Seymour’s Chatfield-LoPresti school hosted its second annual “Battle of the Books” Friday (May 8), and the competition opened with quite a nail-biter.
Four teams of third-graders did “battle,” with the theme from the TV game show “Jeopardy!” playing in the background and classmates, teachers, and parents in the audience cheering on the contestants.
The top three teams in the event — during which students answer questions about books they had read — ended up separated by a slim, 1‑point margin.
In the run-up to the event, the students had read books over the past several months from a list provided by Media Specialist Terri Kirkland.
Before the competition they were quizzed on their knowledge of the books, she said, which included “Charlotte’s Web,” “Little House in the Big Woods,” “My Father’s Dragon,” “Freckle Juice,” and “Tornado.”
Those who scored highest during those quizzes got the chance to represent their classroom on a team.
During Friday’s contest, Kirkland used a slideshow to pose questions, after which students had a few seconds to hold up the correct book cover to respond.
The winning team was the “Brilliant Bees,” which consisted of Katie Nintzel, Lindsey Machniz, Victoria Koether, Matthew Childs, and Tierney Baldwin.
Amine Dhabi and Aaron Witalis served the team as alternates.
The team, from teacher Lisa Dorosh’s classroom, was presented with a trophy and each of the members received a gold medallion.
The Brilliant Bees scored 54 points, beating the “Book Soldiers” and “The Pink Team,” which both scored 53 points, and the “Book Nerds,” who came in at 50 points.
Bees’ team captain Katie Nintzel said after the contest she was “a little bit nervous” before the event. She said her favorite book was “The Boxcar Children.”
Classmate Victoria Noether said her favorite book was “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” because it was “funny and cute.”
Lindsey Machnicz said she enjoyed the contest, “especially because we all worked as a team.”
Kirkland said she was pleased with the students’ work.
“I liked their costumes and they did an awesome job,” she said.
Fourth-grade teacher Jara Ciocca’s students won the afternoon Battle of the Books event held between the fourth and fifth grades, school officials said in an e‑mail.
