North Fork Elementary and Rivergold Elementary win the Inaugural Madera County Battle of the Books.
Courageous Cougars (Back row L to R): Jesse Hernandez, Nathan Ashmore, Tyner Juras, Coach Melissa Cottington; (front row L to R) Trisha Graham, Sterling Herechski, Charlie Cruger.
MADERA COUNTY – The Courageous Cougars from North Fork Elementary School won the first ever Battle of the Books 3rd-4th grade competition and the Golden Books from Rivergold Elementary was named champion for the 5th-6th grade competition.
The inaugural event saw three schools, five teams, and 25 students battle it out on Saturday, March 5. Each team read 20 books and had up to five team members. Schools were allowed a 3rd-4th grade team and a 5-6th grade team. Each team created a team name for competition.
Golden Books: (L to R) William Leyman, Cooper Flanigan, Darius Darestani, Cyrus Darestani, Kaytie Gaumer, Coach Debbie Tawney.
Throughout the day students competed in three events: Friendly Family Feud, Relay Race, and Super Challenge at the Madera County Superintendent of Schools Conference Center.
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. Courageous Cougars, from North Fork Elementary School placed first in the Friendly Family Feud 3rd-4th grade competition and The Mighty B.O.B. Squad, from James Monroe Elementary placed first in the 5th-6th grade competition.
The Mighty BOB: (Back Row L to R) Leonardo Hernandez, Milagros Barajas-Romo, Juliette Salazar; (front row L to R) Joel Diaz, Annabella Lopez. Coached by Jennifer McNeil and Marissa Williams.
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 Courageous Cougars from North Fork Elementary School. The 5th-6th grade first place team was The Golden Books, from Rivergold Elementary School.
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 Soaring Readers placed first in the 3rd-4th grade Super Challenge and The Golden Books earned first place in the 5th-6th grade Super Challenge. Both teams were from Rivergold Elementary School.
“We were happy to host the first-ever Madera County Battle of the Books promoting reading in Madera County! The students did an amazing job,” said Dianna Marsh, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services, Madera County Superintendent of Schools. “It was such an exciting day, with fun team competitions, challenges, and collaboration!”
The event was hosted by Madera County Superintendent of Schools and Madera County Schools Foundation and sponsored by Madera Sunrise Rotary Club.
Related Story: Battle of the Books Comes to Madera
