Lower School hosts Battle of the Books competition

Rabun Gap teams competed in the Battle of the Books on May 14.
Three teams of book-savvy fourth and fifth-graders took the Rearden Stage on Tuesday, May 14  to participate in Rabun Gap’s first Battle of the Books competition.

The Lower School’s Battle of the Books team has been preparing for this moment for months after school. The Battle of the Books program is coordinated by the North Carolina School Media and Library Association, which releases a list of books for students to read and study in preparation for competition. The elementary level list includes 15 books. During the competition, students are asked very specific questions from what they read and are required to give the name of the book and the author’s name.

Emily Childs ’21 spent the winter season coaching students, and librarian MC Phillips sponsored this year’s program. Our students had to read as many of the books as possible from the list of 15 and know the authors and the details of the story. Some students read all from the list while others became experts on certain books. They used jeopardy and Kahoot to practice questions and do mock battles.

This is the second year the Lower School has organized a Battle of the Books team.

“Last year, librarian, Mrs. McGee began the Elementary Battle of the Books tradition with the lower school’s first team, and they competed against 3 other independent schools,” said Ms. Phillips. “This year, we carried on the tradition and the students worked very hard throughout the year. It was a great way to spend afternoons reading and discussing a diverse list of books. Not everyone loved each book on the list, and that actually added to deeper discussion on literature. This group also remembered to have a lot of fun and to support each other. I am so proud of them for sticking with it and for getting up on stage in front of an audience to battle it out!”

Rabun Gap’s Battle of the Books members were: Sarah Childs ’26, Annie Davis ’26, Hannah Demmler ’26, Marshall Dow ’26, Cassidy Klimasewski ’26, Eulalie McGrath ’26, Huston Sgro ’26, Sophie Smith ’27, Kaylee Stewart ’27, and Sophie Weatherly ’26.


In Tuesday’s competition, the team of Sarah Childs, Marshall Dow, and Hanna Demmler won first place, Sophie Weatherly, Cassidy Klimasewski, and Annie Davis earned second place, and Huston Sgro, Eulalie McGrath, and Kaylee Stewart won third place.
 
Back
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School is a private, coeducational day and boarding school for grades Pre-K through 12. Centrally located between Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, and Asheville, NC, we prepare young people for college, career, and a lifetime of leadership and service.