Wednesday, March 14, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
7
Young readers battle in regional contest at Sisters Middle School
By Charlie Kanzig
Correspondent
Sisters Middle School
was a bastion of competi-
tive energy last weekend as
young readers ranging from
grades 3-12 flexed their lit-
erary muscles in the annual
Battle of the Books regional
competition.
Teams from as far away as
Burns and Dayville arrived
ready to go head-to-head
with other foursomes in a
competition which required
contestants to recall spe-
cific details from an array
of books read over the pre-
vious year. In the 3rd-5th
grade category, students had
to be familiar with a total of
16 books ranging from “My
Life in Dog Years,” by Gary
Paulsen to “Ella Enchanted,”
by Gail Carson Levine.
More than 50 teams
took part, according to Deb
Riehle, one of the event
coordinators and a teacher at
Sisters Middle School.
It is the third consecu-
tive year that Sisters Middle
School has hosted the event,
which continues to grow in
popularity. The school was
packed with hundreds of stu-
dents, coaches and supporters
throughout the day.
Set up like any sports
tournament, the day starts
with pool play in each divi-
sion, narrowing down to the
“Sweet Sixteen,” “Great
Eight,” “Fantastic Four” and
finally the championship
final.
“It’s pretty intense,” said
Riehle.
One spectator said, “I play
sports, and that last battle
was more nerve-wracking
than any games I have been
in.”
The Oregon Association
of School Libraries spon-
sors the Oregon Battle of the
Books (OBOB) with the goal
of exposing students to qual-
ity literature, representing a
variety of literary styles and
viewpoints, according to the
program’s website.
Battle of the Books does
not take place without the
help from dozens of vol-
unteers, which Riehle was
quick to point out.
“I can’t thank the vol-
unteers enough,” she said.
“Tiffany Tisdel and I are
amazed that we had school
staff, librarians, high school
and middle school students,
as well as parents, all chip-
ping in to make the day run
smoothly.”
Teams from Silver Rail
(Bend) and Lava Ridge
(Bend) advanced to the state
championships in the third-
through fifth-grade division,
while Cascade Middle School
(Bend) won among middle
schools, and Mountain View
won the high school cate-
gory. All of these teams will
compete April 7 in Salem.
Sisters had teams in all
divisions, but none of them
advanced into the champion-
ship bracket. The elementary
group, made up of fifth-grad-
ers, placed 10th among 29
teams in its division.
“It’s always fun to see so
many kids come from all over
the Central Oregon region for
this,” said Riehle.
Riehle continued, “This
is such a great program
because it teaches the kids
all about protocol and team-
work, while allowing them to
immerse themselves in books
and stories. We strive to make
the day as fun for the kids
as we can. There is always
a little heartache toward the
end, as they have worked so
hard.”
PHOTO BY CHARLIE KANZIG
The victorious Silver Rail team from Bend advanced to state competition
at the Sisters regional Battle of the Books tournament.
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