing team was able to steal and answer the question to earn points. Ronald Reagan Elementary placed first in the 3rd-4th grade Friendly Family Feud competition.
The Flying Books from North Fork Elementary came in second, followed by the Rivergold Readers in third place. Reading Ravens from Sherman Thomas STEM Academy won the 5th-6th grade competition followed by Courageous Cougars from North Fork Elementary. Fairmead Elementary came in third.
In the Relay Race, students ran to a proctor and answered a question one student at a time. Once one team answered all 24 questions the relay was over and scores were tabulated. The 3rd-4th grade first place team in the Relay Race was The Flying Books from North Fork Elementary School. They were followed by Reagan Elementary in second and Rivergold Readers earned third place. The 8th grade first place team was Reading Ravens from Sherman Thomas STEM Academy. The second place winner was Fairmead Elementary followed by the Soaring Hawks from Rivergold Elementary.
The Super Challenge was a speed test. All teams competed against each other at the same time. They had a buzzer and the first team to buzz in had the opportunity to answer the question first. The Flying Books from North Fork Elementary came in first place, Ronald Reagan earned second place, and the Roadrunners from Ezequiel Tafoya Alvarado Academy placed third. The Reading Ravens from Sherman Thomas STEM Academy won the 8th grade competition. Courageous Cougars from North Fork earned second place and the Soaring Hawks from Rivergold Elementary placed third.
The event was hosted by Madera County Superintendent of Schools and Madera County Schools Foundation.
“We were happy to host the Madera County Battle of the Books event promoting reading in Madera County! The students did an amazing job,” said Tricia Protzman, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services, Madera County Superintendent of Schools. “It was such an exciting day, with fun team competitions, challenges, and collaboration!”